Background. Although a research culture in schools for secondary education can contribute to a systematic approach to improve education, teachers often do not conduct research activities or work inquiry-based in their schools. As teacher leadership might be a way to stimulate a research culture, the research question of this study is: “How can teachers leaders with expertise on inquiry-based working promote inquiry-based working of their colleagues?”. Teacher leadership is defined as ‘the process by which teachers, individually and collectively, influence their colleagues, principals, and other members of school communities to improve teaching and learning practices with the aim of increased student learning and achievement’ (York-Barr & Duke, 2004, p. 287-288). Teacher leadership can take various forms, such as formal or informal, and individual or collective leadership (Snoek et al., 2019). In the current study, the selected form is role-based (formally assigned and individual) teacher leadership. We investigated how teachers with expertise on inquiry-based working shaped their role-based teacher leadership, and stimulated and supported their colleagues to work inquiry-based in their classrooms/schools. Method. Six teacher leaders working in secondary education in the Netherlands took on this role-based teacher leadership during two school years. Subsequently, the teacher leaders were interviewed. Audio-recordings were transcribed and analyzed via thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006). Results. The results revealed two themes that teacher leaders used to shape their role-based teacher leadership: school management and critical friendship. In informal conversations with school management, the teacher leaders were able to discuss their views on inquiry-based working and promote understanding of school management regarding (the importance of) inquiry-based working. When school management took action regarding implications of inquiry-based working in the school, this motivated the teacher leaders to further promote inquiry-based working. Critical friendship was addressed by the teacher leaders: they asked critical questions, supported their colleagues to formulate questions, and answered these by means of inquiry activities. The teacher leaders stimulated their colleagues to take on the role of critical friend themselves. In addition, teacher leaders used resources to promote inquiry-based working: contacts with other teacher leaders to learn from each other and scaffolds (e.g., a tool to discuss inquiry-based working) to promote their colleagues’ inquiry-based working. Implications. Teachers with expertise in inquiry-based working can be assigned a role-based teacher leadership position to promote inquiry-based working and contribute to integral school development through collaboration with school management and critical friendship, supported by resources.

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