Ethical Becoming in School Leadership: A Photovoice Study of School Heads’ Lived Ethical Practices

This study explored the lived ethical practices and ethical becoming of school heads in Region XII, Philippines through a qualitative photovoice approach grounded in Michel Foucault’s theory of ethical self-formation. While ethical leadership studies have largely focused on leadership behaviors, compliance, and organizational outcomes, limited research has examined how school heads constitute themselves as ethical subjects through lived experiences and reflective practice. Guided by the Foucauldian concepts of technologies of the self, parrhesia, and power/knowledge, the study investigated how school heads cultivate and transform their ethical identities, engage in truth-telling despite personal and professional risks, and negotiate institutional norms and policies that shape ethical discourse and leadership practice. Ten school heads from elementary, secondary, and integrated schools participated in photovoice activities, reflective narratives, and focus group discussions guided by the SHOWeD framework. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings revealed that school heads enacted ethical leadership through integrity in decision-making, accountability, compassion, fairness, inclusivity, and professional responsibility. Their ethical practices reflected technologies of the self, as they continuously engaged in self-reflection, self-regulation, and deliberate ethical work to align their actions with professional and moral commitments. School heads also demonstrated parrhesia by speaking and acting according to ethical convictions despite challenges, tensions, and potential personal or professional consequences. Furthermore, their experiences highlighted the influence of power/knowledge relations, as institutional expectations, policies, and organizational structures both enabled and constrained ethical leadership practices. School heads navigated ethical dilemmas by balancing personal values and professional responsibilities, fostering collaborative relationships, demonstrating resilience, and exercising reflective ethical judgment. Ethical becoming emerged as a continuous, relational, and context-dependent process shaped by reflection, leadership experiences, and ongoing identity formation. The study concludes that ethical leadership extends beyond behavioral compliance and should be understood as an evolving process of ethical self-formation situated within relations of power. By illuminating how school heads construct ethical identities, practice courageous truth-telling, and negotiate institutional expectations, the findings advance understanding of ethical becoming and ethical leadership in educational contexts while demonstrating the value of photovoice as a participatory methodology for examining the ethical dimensions of school leadership.