Original Article

Character Leadership as a Practice-Based and Relationally Sustained Process in a Multi-Campus Catholic School

Marielle Chelsea S. Tambunting-Punsalang

University of Perpetual Help System DALTA, Las Piñas City, Philippines
Email: chelseatambunting@yahoo.com 

Abstract

This study examined how school leaders within a multi-campus Catholic educational institution conceptualize, enact, and sustain character-centered leadership in contemporary educational contexts. Anchored in a constructivist grounded theory design, the research focused on teacher-coordinators who function as frontline leaders in character formation across three campuses of Marymount Academy of Parañaque. Six co-participants were purposively selected based on their active roles in mentoring, program implementation, and values integration. Data were generated through in-depth semi-structured interviews and analyzed using iterative coding, constant comparison, and theoretical integration procedures.

Findings revealed that character leadership operates as a holistic and dynamic process integrating moral, relational, and spiritual dimensions. Leadership is enacted through modeling, mentoring, and reflective engagement, supported by institutional systems such as routines, co-curricular programs, and relational support structures. The analysis further identified a critical distinction between value instruction and value internalization, demonstrating that authentic character development emerges through sustained practice, lived experience, and guided reflection rather than through formal instruction alone.

The study culminated in the emergence of a core explanatory category: character leadership as an integrated, practice-based, and relationally sustained process. This process reflects the alignment of leadership practices, institutional structures, and student experiences, enabling values to be enacted, internalized, and reinforced over time. The resulting Character Leadership Framework offers a context-sensitive and scalable model for strengthening values-based leadership in educational settings.

Keywords

Character leadership; grounded theory; values education; relational leadership; character formation

Full Article

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Suggested APA Citation

Tambunting-Punsalang, M. C. S. (2026). Character leadership as a practice-based and relationally sustained process in a multi-campus Catholic school. QualiSearch Journal of Educational Research and Practice, 2(4). https://doi.org/10.66437/qjerp.v2i4.001 

Copyright and Licensing

This article is published under an open-access model by QualiSearch Academic Press. Authors retain copyright of their work while granting the journal the right to publish and disseminate the article for scholarly and educational purposes.

Peer Review Statement

This article underwent editorial screening and double-blind peer review prior to publication in the QualiSearch Journal of Educational Research and Practice (QJERP).

Ethical Approval Statement

This study received ethical clearance from the Graduate School of Education, University of Perpetual Help System DALTA, Las Piñas City. Approval was granted prior to data collection in compliance with the Data Privacy Act of 2012 and NPC Circular No. 2023-04. All involved institutions issued formal permission to conduct the study, and informed consent, confidentiality, and voluntary participation were strictly upheld.

Author Bio

Marielle Chelsea S. Tambunting-Punsalang is an educator and emerging scholar in the field of educational leadership, with specialization in values-based and character-centered education. She earned her Master of Arts in Education major in Educational Management from the University of Perpetual Help System DALTA. Her research interests include character education, relational leadership, school culture, and constructivist grounded theory.

Correspondence

Marielle Chelsea S. Tambunting-Punsalang

University of Perpetual Help System DALTA,

Las Piñas City, Philippines

Email:

chelseatambunting@yahoo.com