Understanding teacher professional learning in China: synergistic roles of department and principal leadership in a multilevel moderated mediation model

There is growing interest in the topic of middle-level leadership, including department and subject leaders. However, published research has largely failed to consider the underlying mechanisms through which middle-level leaders influence teacher professional learning. This study investigated how and under what conditions department leadership is beneficial to teacher professional learning. This research examined “school collectivism” as a boundary condition that was hypothesized to influence the effects of departmental leadership on teacher resilience and professional learning. Survey data on these constructs were collected among 3219 teachers in 121 primary and middle schools located in mainland China. Multilevel moderated mediation modeling was employed to assess the simultaneous effects of conditional and mediating factors on teacher engagement in professional learning. The results revealed that department leadership could influence teacher resilience which also mediated the relationship between department leadership and teacher professional learning. This indirect effect of department leadership on teacher professional learning was strengthened when school collectivism was reinforced. The findings add to the current literature first by empirically verifying the impact of middle-level leaders on teachers, as well as by highlighting school-level conditions that can shape the exercise of middle-level leadership.

Background: Empirical evidence increasingly suggests that leadership which motivates, supports, and sustains the professional learning of teachers has a knock-on effect for both student learning and school improvement. The current study was conducted in China, where the workplace learning of teachers is embedded in a strong tradition of school-based, teacher learning practices such as the Master Teacher–Apprentice Bond and Teacher Research Groups. Purpose: The study investigated a mediated-effects model of principal instructional leadership and teacher learning. The model proposed principal time management skills and self-efficacy as antecedents of instructional leadership and teacher self-efficacy as a mediator of principal instructional leadership effects on the professional learning of teachers. Method: Survey data were collected from 3,414 teachers and 186 principals in 186 middle schools in Qingdao, China. Confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modeling, and bootstrapping were used to analyze the multisource data. Results: The research confirmed a partial mediation model whereby principal instructional leadership evidenced moderate direct and indirect effects on teacher professional learning. Principal time management and self-efficacy exercised small effects on principal instructional leadership. Implications: The research adds to a growing body of research that affirms a positive relationship between principal leadership and teacher professional learning and emphasizes the importance of self-efficacy in shaping educator practice. The authors suggest the timeliness for scholars to undertake systematic reviews of this literature on leadership and teacher professional learning, and offer recommendations for school leadership practice.

This study tested the relationship between principals’ instructional leadership, teacher collective efficacy, teacher commitment, and teacher professional learning in Iranian primary schools. Survey data collected from 121 principals and 886 teachers in primary schools in Mashhad city, Iran were analysed using confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modelling, and bootstrapping. Findings confirmed a partial mediation model whereby principal instructional leadership has both direct and indirect effects on teacher professional learning. The research also revealed how instructional leaders influence the professional learning of teachers through teacher’s collective efficacy, commitment. The present study contributes to the literature by investigating the key role of the principal’s instructional leadership in supporting teacher professional learning.

Purpose The study used complexity theory to examine direct and indirect linear and nonlinear relationships among principal instructional leadership, teacher professional learning and teacher self-efficacy. Design/methodology/approach This cross-sectional study collects survey data from 418 teachers in 48 Malaysian primary and secondary schools. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to analyze linear and nonlinear relationships among the variables. Findings All direct and indirect linear relationships between principal instructional leadership, teacher self-efficacy and teacher professional learning were significant. The discovery of significant linear, nonlinear and bidirectional relationships suggests that the influence of principal instructional leadership is not uniform and that the relationship between teacher self-efficacy and teacher learning may be reciprocal. Practical implications These findings underscore the need for context-sensitive, differentiated leadership strategies. Originality/value The findings extend prevailing assumptions by suggesting that the effects of instructional leadership on teacher self-efficacy and professional learning are nonlinear, context-specific, and reciprocal.

Teacher professional learning plays a critical role in education reform by enabling teachers to refine their professional skills and keep up with changing content knowledge, pedagogy, and trends in schooling. This study examines how and under what conditions principal instructional leadership contributes to teachers’ professional learning in mainland China. Data collected from 1194 teachers in 64 primary and middle schools in mainland China were analyzed using structural equation modeling and bootstrapping tests. The research tested a moderated mediation model of instructional leadership effects on teacher professional learning in which teacher self-efficacy was included as the mediator and power distance orientation of teachers as the moderator. The results reaffirmed the partial mediation model, finding significant direct and indirect effects of principal instructional leadership on teacher professional learning. Further model testing found that the individual power distance orientation of teachers acted as a significant moderator of principal instructional leadership effects on both teacher self-efficacy and professional learning. When teachers perceived lower power distance in relations with their principals, the effects of principal instructional leadership were stronger than for counterparts who perceived high power distance. Implications for understanding the contextualized nature of school leadership during an era of cultural change are discussed.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the direct and indirect relationship between the principal's instructional leadership, organizational climate, and communication interpersonal relationship to the performance of SDN teachers in the South Banjarmasin District. This research is quantitative by using the correlation technique (correlation research). The research population was 309 teachers from 59 schools and 174 respondents were taken as research samples with a random sampling technique. Data collection using a questionnaire instrument and data analysis using descriptive analysis, classical assumption test, multiple linear regression analysis, and path analysis. The results showed that there was a positive and significant influence on the principal's instructional leadership (X1) on teacher performance (Y) of 0.301. There is a positive and significant effect of organizational climate (X2) on teacher performance (Y) of 0.176. There is a positive and significant effect of interpersonal communication (Z) on teacher performance (Y) of 0.213. There is a positive and significant effect of organizational climate (X2) on interpersonal communication (Z) of 0.602. There is a positive and significant influence of Principal Instructional Leadership (X1) on interpersonal communication (Z) of 0.145. There is a positive and significant influence between Principal Instructional (X1) and Inter-personal Communication (Z) on Teacher Performance (Y) of 0.031. There is a positive and significant influence between organizational climate (X2) and Interpersonal Communication (Z) on Teacher Performance (Y) of 0.128. Based on the results of the study, it can be concluded that the Principal's Instructional Leadership, Organizational Climate, Interpersonal Communication have a positive and significant effect on the performance of SDN teachers in South Banjarmasin District.

Although the investigation of instructional leadership and teacher professional learning is well-documented in the literature, one overlooked question concerns the linear and nonlinear relationships between these two variables. This study aims to examine the linear and nonlinear relationships of principal instructional leadership on teacher professional learning through teacher self-efficacy as a mediator. This study has collected 335 teacher samples encompassing both primary and secondary school levels in Penang, Malaysia. The analysis of data utilised partial least-squares structural equation modelling. The findings indicated a significant positive linear relationship between instructional leadership and teacher-professional learning. Likewise, there exists a significant mediating effect of teacher self-efficacy between instructional leadership on teacher professional learning. There exists a significant nonlinear relationship between principal instructional leadership on teacher self-efficacy and teacher professional learning respectively. The structural model exhibits a significantly high level of predictive power for in-sample and out-of-sample. This study offers theoretical and methodological advancements in comprehending the complex relationships between instructional leadership and teacher outcomes. It proposes that forthcoming studies could adopt a combination of linear and non-linear relationships to achieve robust empirical findings.

Instructional leadership has begun to be examined as an essential factor in school development research. It has received considerable attention, especially in developing countries, in recent years. This study examined the relationship between school principals' instructional leadership and teacher instructional practices and the mediating role of teacher professional learning. A cross‐sectional survey design was adopted in the study, and the participants were 385 elementary and middle school teachers working in a city in western Türkiye. The data were analysed through structural equation modelling. Findings demonstrated that instructional leadership significantly predicted teacher instructional practices and teacher professional learning. Findings also highlighted teacher professional learning as a significant mediator between instructional leadership and teacher instructional practices. This study confirmed that instructional leadership can strengthen teacher instructional practice and professional learning in a centralized education system.

The poor student performance in the Programme for International Student Assessment has urged the Malaysian authorities to upskill teachers’ professional learning. However, little is known about how instructional leadership contributes to teacher professional learning, especially in the Malaysian context. This study seeks to investigate the direct relationship between principal instructional leadership and teacher professional learning through the mediating effects of teachers’ trust in the principal and self-efficacy in a multiple mediated-effects model. Data were collected from 335 primary and secondary school teachers in Penang, Malaysia. A partial least squares structural equation modelling approach was used for data analysis. The results found that the relationship between principal instructional leadership and teacher professional learning is mediated by teachers’ trust in the principal and self-efficacy. Implications for theory and knowledge are presented.

Empirical studies examining the impact of principal instructional leadership (PIL) as well as teacher self-efficacy (TSE) as a mediator to teacher leadership (TL) on teacher professional learning (TPL) practices are minimal. Theoretically, this study provides empirical evidence through the application of four models, namely the Leadership Development for Teachers (LDT), the PIL Model, the TSE Model, and the TPL Model, to enrich the understanding of TPL. Employing Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) analysis, survey data were collected from 522 teachers in secondary schools in Kelantan. The research strategy that has been used is a cross-sectional quantitative survey. The data were analyzed utilising the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to evaluate the direct and indirect effects of TL on professional learning practices. The results indicate that both PIL as a construct and TSE influence TL and TPL practices. In other words, teachers and principals with power as well as support are likely to deliberate and actively notice learning opportunities. This study takes a holistic approach by analyzing all of the components related to good leadership in education. Such insights shed light on how school policymakers and administrators can create atmospheres that promote ongoing professional development for teachers. In the future, it might be beneficial for researchers to investigate similar dynamics in other types of educational institutions in order to broaden our knowledge of ways to encourage various kinds of TPL.

Effective Schools: A Review

Numerous studies have explored teachers’ professional learning, yet ongoing efforts persist to understand the influence of leadership factors on this concept. This study aims to analyse the relationship between school principals’ instructional leadership behaviours, teacher leadership and teachers’ professional learning. A structural model was created and tested using data from 346 Turkish teachers. Results confirmed that teacher leadership behaviours mediate the relationship between principals’ instructional leadership behaviours and teachers’ professional learning. In contexts where principals demonstrate instructional leadership, teachers tend to exhibit more teacher leadership behaviours, fostering positive attitudes towards professional learning. Teachers engaged in teacher leadership behaviours prioritise activities enhancing their professional learning. This study concludes that the impact of instructional leadership on teacher leadership and professional learning hinges on principals’ implementation of instructional leadership and teachers’ integration of professional learning into their practices, contributing to leadership literature.

Purpose– Over the past decade, studies of school leadership effects have increasingly aimed at identifying and validating the paths through which principal leadership impacts key teaching and learning processes in schools. A recent meta-analysis by Robinson and colleagues identified principal practices that shape teacher professional development experiences in schools as the highest impact path used by instructional leaders. The purpose of this paper is to examine relationships between principal leadership, dimensions of school capacity, and teacher professional learning in 32 Hong Kong primary schools.Design/methodology/approach– The study employed a cross-sectional research design and quantitative methods to analyze teacher perceptions of principal leadership and key school conditions. The research employed hierarchical linear regression analysis to explore survey data collected from a sample of 970 teachers. The surveys covered a range of principal leadership and school capacity dimensions, as well as a measure of teacher professional learning.Findings– Results indicated that multiple dimensions of principal leadership made significant contributions to both school capacity and teacher professional learning. The presence of cooperation, trust, communication, support for students, and alignment, coherence, and structure in schools also affected teacher professional learning.Research limitations/implications– These findings contribute to the global discourse on leadership for learning. The study addresses the need established by multiple scholars (e.g. Leithwood, Hallinger, Heck, Robinson, Witziers) for research that further illuminates “paths” and “intermediate targets” through which leadership impacts teaching and learning. The findings elaborate on the means by which leadership can enhance school capacities that directly impact teacher classroom practice and student learning. Consistent with other scholarly research (e.g. Bryk and Schneider, Louis and colleagues, Sahphier and King) the findings also point toward the importance of establishing selected workplace conditions (e.g. trust, cooperation, communication) as a foundation for fostering teacher professional learning.Practical implications– The study reinforces the finding from other studies that it is productive for principals to foster an environment aimed at enhancing teacher professionalism. The study also highlights the potentially dysfunctional consequences that can arise from competing system-level initiatives aimed at increasing monitoring and teacher accountability and fostering teacher professionalism.Originality/value– The study contributes to a small but growing body of leadership effects research conducted in non-Western societies. As such the study offers insights with relevance for understanding leadership processes in other Asian and non-Western cultures.

Aim: While integrated leadership has received significant scholarly attention in the past decade, most existing research in this vein has focused on its impact on student achievement and often dismissed how it might be related to instructional practices, which are at the center of many school reforms. In this research, we examined the relationship between integrated leadership and teacher professional learning and teacher practices in Turkey, where educational policy makers have recently introduced several school reform initiatives. More specifically, we aimed to examine the moderating function of transformational leadership in the relationship between instructional leadership and teacher practices, with an emphasis on the mediating role of teacher professional learning. Research Design: We conducted this study with a cross-sectional design and moderated mediation model. Data collected from 616 teachers working in a mix of primary and secondary schools in Turkey were analyzed using structural equation modeling and bootstrapping tests. Findings: We found evidence that transformational leadership acted as a moderator of the indirect effect of principal instructional leadership on teachers' instructional practices through teacher professional learning. Implications: This study adds to the accumulated body of knowledge on the effects of school leadership by concluding that the effect of instructional leadership on teacher learning and practice is contingent upon the extent to which principals enact transformational leadership. School principals who adopt a more comprehensive leadership approach that combines instructional leadership and transformational leadership practices can maximize their effects on student achievement through teacher learning, and better address the ever-growing demands of educational reforms.

American Public School Administration: A Short Analysis