Whose leadership role is more substantial for teacher professional collaboration, job satisfaction and organizational commitment: a lens of distributed leadership

ABSTRACT

Research evidence has suggested distributed leadership might help improve school outcomes, but the conceptualization and operationalization of distributed leadership itself remain inconsistent, and the evidence of distributed leadership on many school outcomes is far from complete. This research used the multi-country 2013 Teaching and Learning International Study data to reveal how variations in principal, management team, and teachers’ leadership in three primary school leadership functions are associated with teacher professional collaboration, teacher job satisfaction, and teacher organizational commitment. The study investigated multi-dimensional associations using a three-level Structural Equation Model, and found teacher reported shared decision-making was significantly and positively related to all interested outcomes. While using the distributed leadership operational variables, which emphasized the variations in each leader unit’s leadership and managerial roles, this study found practically, management team leadership in instructional management and teacher development, and teacher leadership in teacher development were associated with desired teacher collaboration and teacher attitudes.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Yan Liu

Yan Liuis an Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership, Policy, and Instructional Technology at Central Connecticut State University. She primarily utilizes quantitative methods to investigate how educational contexts, educational policies, and expertise possessed by school stakeholders interactively outline educational leadership and educational outcomes. She is interested in school leadership in a broader context through a comparative lens. Her research has been published at various journals including Educational Administration Quarterly, Educational Management Administration & Leadership, School Effectiveness and School Improvement, and International Journal of Educational Research, etc.

Sheldon Watson

Sheldon Watson is a faculty member, Ed.D. Program Director, and Chairperson of the Department of Educational Leadership, Policy, and Instructional Technology at Central Connecticut State University. Dr Watson specializes in organizational learning, systems leadership, and qualitative research methods.