Abstract:

Previous literature has identified strong relationships between principal leadership behavior, teachers' attitudes and performance. More recently, leadership theories put forward a more complex structure of leadership, emphasizing an integration of instructional and transformational leadership. Though these two types of leadership are often considered alternative strategies, they are de facto complementary approaches. This study examines the relationship between principal leadership (instructional and transformational), school climate (participation, innovation and teacher formal collaboration), teacher psychological factors (teacher self-efficacy and teacher autonomy) and teacher job satisfaction. We collected the data through a survey carried out in 26 senior secondary schools in China. In total, 528 teachers participated. A path model has been developed to define the relationships between variables. The results suggest a significant influence of instructional and transformational leadership on teachers' job satisfaction, mediated by school climate and teachers’ self-efficacy. No significant effects of teacher autonomy on teacher job satisfaction has been found.

Keywords:

Principal leadership, school climate, self-efficacy, job satisfaction.