The Impact of Principal Authentic Leadership on Teacher Engagement in Professional Learning

• In Event: Examining Principal-Teacher Relations

Abstract

Scholars have acknowledged teacher learning was the key to success for educational reform. This paper aimed to develop and validate a theoretical model of authentic leadership effects on teacher engagement in professional learning. Authentic leadership was considered a fitting style of leadership in Thailand context due to its culture that highly valued moral purpose, collectivity and honesty. The study employed a quantitative cross-sectional survey design. Data were obtained from 3,321 teachers in a nationally representative sample of 377 schools. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and structural equation modeling. The findings indicated that although authentic leadership had no direct effect on teacher engagement in professional learning, its effect was indirect and significantly mediated by learning-centered leadership and academic optimism.

Authors

• Dhirapat Kulophas, Chulalongkorn University

• Philip Hallinger, Mahidol University