The relationship between distributed leadership and teacher well-being: The mediating roles of organisational trust

Abstract

Teacher well-being plays an important role in education reform because it marks teachers’ positive evaluation of and healthy functioning in their work environment. However, there has been insufficient research on the relationship between distributed leadership and teacher well-being and on how organisational trust works as a mediator between these two constructs. Based on responses from 587 teachers in primary schools in southwest China, this study examined how distributed leadership contributes to teacher well-being with attention to the mediating role of organisational trust. Using structural equation modelling and bootstrapping tests, the analysis showed a nonsignificant direct effect between distributed leadership and teacher well-being. Organisational trust and its two dimensions, namely trust in the working team and trust in the principal, had significant mediating effects on the relationship between distributed leadership and teacher well-being. However, the dimension of trust in the work setting did not appear to be a significant mediator. This study contributes to a better understanding of the transferability of leadership theories across cultures and to a deepening comprehension of strategies for improving teacher well-being in Chinese schools and similar contexts. Implications of the study and future research direction are presented.

Understanding the relationship between teacher leadership and teacher well-being: the mediating roles of trust in leaders and teacher efficacy

“…The role of trust has been the focus of research on transformational leadership since change leaders seem to generate more trust . Recent studies have also proved that distributed leadership can positively affect teacher well-being (Liu et al, 2022). In addition, employees tend to follow leaders they can trust and who make them feel secure (Kouzes and Posner, 2017).…”

“…Based on the above discussion, it can be inferred that trust in leaders could mediate the relationship between teacher leadership and teacher well-being theoretically. Research conducted by Liu et al (2022) has suggested that individual trust in colleagues and trust in principals mediates the relationship between distributed leadership and teacher well-being. Other research has shown that good principal-teacher relationships can increase teacher job satisfaction (Torres and Chrispeels, 2022;Van Maele et al, 2014).…”

“…There have been fewer empirical studies on teacher leadership and teacher well-being, but there have been many studies on the relationship between distributed leadership and teacher well-being and the relationship between transformational leadership and teacher well-being (Barbieri et al ., 2019; Liu et al ., 2022). Teacher well-being may be promoted through leadership approaches that give personal, interpersonal and organizational support (Ford et al ., 2019).…”

“…, 2016). Recent studies have also proved that distributed leadership can positively affect teacher well-being (Liu et al. , 2022).…”

“…In practice, accountability, the new public management and neo-liberalism have seriously affected teacher well-being (Acton and Glasgow, 2015). The importance of teacher well-being has been widely recognized, as teaching is regarded as a very stressful job (Liu et al. , 2022).…”