Transformational School Leadership, Teacher Well-Being, and Intention to Stay: A Multilevel Study of Public Secondary School Teachers
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65327/es.v12i2.2538Keywords:
transformational school leadership, teacher well-being, intention to stay, public secondary schools, multilevel frameworkAbstract
Teacher well-being and retention remain persistent concerns in public secondary schools, where workload, administrative pressure, limited resources, and emotional demands can weaken professional commitment. This conceptual article develops a multilevel framework explaining how transformational school leadership influences teachers’ intention to stay directly and indirectly through teacher well-being. A conceptual research design was used to integrate Transformational Leadership Theory, the Job Demands–Resources model, and Social Exchange Theory. The framework distinguishes individual teacher perceptions from shared school-level leadership conditions and identifies direct, mediating, and cross-level relationships. The proposed model suggests that transformational school leadership enhances teacher well-being by strengthening professional support, recognition, autonomy, participation, trust, and sense of purpose. Improved well-being may then increase teachers’ intention to stay by reducing occupational stress and reinforcing job satisfaction, engagement, and organizational commitment. Transformational leadership is also expected to influence intention to stay directly by strengthening teachers’ attachment to school goals and confidence in school leadership. At the organizational level, a shared transformational leadership climate may promote collective well-being and stronger retention intentions, while school culture, resources, and organizational support may shape the strength of these relationships. Overall, teacher well-being is positioned as the central mechanism connecting leadership with retention. The framework provides a theoretical foundation for future longitudinal and multilevel empirical research.
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