Nexus between Distributed Leadership, Meaningful Work and School Academic Optimism in Turkish Schools: A Multilevel SEM Analysis

Abstract

School academic optimism is an internal factor that plays an important role in a range of school outcomes. In recent years, there has been an increasing focus on the antecedents of school academic optimism. Previous studies have concluded that leadership has an important impact on school academic optimism. However, the wholistic effect of distributed leadership and meaningful work on school academic optimism has not been sufficiently researched. Therefore, in the current study, we tested the model we had developed to explore the direct and indirect relations among distributed leadership, meaningful work, and school academic optimism both at the teacher level and school level. The data were gathered from 813 teachers working at 78 state primary schools located in 12 regions in Türkiye. We used multilevel structural equation model analysis to test the model we had developed. The results show that meaningful work is a significant factor in the relationship between distributed leadership and school academic optimism. This result contributes to the literature that focuses on the antecedents of school academic optimism. Based on the study results, it is recommended to develop and implement policies that will strengthen schools and give school leaders more authority to produce effective outcomes.