Responsible School Leadership and Teachers' Emotional Exhaustion: The Moderated Mediation Role of Work Meaningfulness and Proactive Personality
Saved in:
| Title: | Responsible School Leadership and Teachers' Emotional Exhaustion: The Moderated Mediation Role of Work Meaningfulness and Proactive Personality |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Mahmut Polatcan (ORCID |
| Source: | British Journal of Educational Psychology. 2026 96(2):631-647. |
| Availability: | Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 17 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: | Instructional Leadership, Teacher Administrator Relationship, Fatigue (Biology), Teacher Attitudes, Teacher Characteristics, Work Attitudes, Foreign Countries, Leadership Responsibility, Personality Traits |
| Geographic Terms: | Turkey |
| DOI: | 10.1111/bjep.70042 |
| ISSN: | 0007-0998 2044-8279 |
| Abstract: | Background: Despite increasing research attention to teachers' emotional states, there remains a significant gap in understanding how educational leaders can effectively mitigate these issues. Purpose: This study examined a multilevel, moderated mediation model that explored the relationship between responsible school leadership and emotional exhaustion, with the moderating role of teachers' proactive personality and the mediating effect of work meaningfulness. Sample: The study utilized data from 739 teachers working in 72 schools across Türkiye. Participants represented a range of school contexts and demographic backgrounds, allowing for examination of both individual and school-level effects. Method: A multilevel analytical approach was employed to test the hypothesized moderated mediation model, examining both direct and indirect effects of responsible leadership on emotional exhaustion. Results: The findings indicate that responsible leadership is directly associated with reduced emotional exhaustion and indirectly linked to lower exhaustion through increased work meaningfulness. Moreover, among teachers with higher levels of proactive personality, responsible leadership was associated with a stronger reduction in emotional exhaustion compared to those with lower levels of proactive personality. Conclusion: The findings contribute to the current literature by providing empirical evidence that the impact of leadership on teachers' emotional state is likely to vary across teachers with different personality traits. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1505306 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Background: Despite increasing research attention to teachers' emotional states, there remains a significant gap in understanding how educational leaders can effectively mitigate these issues. Purpose: This study examined a multilevel, moderated mediation model that explored the relationship between responsible school leadership and emotional exhaustion, with the moderating role of teachers' proactive personality and the mediating effect of work meaningfulness. Sample: The study utilized data from 739 teachers working in 72 schools across Türkiye. Participants represented a range of school contexts and demographic backgrounds, allowing for examination of both individual and school-level effects. Method: A multilevel analytical approach was employed to test the hypothesized moderated mediation model, examining both direct and indirect effects of responsible leadership on emotional exhaustion. Results: The findings indicate that responsible leadership is directly associated with reduced emotional exhaustion and indirectly linked to lower exhaustion through increased work meaningfulness. Moreover, among teachers with higher levels of proactive personality, responsible leadership was associated with a stronger reduction in emotional exhaustion compared to those with lower levels of proactive personality. Conclusion: The findings contribute to the current literature by providing empirical evidence that the impact of leadership on teachers' emotional state is likely to vary across teachers with different personality traits. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 0007-0998 2044-8279 |
| DOI: | 10.1111/bjep.70042 |
