Articles
DOI DOI: 10.67942/ijcer.2026.13.3.1063

Transformational leadership and its effect on teacher organizational commitment: The mediating effect of teachers’ self-efficacy

Zulaikha Saed Mohammed Al Manwari1
  1. 1 Arab Open University - College of Education, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman

Abstract

This study aims to explore the impact of principal transformational leadership on teacher organizational commitment across regions and schools, using teacher self-efficacy as a mediating variable, to enhance principals' leadership wisdom and promote school change. A total of 320 questionnaires were distributed and 310 were returned (return rate of 96.8%). Finally, 308 valid questionnaires were obtained (effectiveness rate of 96.2%). AMOS 23.0 was used to construct a structural equation model with path coefficients, and the model fit and path effect were analyzed to explore the relationship between the three main variables. The results show that principal transformational leadership has a significant positive correlation with both teacher organizational commitment and teacher self-efficacy. Teacher self-efficacy has a significant positive correlation with teacher organizational commitment. Teacher self-efficacy has a mediating role. Transformational leadership primarily affects teachers' intrinsic motivation—self-efficacy—which in turn influences their level of organizational commitment.

How to Cite

Al Manwari, Z. S. M. (2026). Transformational leadership and its effect on teacher organizational commitment: The mediating effect of teachers’ self-efficacy. International Journal of Contemporary Educational Research, 13(3), 275–285. https://doi.org/10.67942/ijcer.2026.13.3.1063
Endnote/Zotero/Mendeley (RIS) BibTeX

References

  1. Abd El Majid, E., & Cohen, A. (2015). The role of values and leadership style in developing OCB among Arab teachers in Israel. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 36(3),308- 327. https://doi.org/10.1108/LODJ-06-2013-0077
  2. Adhikari, B.P., Purwanto, N.A., Cathrin, S., & Pandit, R. (2026). Educational Leadership and Management in Diverse and Complex Situations: Opportunities and Challenges in Nepal and Indonesia. The OCEM Journal of Management, Technology & Social Sciences, 5(1), 69-90. https://doi.org/10.3126/ocemjmtss.v5i1.89693
  3. Alimo-Metcalfe, B., & Alban-Metcalfe, J. (2001). The development of a new Transformational Leadership Questionnaire. The Journal of Occupational & Organizational Psychology, 74, 1-27. https://10.1348/096317901167208
  4. Al-Thawabiya A, Singh K, Al-Lenjawi BA, &Alomari A. (2023)Leadership styles and transformational leadership skills among nurse leaders in Qatar, a cross-sectional study. Nursing Open. 10(6):3440-3446. https://10.1002/nop2.1636
  5. Bandura, A. (2006). Adolescent Development from an Agentic Perspective. In F. Pajares, & T. Urdan (Eds.), Self-Efficacy Beliefs of Adolescents, (pp.1-43). Greenwich, CT: Information Age.
  6. Bass, B. M. (1990). From transactional to transformational leadership: Learning to share the vision. Organizational Dynamics, 18(3), 19–31. https://doi.org/10.1016/0090-2616(90)90061-S
  7. Bass, B. M. (1997). Does the transactional-transformational leadership paradigm transcend organizational and national boundaries?. American Psychologist, 52(2): 130-139. https://10.1037/0003-066X.52.2.130
  8. Bass, B. M., & Riggio, R. E. (2006). Transformational leadership (2nd ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
  9. Bass, B. M., &Avolio, B. J. （1996）. Multifactor leadership questionnaire. European Journal of Psychological Assessment,121−126.
  10. Berhanu, K. (2025) Strategies principals used to develop teachers’ psychological empowerment in primary schools, Ethiopia: qualitative study. Currunt Psychology, 44, 864–881 . https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-025-07566-9
  11. Bouwmans, M., Runhaar, P., Wesselink, R., & Mulder, M. (2017). Fostering teachers’ team learning: An interplay between transformational leadership and participative decision-making?. Teaching and Teacher Education, 65: 71-80. https://10.1016/j.tate.2017.03.010
  12. Brady, U., Kuria, K., & Bell, R.L. (2025). Thought Leadership on the Revolutionary Developments in Organizations. American Journal of Management, 25(1), 86–100. https://doi.org/10.33423/ajm.v25i1.7530
  13. Chung, J. F. (2020). Organisational Climate and Teacher Commitment. İzmir Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 2(2), 64-70. https://izlik.org/JA52FT39JR
  14. Darawsheh, S. R. M., ALshaar, A. S., Masa’deh, R., & Al-Lozi, M. (2016). The degree of heads of departments at the university of dammam to practice transformational leadership style from the point of view of the faculty members. Journal of Social Sciences, 5(1): 57-79.
  15. Gyeltshen, L. (2021). Examining teachers’ organizational commitment: does teachers’ educational qualification, teaching experience and gender matter? Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences Studies, 21(1), 88-94. https://so02.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/hasss
  16. Hernandez, C., Nash, M.S., Chatman, R.D., & Bell, R.L. (2026). The Transformational Leadership Style and Managing Change in the Modern Organization. American Journal of Management, 26(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.33423/ajm.v26i1.8095
  17. Jo, S. H. (2014). Organizational Commitment of Teachers Scale [Database record]. APA PsycTests.
  18. Kouzes, J., & Posner, B. (2017). The Leadership Challenge (6th ed.). Wiley.
  19. Lewa, P.M., Mburu, M.M., & Murigi, R.M.M. (2022). Transformational leadership and change management in dynamic contexts. In Leading with diversity, equity and inclusion: Approaches, practices and cases for integral leadership strategy (pp. 47–65). Cham: Springer International Publishing.
  20. Li, L., Wang, J. P., & Li, X. Y. (2018). A study on the relationship between school transformational leadership and teachers' organizational commitment. Journal of Education, 14(04), 66–78. https://doi.org/10.14082/j.cnki.1673-1298.2018.04.009 (In Chinese).
  21. Liu, S. H. (2015). A study on the relationship between junior high school principals' transformational leadership, teachers' organizational citizenship behavior, and teachers' well-being in Kaohsiung City [Master’s thesis, National Kaohsiung Normal University]. Taiwan Academic Thesis Knowledge Value-Added System. https://hdl.handle.net/11296/8jjeq4 (In Chinese).
  22. Mohammed S. I., Simin G. S., Saedah Siraj M. K. （2014）. Can transformational leadership influence on teachers 'commitment towards organization, teaching profession, and students learning? A quantitative analysis. Asia Pacific Education Review, 15(2),177−190.
  23. Muliana, A. (2025). The Effect of Transformational Leadership Style and Change Management on the Performance of the Continuous Improvement Program. Journal of Management, Economic, and Financial, 3(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.59261/jmef.v3i1.71
  24. Nguni, S., Sleegers, P., & Denessen, E. (2006). Transformational and Transactional Leadership Effects on Teachers’ Job Satisfaction, Organizational Commitment, and Organizational Citizenship Behavior in Primary Schools: The Tanzanian Case. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 17, 145-177. https://doi.org/10.1080/09243450600565746
  25. Notarnicola, I., Duka, B., Lommi, M., Grosha, E., De Maria, M., Iacorossi, L., Mastroianni, C., Ivziku, D., Rocco, G., & Stievano, A. (2024). Transformational Leadership and Its Impact on Job Satisfaction and Personal Mastery for Nursing Leaders in Healthcare Organizations. Nursing Reports, 14(4), 3561-3574. https://doi.org/10.3390/nursrep14040260
  26. Peretomode VF, & Bello SO (2018) Analysis of teachers’ commitment and dimensions of organisational commitment in Edo State Public Secondary Schools. Journal of Educational and Social Research, 8(3),87. https://www.richtmann.org/journal/index.php/jesr/article/view/10320
  27. Polatcan, M., Arslan, P., & Balci, A. (2023). The mediating effect of teacher self-efficacy regarding the relationship between transformational school leadership and teacher agency. Educational Studies, 49(5), 823–841. https://doi.org/10.1080/03055698.2021.1894549
  28. Runic Ristic, M., Savic Tot, T., Ristic, I., Tot, V., Radosevic, T., & Marinkovic, D. (2025). Evaluation of Leadership Styles in Multinational Corporations Using the Fuzzy TOPSIS Method. Systems, 13(8), 636. https://doi.org/10.3390/systems13080636
  29. Safari, S., & Gharacheh, A. M. A. (2014). Investigating the relationship between transformational leadership and organizational citizenship behavior of Azad University. International Journal of Research in Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management, 2(4): 41-50.
  30. Sánchez-Rosas, J., Dyzenchauz, M., Freiberg-Hoffmann, A., García-Rubiano, M. G., & Okinishi, M. (2023). Transformational leadership and collective teacher self-efficacy: The mediating role of satisfaction with job resources. International Journal of Instruction, 16(1), 801-820. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2023.16145a
  31. Sergiovanni, T (2005) Strengthening the Heartbeat: Leading and Learning Together in Schools, John Wiley/Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.
  32. Sun T, Luo Y, &Yoon M. (20250The impact of presidents' transformational leadership on faculty occupational well-being-parallel mediating roles of teaching efficacy and job crafting. Front Psychol. 16:1468563. https://10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1468563
  33. Toala-Mendoza, R. D., Muñoz-Fernández, G. A., González-Santa Cruz, F., & González-Mohíno, M. (2025). Teacher Commitment and Job Satisfaction: Implications for Education Policy in Manabí, Ecuador. Sage Open, 15(4): 1-12 https://10.1177/21582440251390863
  34. Tschannen-Moran, M., & Hoy, A. W. (2001). Teacher efficacy: Capturing an elusive construct. Teaching and Teacher Education, 17(7), 783–805. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0742-051X(01)00036-1
  35. Udin, U. (2020). Transformational leadership and organizational commitment: A review of Literature. Journal of Research and Opinion, 7(2), 2623-2626. https://doi.org/10.15520/jro.v7i2.49
  36. Wilson, I., De Paor, D., Lafferty, N., & Mannix, P. (2023). The Impact of Transformational School Leadership on School Staff and School Culture in Primary Schools—A Systematic Review of International Literature. Societies, 13(6), 133. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc13060133
  37. Zhang C, Alias BS & Nordin MN (2026) Exploring self-efficacy among teachers in schools: a systematic review of global evidence (2019–2025). Front. Educ. 11:1672177. https://10.3389/feduc.2026.1672177