The mediating role of positive psychological capital in the relationship between learning-centred leadership and teacher leadership

Abstract Background This study aims to examine the direct relationships among learning-centred leadership, positive psychological capital, and teacher leadership, as well as the mediating role of positive psychological capital in the relationship between learning-centred leadership and teacher leadership. Methods The sample of the study consists of 513 teachers working in the southeast of Türkiye in the 2023–2024 academic year. The relationships among the variables were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Results The study concluded that learning-centred leadership, positive psychological capital, and teacher leadership are positively and significantly related. Moreover, positive psychological capital partially mediates the relationship between learning-centred leadership and teacher leadership. The findings indicate that learning-centered leadership is significantly related to teacher leadership, both directly and indirectly through positive psychological capital. Conclusions In order to encourage teachers' leadership behaviours, it is important for school administrators to exhibit learning-centred leadership and implement initiatives to increase teachers' positive psychological capital. In future studies, factors affecting teacher leadership (individual and organisational) can be determined with larger and different samples or experimental and longitudinal studies.