The relationship between distributed leadership and teachers' teaching enthusiasm: the chain mediation of teacher autonomy and organizational commitment.

INTRODUCTION

Teachers' teaching enthusiasm is a key factor positively associated with sustained engagement in professional practice, higher teaching quality, and student development. Unlike general job related affective states such as job satisfaction or work engagement, teaching enthusiasm specifically captures the intrinsic enjoyment, value endorsement, and sustained passion for the core act of teaching. The specific mechanisms by which distributed leadership is associated with teachers' teaching enthusiasm remain an issue requiring further exploration.

METHODS

Data were drawn from 1,319 junior high school teachers in Shanghai who participated in the OECD's 2024 Teaching and Learning International Survey. Validated scales assessed distributed leadership, teacher autonomy, organizational commitment, and teaching enthusiasm. Structural equation modeling and bootstrap analyses were employed to test direct and chain mediation effects.

RESULTS

Distributed leadership showed significant positive correlations with teaching enthusiasm, teacher autonomy, and organizational commitment. Both teacher autonomy and organizational commitment were positively associated with teaching enthusiasm, and teacher autonomy positively predicted organizational commitment. Teacher autonomy and organizational commitment not only independently mediated the relationship between distributed leadership and teaching enthusiasm but also exerted a significant chain mediating effect.

CONCLUSION

These findings extend Conservation of Resources theory by demonstrating that distributed leadership can ignite teaching enthusiasm through two pathways: first by granting teachers greater autonomy, which in turn fosters organizational commitment and thereby sustains passion for teaching. Practically, school leaders and policymakers should promote empowering leadership, protect instructional autonomy, and cultivate a culture of shared commitment to build a virtuous cycle of resource accumulation that strengthens the teaching workforce.