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This study aimed to test a multilevel moderated mediation model, where the association between distributed leadership (DL) and collective teacher innovativeness (CTI) was examined, with collectivism (COL) included as the moderator and supportive school culture (SSC) as a mediator. Using data from 829 teachers employed in 61 elementary and lower secondary schools in Turkey, we conducted multilevel structural equation modelling through Bayesian to estimate the structural links between our study variables. Our results showed significant indirect effects of DL on CTI via SSC. The findings also extend the literature by suggesting the significant moderator role of COL on the indirect link between DL and CTI via SSC. We discuss implications for policy and practice.

This systematic review sought to expand our knowledge of the increasing research studies focusing on the empirical link between school leadership and student achievement. Using five different data sources (Scopus, WoS, ERIC, Google Scholar, and Retrospective Reference Harvesting Procedure), we created a data set of 144 journal articles. Descriptive analysis of bibliographic data and content analysis of full texts were employed in the review process. The results revealed instructional leadership as the most frequently used school leadership model in the relevant research. There has been a growing tendency to use the direct effect model with the increase in the studies from non-English speaking western societies. Indeed, the use of rational and organizational variables has dominated the mediating effect studies, while moderating effect studies as well as exploratory and explanatory type of studies have not received much attention. Based on these results, a framework representing the broader picture of the current research on the relationship between school leadership and student learning is provided. In addition, several recommendations were made, aiming to build the research capacity in furthering our understanding of how school leadership practices impact student learning and achievement.

Purpose: The current study seeks to explore the links between principal self-efficacy, openness to change, well-being, and transformational leadership. Specifically, we tested a mediated-effects model where principal self-efficacy and openness to change were treated as independent variables, well-being as mediator, and transformational leadership as dependent variable. Design/methodology/approach: Survey data were collected from 351 principals employed in Turkish schools and analysed using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling. Findings: The results suggested the direct empirical relationship of principal self-efficacy and openness to change with transformational leadership, and indirect through professional well-being. Originality/value: Our study enriched our understanding of school leadership by elucidating the potential mechanisms that underpin the implementation of transformational leadership practices.

This study tested a moderated mediation model of transformational leadership's effects on teacher innovative practices, with teacher commitment as mediator and trust in principal as moderator. Implementing a cross-sectional survey design and using data from 611 teachers working in 56 schools in Turkey, we employed multilevel structural equation modelling with Bayesian estimation to estimate the structural links between our variables. The results provided evidence of the indirect effects of transformational leadership on teacher innovative practices through the significant mediator role of teacher commitment. We also found evidence that trust in principal acted as a significant moderator of the indirect effect of transformational leadership on teacher innovative practice through teacher commitment. This study adds nuanced evidence to the global literature by concluding that the effect of transformational leadership on teacher commitment and innovative practice is contingent upon the extent to which teachers trust their principals. We conclude with key implications for policy and practice.

This study investigated the relationship between principal job satisfaction, distributed leadership, teacher-student relationships, and student reading achievement in Turkey. Using school- and teacher-level data from the PISA 2018 and TALIS 2018, we conducted a mediated-effect with antecedent effect model, in which the construct of teacher-student relationships was proposed as the mediator of the effects of distributed leadership on student achievement, while principal job satisfaction was included as the antecedent of distributed leadership. The results confirmed the indirect effect of distributed leadership on student achievement through teacher-student relationships. We also found that principal job satisfaction exercised a positive and significant effect on the enactment of distributed leadership practices. This study adds evidence to the international literature suggesting that principal job satisfaction is an important mechanism for distributed leadership practices and that the execution of such practices improves student achievement by promoting teacher-student relationships. Implications for policy, practice, and research are discussed.

The purpose of this study is to outline the nature of empirical base on transformational leadership in Turkey. The present study included a total of 109 graduate theses conducted on school principals’ transformational leadership behaviors between 2000 and 2019 and released in the Council of Higher Education’s (CoHE) database. Results revealed that an important body of research investigated the relationship between transformational leadership and job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Authors’ suggestions to policymakers and practitioners were often about enabling further in-service training activities and providing school principals with various opportunities to study for a master's degree. Suggestions from quantitative studies echoed the need for conducting relevant studies on different samples and expanding qualitative studies to inquiry into transformational leadership. Results, therefore, mirrored the fact that the empirical base on transformational leadership is lacking in terms of mediator and moderator effects of various variables along with the antecedents and results of transformational leadership.

The purpose of this study is to determine the opinions of the Geography Department students about the "Special Teaching Methods" course (STM) and to propose suggestions for increasing the effectiveness of this course. This qualitative study was designed as a typical case study. A total of 122 students in geography department included in Pedagogical Formation Certificate Program at Karabuk University and taking STM Course constituted the participants of the study. A semi-structured interview form including 7 questions was used to collect the data of the study. The results were as follows: Most of the students of Geography department who included in Pedagogical Formation Certificate Program though that the knowledge and skills obtained from this course would contribute well to their teaching lives. Most of the participants stated that the duration of the course was limited. Most of the students participating in the current study articulated that the practice hours within this course should be increased and that they would like to practice more, however, the duration of the course was not enough for this. Participants also emphasized that this course should focus more on how to use various methods and techniques in Geography courses. Most of the students stressed that they had no ideas or expectations before taking this course, however, they learnt how to make geography courses more enjoyable out-of-classroom and in-classroom environments and that their expectation became real. Participants stated that the duration of the STM course and the time allocated for the practice within this course should be increased in order to ensure more effective geography teaching.

This study focused on the meaning of teaching practice according to the lives and experiences of students of Karabuk University Faculty of Letters who participated in pedagogical formation certification program. This qualitative study designed in a phenomenological approach is significant to see how students who participated in pedagogical formation certification program make sense of teaching practice. Criterion sampling and maximum variation sampling under purposeful sampling methods were conducted to determine the participants of the current study. A semi-structured interview form was used to gather data. We conducted data analysis processes entitled bracketing, phenomenological reduction, imaginative variation and the synthesis of meaning and constituents of the experience. Results revealed that the teaching practice phenomenon was composed of four interrelated components entitled grasping the importance of classroom management strategies and knowing the materials to be used, practicing in teaching profession, first step for the teaching profession and job satisfaction. The results of the current study were discussed in the line with the related literature and some suggestions were presented.