Principal Leadership and Teacher Retention: The Mediating Roles of Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment, with Organizational Support as a Moderator

Abstract

The present study investigated the influence of principal leadership on teachers' intention to stay in the organization, by examining job satisfaction and organizational commitment as parallel mediators and perceived organizational support as a moderator as boundary conditions. A quantitative explanatory research design was used, with teachers from public and private schools selected for the data collection using systematic sampling technique and a structured questionnaire was administered. Principal leadership was determined by a multidimensional validated leadership instrument, and teacher retention intention, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and perceived organizational support were evaluated with the help of a five-point Likert scale. After the data screening process, descriptive statistics and correlation analysis were performed before the proposed model was tested using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Indicator loadings, Cronbach's alpha, composite reliability, average variance extracted and discriminant validity were used to determine the reliability and validity. Path coefficients, bootstrapped t-values, confidence intervals, effect sizes, and explained variance were used to assess the structural model. The findings indicated that the principal's leadership had a significant positive influence on job satisfaction, organizational commitment and teachers' intentions to leave the school. Leadership related paths were partially mediated by job satisfaction and organizational commitment, and at higher levels of perceived support, organizational support had a significant strengthening effect on the leadership-retention relationship. The substantive pattern of findings did not materially change with teacher age, gender, experience, and school sector (entered as control variables). The findings contribute to the existing school leadership and retention literature by combining dual mediators and a moderating boundary condition into one model, and have implications for school leaders who want to reduce teacher turnover by implementing a supportive, relationship-based school leadership style.