HELSINKI JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES (HJSSH)
PERCEPTUAL CONGRUENCE IN DISTRIBUTED LEADERSHIP AND TEACHER JOB SATISFACTION: A RESPONSE SURFACE ANALYSIS OF TALIS 2018 MULTI-COUNTRY DATA
E-ISSN: 7764-9221
P-ISSN: 3442-3567
DOI: https://iigdpublishers.com/article/1663
Distributed leadership has become a central construct in educational administration; yet existing research predominantly relies on single-source (mostly teacher) perceptions to test its effects, overlooking the theoretical implications of principal– teacher perceptual divergence. Grounded in leader–member exchange theory and the "leader-plus" assumption of distributed leadership, this study proposes that principal– teacher perceptual congruence is a critical condition for the effective functioning of distributed leadership. Using paired principal and teacher data from 48 countries/economies in TALIS 2018 (N = 3,842 principals; N = 152,367 teachers), this study employs polynomial regression with response surface analysis to examine how (in) congruence patterns differentially predict teacher job satisfaction. Findings reveal that congruence (both high) significantly predicts the highest levels of teacher satisfaction; teacher overestimation of distributed leadership is also associated with higher satisfaction, whereas principal overestimation is linked to decreased satisfaction; and the magnitude of incongruence is negatively associated with satisfaction. These results suggest that the effectiveness of distributed leadership depends not only on the practice itself but on shared understanding of its meaning between principals and teachers. This study advances distributed leadership theory through a perceptual congruence lens and offers actionable implications for school leadership practice.
Ariejovbo Goodluck Onoriode Fotune PhD & Lovelyn Agwu PhD
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