Research on the Impact of Principals’ Instructional Leadership on Teachers’ Teaching Innovation: The Mediating Role of Professional Learning Communities
The importance of teaching innovation by teachers in improving educational quality has long been emphasized in the field of education. As key leaders in schools, principals’ instructional leadership has a potentially significant impact on teachers’ educational innovation. This study employed a questionnaire survey method, collecting 408 responses from in-service teachers in several secondary schools in Sichuan Province. SPSS 26.0 was used for descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and mediation effect testing of the questionnaire data. To enhance teachers’ teaching innovation, this study explores the connections among principals’ instructional leadership, professional learning communities, and teaching innovation, demonstrating the mediating role of professional learning communities and highlighting the importance of principals’ instructional leadership. The results indicate that: (1) Principals’ instructional leadership significantly and positively influences teachers’ teaching innovation; (2) Professional learning communities mediate the relationship between principals’ instructional leadership and teachers’ teaching innovation.