The role of learning-centered leadership in attitudes toward the teaching profession through teacher enthusiasm among elementary school teachers in Kurdistan province

Sadeghi, Siamak; Ghanbari, Siroos

doi:10.22055/edus.2025.49194.3733

The role of learning-centered leadership in attitudes toward the teaching profession through teacher enthusiasm among elementary school teachers in Kurdistan province

10.22055/edus.2025.49194.3733

Volume 33, Issue 1
April 2026

Pages 107-122

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

siamak sadeghi ¹

Siroos ghanbari ²

¹ Ph.D. Student, Department of Educational Sciences, Faculty of Humanities, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran.

² Professor, Department of Educational Sciences, Faculty of Humanities, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran.

Abstract

Learning-centered leadership has increasingly been recognized as an effective leadership approach for enhancing teaching quality and improving teachers’ professional experiences. At the same time, teacher enthusiasm has emerged as an important psychological factor influencing teachers’ motivation, commitment, and attitudes toward the teaching profession. However, limited research has examined the mechanisms through which learning-centered leadership influences teachers’ professional attitudes. Therefore, this study investigated the effect of learning-centered leadership on elementary school teachers’ attitudes toward the teaching profession, with teacher enthusiasm serving as a mediating variable. The study employed an applied, descriptive-correlational design. The statistical population consisted of 6,328 elementary school teachers in Kurdistan Province during the 2023–2024 academic year. Using Cochran’s formula and proportionate stratified random sampling, 362 teachers were selected. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling to examine both direct and indirect relationships among the study variables. The findings indicated that learning-centered leadership had a significant positive effect on teachers’ attitudes toward the teaching profession and on teacher enthusiasm. Teacher enthusiasm also exerted a significant positive effect on teachers’ professional attitudes and partially mediated the relationship between learning-centered leadership and attitudes toward the teaching profession. These findings suggest that school leaders who promote collaborative learning, instructional improvement, and professional development create organizational conditions that enhance teachers’ enthusiasm and strengthen positive professional attitudes. The study highlights the importance of adopting learning-centered leadership practices and fostering teacher enthusiasm as complementary strategies for improving teachers’ professional commitment, instructional quality, and overall educational effectiveness.

Keywords

Educational leadership

Attitude Towards the Teaching Profession

Teacher Enthusiasm

Learning-Centered Leadership

Elementary Teachers

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