The Impact of Principals’ Distributed Leadership Behaviors on Teachers’ Attitudes Toward Multiculturalism: Social Justice Leadership as Mediator

Abstract

With the increasing cross-country immigration and human mobility, different cultures are reflected more in the schools. The behavioral patterns of educational leaders in multicultural settings and the affecting factors have been subject to many discussions and researches. This study examines the relationship between school principals’ distributed leadership behaviors and teachers’ social justice leadership and attitudes toward multiculturalism. A structural model has been created and tested through the mentioned variables integrative approach. The results partially confirm that teachers’ social justice leadership behaviors mediate the relationships between the principals’ distributed leadership behaviors and their attitudes toward multiculturalism. In a structure where leadership roles are shared at school, teachers can exhibit more social justice leadership behavior; their attitudes toward multiculturalism become more positive. Distributed leadership increases teachers’ support, critical consciousness, and inclusive behavior. Implications for practice, theory, and policy are also discussed in the paper.