Distributed leadership and its covariation with teacher academic optimism dimensions: A latent profile analysis

The predominant reliance on variable-centred analytical approaches in studies of distributed leadership and teacher academic optimism has often overlooked individual-level heterogeneity, potentially resulting in oversimplified conclusions about their relationship. This study addresses these gaps by employing a person-centred approach to uncover latent profiles of perceived principal distributed leadership and their associations with dimensions of teacher academic optimism. Drawing on data from 1407 Malaysian primary school teachers, the study first validated the distributed leadership construct through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, followed by latent profile analysis. Three distinct leadership profiles, namely low-, moderate- and high distributed leadership were identified. A robust check showed that rural and urban schools did not differ significantly in their likelihood of belonging to any of the three distributed leadership profiles. Teachers in schools characterised by high distributed leadership exhibit stronger academic optimism across academic emphasis, trust in students and parents, and teachers’ sense of efficacy compared to those in moderate or low distributed leadership profiles. The emergence of these differentiated profiles underlines the limitations of uniform policy prescriptions and highlights the necessity for context-sensitive leadership strategies.