Relationship between Social Justice Leadership and Trust in Principals: Mediating Role of Perceived Administrator Support

Abstract

This study examines the mediating role of teachers’ perceived administrative support in the relationship between principals’ social justice leadership behaviors and teachers’ trust in principals. The sample of the study, which was designed in the relational survey model, consists of 903 teachers working in public schools in a metropolitan city in Southeast Turkey. In the context of the research model, the SPSS Process Macro (Model-4) application developed by Hayes (2018) was used to determine the mediation effect. Because of the analysis of the research data, it was determined that the social justice leadership behaviors exhibited by school principals predicted both teachers’ trust in the principal and teachers ’ perceived administrator support positively and statistically significantly. On the other hand, it was concluded that perceived administrator support plays a mediating role in the relationship between principals ’ social justice leadership behaviors and teachers ’ trust in principals. In this context, it can be staded that if school administrators’ social justice leadership behaviors increase, both the administrator support perceived by teachers and their trust in the principal will increase.

Keywords

• Social justice leadership
• Perceived manager support
• Trust in principals

References

1. Akman, Y. (2020). The relationship between social justice leadership, trust in principals and student motivation. International Journal of Educational Methodology, 6(4), 775-788. https://doi.org/10.12973/ijem.6.4.775
2. Akyürek, M. İ. (2021). Okullarda sosyal adalet liderliği: Bir karma yöntem çalışması. Batı Anadolu Eğitim Bilimleri Dergisi, 12(2), 515-535. https://doi.org/10.51460/baebd.847006
3. Andersen, J. A. (2005). Trust in managers: A study of why Swedish subordinates trust their managers. Business Ethics: A European Review, 14(4), 392-404. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8608.2005.00420.x
4. Arar, K. (2019). Understanding and implementing social justice leadership in Arab schools in Israel. Planning and Changing Journal, 48(3/4), 195-214. http://education.illinoisstate.edu/planning/articles/vol48.php
5. Baron, R. M., & Kenny, D. A. (1986). The moderator–mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51(6), 1173–1182. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.51.6.1173
6. Bates, R. (2005). Educational administration and social justice. Paper submitted to the Annual Conference of the Australian Association for Research in Education, Australia.
7. Beard, K. S. (2013). Character in action: A case of authentic educational leadership that advanced equity and excellence. Journal of School Leadership, 23(6), 1015-1046. https://doi.org/10.1177/105268461302300605
8. Berkovich, I. (2014). A socio-ecological framework of social justice leadership in education. Journal of Educational Administration, 52(3), 282-309. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEA-12-2012-0131

9. Bhanthumnavin, D. (2000). Importance of supervisory social support and its implications for HRD in Thailand. Psychology and Developing Societies, 12(2), 155-166. https://doi.org/10.1177/097133360001200203
10. Bogotch, I. E. (2002). Educational leadership and social justice: Practice into theory. Journal of School Leadership, 12, 138–156. https://doi.org/10.1177/105268460201200203
11. Bozkurt, B . (2017). A Study of developing an assessment tool for social justice leadership behaviors of school principals. Gaziantep University Journal of Social Sciences, 16(3), 721-732. https://doi.org/10.21547/jss.300050
12. Börü, N. (2019). İlk okullarda sosyal adaletin gelişimine yönelik uygulamaların ve okul müdürlerinin liderlik davranışlarının değerlendirilmesi. Eğitim ve İnsani Bilimler Dergisi: Teori ve Uygulama, 10(20), 132-164.
13. Bryk, A. S. & Schneider, B. (2003). Trust in schools: A core resource for school reform. Educational Leadership, 60(6), 40-45.
14. Burke, C. S., Sims, D. E., Lazzara, E. H., & Salas, E. (2007). Trust in leadership: A multi-level review and integration. The Leadership Quarterly, 18(6), 606-632. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2007.09.006
15. Chang, I. H. (2011). A study of the relationships between distributed leadership, teacher academic optimism and student achievement in Taiwanese elementary schools. School Leadership & Management, 31(5), 491–515. https://doi.org/10.1080/13632434.2011.614945
16. Chiu, M. M. (2010). Effects of inequality, family and school on mathematics achievement: Country and student differences. Social Forces, 88(4), 1645-1676. https://doi.org/10.1353/sof.2010.0019
17. Christiensen, L.B., Johnson, R.B. &Turner, L.A. (2015). Araştırma yöntemleri: Desen ve analiz [Research methods: Design and analysis].(Trans. Ed. Ahmet Aypay). Anı Publishing.
18. Cochran, W.G. (2007). Sampling techniques. John Wiley & Sons. Inc.
19. Çalışkan, A. (2015). Effects of organizational justice on the organizational commitment: The mediating role of ethical climate. International Journal of Economics and Administrative Scıences, 1(2), 115-141. https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/uiibd/issue/21612/232124
20. Çobanoğlu, N. (2021). Examination of the relationship between social justice leadership of school principals and organizational identification of teachers and loyalty to the principal. Journal of History School, 53, 2775-2799. http://dx.doi.org/10.29228/Joh.51078
21. Dantley, M. E., & Tillman, L. C. (2010). Social justice and moral transformative leadership. In C. Marshall & M. Oliva (Eds.), Leadership for social justice: Making revolutions in education (2nd ed., pp. 19-34). Allyn & Bacon.
22. DeConinck, J. B., & Johnson, J. T. (2009). The effects of perceived supervisor support, perceived organizational support, and organizational justice on turnover among salespeople. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 29(4), 333-350. https://doi.org/10.2753/PSS0885-3134290403
23. DeMatthews, D. (2015). Making sense of social justice leadership: A case study of a principal’s experiences to create a more inclusive school. Leadership and Policy in Schools, 14(2), 139-166. https://doi.org/10.1080/15700763.2014.997939
24. Eğriboyun, D. (2013). Ortaöğretim okullarinda görev yapan yönetici ve öğretmenlerin örgütsel güven ve örgütsel destek algilari arasindaki ilişki. Kafkas Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitü Dergisi, 1(12), 17-43.
25. Eriçok. B. (2022). Sosyal adalet liderliği. N. Cemaloğlu & N. Gökyer (Eds), Kuramdan uygulamaya liderlik içinde (ss. 564-576). Eğiten Kitap.
26. Folger, R., & Konovsky, M. A. (1989). Effects of procedural and distributive justice on reactions to pay raise decisions. Academy of Management Journal, 32(1), 115-130. https://doi.org/10.5465/256422
27. Furman, G. (2012). Social justice leadership as praxis: Developing capacities through prepa-ration programs. Educational Administration Quarterly, 48(2), 191-229. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013161X11427394
28. Gay, L. R., Wallen, N. E., & Ariasian, P. (2012). Educational research competencies for analysis and applications (10th ed.) Pearson.
29. Göktepe, E. A. (2017). Perceived supervisor support scale; development, validation and reliability. Istanbul University Journal of the School of Business, 46, 31-48. http://dergipark.ulakbim.gov.tr/iuisletme
30. Harris, A., & Chapman, C. (2004). Improving schools in difficult contexts: Towards a differentiated approach. British Journal of Educational Studies, 52(4), 417-431.
31. Hayes, A. F. (2018). Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression‐based approach (2nd ed.). Guilford Publications.
32. Howley, A., Woodrum, A., Burgess, L., & Rhodes, M. (2009). Planning for culturally responsive leadership: Insights from a study of principals of exemplary schools. Educational Planning, 18(2), 12-26.
33. Hoy, W. K., & Tschannen-Moran, M. (2003). The conceptualization and measurement of faculty trust in schools: The omnibus t-scale. In W. K. Hoy & C. Miskel (Eds.), Theory and research in educational administration (pp. 181-208). Greenwich, CT: Information Age.