Integrated leadership and teacher satisfaction: The mediating role of professional development and collaboration in Indonesian vocational high schools

Abstract

This study investigated how instructional, transformational, and digital leadership influences teacher satisfaction through professional development and collaboration. A quantitative cross-sectional design was employed, and data were collected from 479 Indonesian vocational high school teachers using convenience sampling. Data were obtained through an anonymous online questionnaire containing 71 items on a 10-point semantic differential scale, adapted from validated instruments measuring leadership styles, professional development, collaboration, and job satisfaction. Structural equation modelling with SmartPLS was used to test the proposed relationships. The results show that instructional and digital leadership significantly enhance teacher satisfaction, primarily through professional development and collaborative processes. In contrast, transformational leadership did not significantly affect any outcome variable. Notably, teacher collaboration did not directly predict satisfaction, suggesting that not all collaborative efforts yield emotional or motivational advantages. The findings highlight the importance of leadership styles that prioritise enabling environments, professional growth, and technological integration over visionary or symbolic leadership. These insights contribute to the refinement of school leadership models and offer implications for leadership training programmes aimed at supporting teacher well-being in technically driven educational settings.