The mediating role of adaptive expertise in the relationship between transformational leadership and teacher collaborative professionalism in Tanzanian schools

Abstract

This mixed-methods study explores whether adaptive expertise mediates the relationship between transformational leadership and teacher collaborative professionalism in Tanzanian secondary schools – a resource-constrained context where imported leadership models often produce disappointing results. Surveying 439 teachers across 15 schools, with follow-up principal interviews, the study uses structural equation modelling and multi-group analysis. Adaptive expertise does mediate the leadership–collaboration link, but only through two of its four dimensions. Knowledge and innovation serve as positive pathways: when principals build teachers’ shared knowledge and encourage collaborative innovation, teachers report greater collaboration. In contrast, metacognition (reflective thinking) remains a private activity that does not translate into collaborative practice, and autonomy (freedom to act) benefits only teachers with master's degrees, not the majority. The direct effect of transformational leadership on collaboration is negative, suggesting that inspirational rhetoric without material support and follow-through may actually trigger teacher disengagement. This negative direct effect is strongest among less qualified teachers and male teachers. Under resource scarcity, leadership's positive influence depends entirely on deliberately cultivating knowledge and innovation as shared resources. These exploratory patterns offer a portable framework for examining leadership, teacher capacity, and collaboration in similarly constrained systems worldwide.