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Sowing seeds of flourishing: the mediating role of trust in the impact of resilience on school principals across career stages

Dongqing Yu, Junjun Chen, Masoumeh Kouhsari

Journal of Educational Administration

ISSN: 0957-8234

Article publication date: 8 January 2025

Issue publication date: 15 January 2025

63

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to examine the roles of principal resilience (psychological, social and spiritual) and trust in colleagues in predicting the flourishing of school principals, considering different career stages.

Design/methodology/approach

Utilising multigroup structural equation modelling and mediation analysis, data were collected from a sample of 1,274 school principals in China. The study investigates the direct impact of resilience on flourishing and the mediating role of trust in colleagues, with a focus on variations across different career stages.

Findings

The findings reveal that all aspects of a principal’s resilience significantly impact their flourishing, with trust serving as a partial mediator. Notably, the influence of spiritual resilience on flourishing is significant only for principals in the later stages of their careers.

Originality/value

This research contributes to the expanding body of literature on educational leadership by highlighting the importance of resilience and trust in fostering principal flourishing. The insights gained offer valuable knowledge for developing support strategies to enhance the flourishing experiences of school principals throughout their careers.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

Funding: This work was supported by The National Social Science Fund of China “The Study of New industrial Workers’ Children Generally Beneficial Childcare Services in urban integration” (Grant number: 22BSH060).

Citation

Yu, D., Chen, J. and Kouhsari, M. (2025), "Sowing seeds of flourishing: the mediating role of trust in the impact of resilience on school principals across career stages", Journal of Educational Administration, Vol. 63 No. 1, pp. 94-108. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEA-06-2024-0187

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2024, Emerald Publishing Limited

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