Governance and leadership: Students’ academic performance through the principals’ leadership styles and commitment

The present paper examines the influence of principals’ leadership styles on students’ academic performance (SAP) given Saudi Vision 2030. The quantitative study applied the questionnaire to get responses from the public secondary school students in Al Ahsa province of Saudi Arabia. The study followed researchers like Aarti and Kadian (2023), Oyugi and Gogo (2019), and Marbawi et al. (2024). The conclusion of the study is based on 317 valid samples. Employing the path analysis through analysis of moment structures (AMOS), the results of the study demonstrate a positive effect of democratic leadership (DL), autocratic leadership (AL), and transactional leadership (TRSL) on SAP and principals’ commitment (PCT). The study also confirms the positive impact of transformational leadership (TRLP) on PCT but the negative on SAP. Moreover, PCT’s effect on SAP is also positive. With mediating effects, the study confirmed a positive mediating effect of PCT in developing the connection between DL, AL, TRSL, and SAP but did not mediate between TRLP and SAP. The study would support policymakers and educationalists in enhancing SAP by boosting leadership styles and PCT among school principals. Besides, the study’s findings would contribute to the domain literature of education and management by adding evidence from the Al Ahsa province of Saudi Arabia.