Teacher Leadership and Student Satisfaction: A Full Latent Growth Approach to Moderated Mediation Using Soft Skills and Motivation

ABSTRACT While teaching practices are generally known to influence students' motivation, soft skills, and satisfaction, the impact of transformational Teacher Leadership remains underexplored. This study employs a latent growth approach to moderated mediation to examine soft skills and autonomous motivation (Intrinsic and Extrinsic Identified) effects as mediators along with the controlled forms of motivation (Introjected and External) and amotivation as moderators of the influence of Transformative Teacher Leadership on academic satisfaction. Surveys from 204 students across Moroccan higher education institutions reveal that TTL enhances communication, problem‐solving, teamwork, self‐management, and leadership skills, increasing academic satisfaction. TTL's influence on intrinsic motivation is mediated by problem‐solving, self‐management, and leadership skills, while its impact on extrinsic motivation is mediated by leadership skills alone. Controlled motivation weakens TTL's positive effects on self‐determination and satisfaction. These findings underscore the critical role of teacher leadership in fostering students' academic satisfaction and self‐determination through soft skills development.