Fostering teacher commitment through inclusive leadership: the mediating roles of teacher collaboration and teacher professionalism

Purpose This study examines the impact of inclusive leadership on teacher commitment by investigating the mediating roles of teacher collaboration and professionalism. Design/methodology/approach The study employed a cross-sectional survey method, and participants were selected using a convenience sampling technique. The proposed model was tested using structural equation modeling to analyze the direct and indirect relationships between variables. Findings The findings indicate that inclusive leadership positively influences teacher commitment, both directly and indirectly, through teacher collaboration and professionalism. Teacher professionalism emerged as a stronger mediator than collaboration. Originality/value This study provides new insights that inclusive leadership is crucial in strengthening teacher commitment, particularly when it fosters collaborative and professional environments. Additionally, the study highlights contextual differences, as the impact of inclusive leadership on teacher professionalism may be more pronounced in centralized education systems like Türkiye.