A Conceptual Model of the Mediating Role of Professional Learning Communities in the Relationship between Learning-Centered Leadership and School Effectiveness in Malaysian Vocational Colleges

This conceptual paper proposes an integrative model explaining how Learning-Centered Leadership (LCL) influences School Effectiveness (SE), both directly and indirectly, through Professional Learning Communities (PLC) in Malaysian Vocational Colleges. Drawing on the Learning-Centered Leadership framework, the Professional Learning Community model and the Effective Schools correlates, the study synthesizes contemporary scholarship to develop a theoretically grounded model that responds to the complex instructional and organizational demands of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET). While international research consistently demonstrates the role of learning-centered leadership in strengthening instructional quality and organizational performance, comparatively limited attention has been given to how these leadership processes operate within vocational education contexts, particularly in Malaysia. The proposed model positions Professional Learning Communities as the central organizational mechanism through which leadership inputs are transformed into collaborative teacher practice, instructional coherence and sustained professional learning. By explaining these relationships, the paper advances a context-specific theoretical explanation of how leadership and collective professional learning interact to support school effectiveness in TVET institutions. The paper concludes by outlining key theoretical, practical, and policy implications, including the conceptualisation of PLC as a mediating mechanism linking Learning-Centered Leadership to School Effectiveness, the provision of a strategic framework to guide leadership development and collaborative professional learning in vocational colleges, and empirical alignment with national TVET policies that emphasize learning-centered leadership and sustainable professional development.