Measuring EFL Teachers' Transformational Classroom Leadership: Scale Development and Validation

ABSTRACT Transformational classroom leadership (TCL) has recently attracted growing attention in language education research. However, in the context of English as a foreign language (EFL) education, the underlying dimensions and measurement remain underexplored. To address this gap, the study aims to develop a scale to assess Chinese EFL teachers' TCL. Data were collected from three cohorts of Chinese EFL teachers through semi‐structured interviews ( n 1 = 11) and two rounds of questionnaire surveys ( n 2 = 315, n 3 = 582). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported the psychometric soundness of the 26‐item scale and revealed a four‐factor structure of EFL teachers' transformational teaching behaviours, including idealised influence, inspirational motivation, individualised consideration, and intellectual stimulation. Among these, idealised influence was identified as the most prominent indicator of TCL. This study offers a useful tool for measuring EFL teachers' TCL and provides implications for teachers and language educators, highlighting the importance of practicing idealised influence in classroom interactions to enhance the quality of foreign language education.