The effects of instructional leadership on teachers’ instructional practices through inclusive efficacy: The moderating role of social justice leadership

This study examined a moderated mediation model to explore the conditions under which instructional leadership (IL) is associated with teachers’ instructional practices through teacher efficacy for inclusive practices. Survey data were obtained from 884 teachers nested within 58 public primary schools in Türkiye and analysed using Bayesian multilevel structural equation modelling. The findings showed that IL was related to instructional practices both directly and indirectly via teacher efficacy for inclusive practices. Importantly, social justice leadership (SJL) functioned as a contextual moderator, strengthening the association between IL and teacher efficacy for inclusive practices and, in turn, the indirect link to instructional practices. In school contexts characterised by very low levels of SJL, the indirect effect was substantially weaker than in higher-SJL contexts. Overall, the results indicate that the effects of IL on instructional practices are psychologically mediated and context dependent. The study concludes by discussing implications for leadership research, policy, and practice in centralised education systems.