Creative leadership and kindergarten teachers' creative teaching performance: A moderated mediation model

Drawing on social exchange theory, this study examines the associations between kindergarten principals' creative leadership and teachers' creative teaching performance. Data from 578 kindergarten teachers across eight Chinese cities were analyzed using a multistage stratified sampling method. The results indicate that (1) creative leadership is positively associated with creative teaching performance; (2) this relationship is significantly mediated by both the ideological psychological contract and knowledge-sharing intention; and (3) perceived organizational support moderates these indirect pathways. Specifically, the indirect effects of creative leadership on teaching performance via both mediators are significantly stronger under conditions of high perceived organizational support. These findings elucidate the relational and behavioral mechanisms through which targeted leadership fosters pedagogical innovation, highlighting the necessity of an aligned organizational climate in early childhood education.