Transformational Leadership of Deans and Organisational Commitment of Foreign Language Teachers: Evidence from Chinese Universities

This study explored how deans’ transformational leadership relates to foreign language teachers’ organisational commitment in universities in Hunan Province, China. Using a quantitative survey design, 451 teachers were surveyed with standardised scales intended to assess transformational leadership and organisational commitment. Descriptive findings revealed that both the deans’ transformational leadership and teachers’ organisational commitment were rated at a moderate level. Pearson analysis established a statistically significant and substantial positive correlation between the two variables, indicating that the greater the perceptions of transformational leadership, the greater the organisational commitment. These results confirm the need to improve transformational and leadership practices among academic deans, especially in their ability to inspire teachers, build professionally supportive environments, and promote positive organisational climates. Despite the constraints associated with its cross-sectional design and self-reported data, the study provides important insights into leadership development in the context of Chinese higher education. To further validate and extend the findings, it is proposed to employ longitudinal methods, larger samples, and multisource data in future research.