Leadership development of university teachers in China: A mixed-methods model development and validation study

This study develops and validates a contextually grounded model of teacher leadership in Chinese higher education, addressing a gap in the literature dominated by school-based and Western-centric frameworks. Drawing on mixed methods, including grounded theory and confirmatory factor analysis, data were collected from 352 university faculty members across multiple Chinese provinces. This study employed an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design: (1) a qualitative phase (in-depth interviews) to generate context-specific dimensions and indicators of teacher leadership; and (2) a quantitative phase (survey) to test the emergent model via exploratory factor analysis/confirmatory factor analysis. The qualitative phase was conducted in October–November 2023; the quantitative survey took place from November 2023 to February 2024. The resulting four-dimensional model encompasses moral leadership, teaching leadership, research leadership, and team leadership. Findings reveal that moral and teaching leadership dominate faculty perceptions, reflecting the cultural importance of ethical conduct and pedagogical engagement in the Chinese academic tradition. Conversely, research and team leadership are less emphasized, suggesting structural constraints and potential tensions within performance-based evaluation systems. This study contributes both theoretically and methodologically by offering a replicable framework for analyzing teacher leadership in higher education and by highlighting the need for culturally responsive leadership development. Implications for faculty evaluation policies, institutional culture, and global academic leadership reform are discussed.