Institutional leadership practices, quality assurance mechanisms, and teaching effectiveness in Chinese Applied Universities

The ongoing reform of higher education in China has intensified the demand for effective institutional leadership, robust quality assurance mechanisms, and improved teaching effectiveness in applied universities. This quantitative descriptive-correlational study examined the relationships among institutional leadership practices, quality assurance mechanisms, and teaching effectiveness in a selected applied university in Jiangxi Province, China. A total of 485 full-time faculty members participated in the study. Data were collected using validated questionnaires based on the Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI), the Baldrige Excellence Framework, and the School Teacher Effectiveness Questionnaire (STEQ). Cronbach’s alpha coefficients indicated good to excellent internal consistency across the measurement dimensions. Descriptive findings showed that institutional leadership practices and quality assurance mechanisms were generally rated Agree, while teaching effectiveness was rated Often. Among leadership practices, Encourage the Heart received the highest rating, whereas Challenge the Process received the lowest. For quality assurance, Measurement and Analysis ranked highest, while Workforce ranked lowest. Teaching effectiveness was most evident in maintaining a supportive learning environment and communicating effectively, whereas instructional planning and strategies represented a relative area for improvement. Inferential analyses revealed significant differences in selected teaching effectiveness dimensions according to sex, while differences in institutional leadership and quality assurance assessments were not statistically significant across the respondents’ demographic profiles. Spearman’s rank-order correlation analyses further demonstrated significant positive relationships among institutional leadership practices, quality assurance mechanisms, and teaching effectiveness. These findings indicate that stronger leadership practices and more developed quality assurance mechanisms are associated with higher perceived teaching effectiveness, although the correlational design does not establish causation. The study proposed a continuous institutional improvement program focusing on leadership capacity building, workforce development, evidence-based quality assurance, and innovative instructional planning. By integrating leadership, quality management, and systems perspectives, the findings offered practical insights for university administrators and policymakers seeking to strengthen institutional governance and promote continuous improvement in Chinese applied higher education.