Learning-Centered Leadership and Teacher Professional Learning: The Mediating Role of Commitment to Change

Learning-centered leadership (LCL) has been recognized as an important driver of teacher professional learning (TPL), however, the psychological pathways through which leadership influences teachers’ learning remain insufficiently understood, particularly in centralized educational contexts. This study examines whether dimensions of teachers’ commitment to change (TCC) function as mediating mechanisms in the association between LCL and TPL. Drawing on survey data from 304 primary school teachers across 123 schools in Iran, the study employed structural equation modeling to test a latent parallel mediation model. Confirmatory factor analyses supported the multidimensional structure of TCC, with a correlated four-factor model outperforming a unidimensional alternative. The direct association between LCL and TPL was non-significant (β = .017, p = .917), whereas the total indirect effect through TCC dimensions was significant (β = .535, 95% CI [.424, .643]). Dimension-specific analyses showed that effects were transmitted primarily through context beliefs and emotional arousal, while capacity beliefs and personal goals did not demonstrate significant mediating roles. These findings suggest that LCL does not automatically generate TPL; rather, its association with professional learning depends on how teachers interpret and emotionally experience change. The study highlights the psychologically mediated nature of leadership–learning relationships and the need for longitudinal, multisource research.