Distributed Leadership and Student Engagement in Ethiopia: The mediating role of Teacher Self-Efficacy

Engagement significantly contributes to student learning and academic success; it has preventive benefits against dropout and disruptive behavior. This study examines how principals' distributed leadership strategies affect student engagement with teacher self-efficacy as a mediator in the secondary schools of the state of Amhara, Ethiopia. Accordingly, a cross-sectional survey design was employed to achieve this objective. The quantitative data analysis involved 714 valid and completed data of teachers selected from a multistage random sample from five zones. A questionnaire was used as a tool for data collection. Before the actual study, the measurement tools were validated through a pilot study, and statistical assumptions were made. To achieve the specific objectives of the study, one-sample t-test, Pearson correlation, and structural equation modeling were employed. Low levels of distributed leadership practice, moderate student engagement, and high levels of teacher self-efficacy were all identified in the research. Additionally, the study found a strong positive correlation between student engagement, teacher self-efficacy, and distributed leadership practice. The connection between distributed leadership and student engagement was also significantly partially mediated by teacher self-efficacy. Hence, the study concluded that principals’ distributed leadership significantly contributed to student engagement through teacher self-efficacy. The results suggest that when school leadership responsibilities are distributed more broadly, teachers’ sense of efficacy is enhanced, improving student engagement in the learning process. Thus, the study's findings have practical, theoretical, and policy implications.