The relationship between distributed leadership and teacher leadership in China: a mediation of teacher leadership preparation

This study aims to explore the relationship between distributed leadership and teacher leadership in southern China, with a particular focus on the mediating effect of teacher leadership preparation. A sample of 395 secondary school teachers from southern China was surveyed, and a structural equation model was constructed for quantitative analysis. The results show that distributed leadership has a significant positive correlation with teacher leadership, indicating that teachers’ leadership capabilities are effectively enhanced in a distributed leadership environment. Further analysis reveals that teacher leadership preparation plays a mediating role in this relationship. These findings provide empirical evidence for understanding distributed leadership in the Chinese context and offer cross-cultural insights into distributed leadership theory by focusing on teacher leadership preparation as a research entry point, thereby contributing to the innovation and development of teacher leadership research.