How paternalistic leadership influences teachers' resistance to STEM reform: the mediating role of teachers' STEM literacy and the moderating role of work engagement

Introduction: Identifying the factors associated with teachers' resistance to STEM and understanding their interrelationships are crucial for advancing STEM education. This study examines the relationships between leadership styles and teacher resistance, with STEM literacy and work engagement serving as mediating and moderating variables, respectively. Methods: A survey was conducted among 1,221 primary and secondary school teachers from a provincial capital in northern China. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the relationships among leadership styles, teachers' STEM literacy, work engagement, and resistance to STEM reform. Results: The results indicate that: Authoritarian leadership was significantly and positively related to teachers' STEM resistance, whereas benevolent-moral leadership had no direct statistical effect. However, the relationship between leadership style and resistance became more complex when teachers' STEM literacy was taken into account. Authoritarian leadership was indirectly associated with teachers' STEM resistance via STEM literacy, whereas the association between benevolent-moral leadership and resistance was fully mediated by STEM literacy. Work engagement was negatively related to teachers' STEM resistance. Furthermore, work engagement moderated the relationship between leadership style and STEM literacy. The positive relationship between benevolent-moral leadership and STEM literacy was stronger at higher levels of work engagement, whereas the association for authoritarian leadership was positive only at low levels of engagement and turned negative as work engagement increased. Discussion: Based on these findings, enhancing teachers' STEM literacy and willingness to participate in STEM education requires promoting a culture of benevolent-moral leadership while carefully defining the boundaries of authoritarian management practices. Meanwhile, differentiated incentive and support mechanisms should be developed according to teachers' levels of work engagement, thereby fostering sustained professional development and active involvement in STEM education reform.