Creative Leadership and Students Learning Outcomes: Mediating Role of the Academic Optimism in Beijing’s Vocational Colleges, China

This study aims to investigate the relationships between creative leadership, academic optimism, and learning outcomes in vocational colleges. It explores how leadership practices can influence students' psychological perceptions of their learning environment and how these perceptions, in turn, affect their academic achievements.A quantitative research design was employed, with data collected from 213 students enrolled in vocational colleges in Beijing, China. A self-administered questionnaire was used to gather data on creative leadership, academic optimism, and learning outcomes in vocational colleges. The study utilized established scales for measuring these constructs, SPSS and Smart PLS software was employed for data analysis, including descriptive statistics, composite reliability, correlation analysis, and regression analysis.The results revealed that creative leadership significantly impacts both academic optimism and learning outcomes. Additionally, academic optimism was found to mediate the relationship between creative leadership and learning outcomes, suggesting that leadership behaviors promoting a positive, trusting environment contribute to higher levels of student engagement and achievement.This research contributes to the understanding of how leadership styles influence student outcomes in vocational education, emphasizing the role of academic optimism as a critical mediator. The findings provide practical implications for educational administrators, suggesting that fostering creative leadership and a positive academic climate can significantly enhance student learning outcomes. Future research could expand these findings across different educational contexts. Received: 07 October 2025 / Accepted: 12 December 2025 / Published: January 2026