Sowing seeds of flourishing: the mediating role of trust in the impact of resilience on school principals across career stages
| Date | 08 January 2025 |
| Pages | 94-108 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JEA-06-2024-0187 |
| Published date | 08 January 2025 |
| Author | Dongqing Yu,Junjun Chen,Masoumeh Kouhsari |
Sowing seeds of flourishing:
the mediating role of trust in the
impact of resilience on school
principals across career stages
Dongqing Yu
Faculty of Education, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China, and
Junjun Chen and Masoumeh Kouhsari
Department of Education Policy and Leadership,
The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
Abstract
Purpose –This study aims to examine the roles of principal resilience (psychological, social and spiritual)
and trust in colleagues in predicting the flourishing of school principals, considering different career
stages.
Design/methodology/approach –Utilising multigroup structural equation modelling and mediation analysis,
data were collected from a sample of 1,274 school principals in China. The study investigates the direct impact
of resilience on flourishing and the mediating role of trust in colleagues, with a focus on variations across
different career stages.
Findings –The findings reveal that all aspects of a principal’s resilience significantly impact their flourishing,
with trust serving as a partial mediator. Notably,the influence of spiritual resilience on flourishing is significant
only for principals in the later stages of their careers.
Originality/value –This research contributes to the expanding body of literature on educational leadership by
highlighting the importance of resilience and trust in fostering principal flourishing. The insights gained offer
valuable knowledge for developing support strategies to enhance the flourishing experiences of school
principals throughout their careers.
Keywords Flourishing, Psychological resilience, Social resilience, Spiritual resilience, Trust
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
The concept of flourishing has received significant attention in recent educational research.
It is argued that a flourishing principal is more likely to foster a positive and productive
learning environment, thereby improving the quality of education and student outcomes
(Kutsyuruba et al., 2021). While the importance of principal flourishing is widely recognized,
our understanding of how principals can achieve and maintain this state amidst growing
adversities remains limited. The mechanisms through which principals develop and utilize
resilience and trust to enhance their flourishing, particularly in the face of increasing job
demands and challenges, warrant further investigation. This study aims to address this
knowledge gap by examining the complex interplay between principal resilience, trust in
colleagues, and flourishing across different career stages.
JEA
63,1
94
Funding: This work was supported by The National Social Science Fund of China “The Study of New
industrial Workers’ Children Generally Beneficial Childcare Services in urban integration” (Grant
number: 22BSH060).
Declaration of interests: The authors declare the following competing interests related to this work:
1. Funding support: This research was supported by “The National Social Science Fund of China”
under the project titled “The Study of New Industrial Workers’ Children Generally Beneficial Childcare
Services in Urban Integration” (Grant number: 22BSH060).
2. No other conflicts: The authors declare no other competing interests that could influence the
interpretation of results or the content of this article.
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
https://www.emerald.com/insight/0957-8234.htm
Received 17 June 2024
Revised 20 August 2024
24 October 2024
28 November 2024
Accepted 30 November 2024
Journalof Educational Administration
Vol.63 No. 1, 2025
pp.94-108
©Emerald Publishing Limited
e-ISSN:1758-7395
p-ISSN:0957-8234
DOI10.1108/JEA-06-2024-0187
Get this document and AI-powered insights with a free trial of vLex and Vincent AI
Get Started for FreeUnlock full access with a free 7-day trial
Transform your legal research with vLex
-
Complete access to the largest collection of common law case law on one platform
-
Generate AI case summaries that instantly highlight key legal issues
-
Advanced search capabilities with precise filtering and sorting options
-
Comprehensive legal content with documents across 100+ jurisdictions
-
Trusted by 2 million professionals including top global firms
-
Access AI-Powered Research with Vincent AI: Natural language queries with verified citations
Unlock full access with a free 7-day trial
Transform your legal research with vLex
-
Complete access to the largest collection of common law case law on one platform
-
Generate AI case summaries that instantly highlight key legal issues
-
Advanced search capabilities with precise filtering and sorting options
-
Comprehensive legal content with documents across 100+ jurisdictions
-
Trusted by 2 million professionals including top global firms
-
Access AI-Powered Research with Vincent AI: Natural language queries with verified citations
Unlock full access with a free 7-day trial
Transform your legal research with vLex
-
Complete access to the largest collection of common law case law on one platform
-
Generate AI case summaries that instantly highlight key legal issues
-
Advanced search capabilities with precise filtering and sorting options
-
Comprehensive legal content with documents across 100+ jurisdictions
-
Trusted by 2 million professionals including top global firms
-
Access AI-Powered Research with Vincent AI: Natural language queries with verified citations
Unlock full access with a free 7-day trial
Transform your legal research with vLex
-
Complete access to the largest collection of common law case law on one platform
-
Generate AI case summaries that instantly highlight key legal issues
-
Advanced search capabilities with precise filtering and sorting options
-
Comprehensive legal content with documents across 100+ jurisdictions
-
Trusted by 2 million professionals including top global firms
-
Access AI-Powered Research with Vincent AI: Natural language queries with verified citations
Unlock full access with a free 7-day trial
Transform your legal research with vLex
-
Complete access to the largest collection of common law case law on one platform
-
Generate AI case summaries that instantly highlight key legal issues
-
Advanced search capabilities with precise filtering and sorting options
-
Comprehensive legal content with documents across 100+ jurisdictions
-
Trusted by 2 million professionals including top global firms
-
Access AI-Powered Research with Vincent AI: Natural language queries with verified citations