Ethical School Leadership as a Foundation for Sustainable Teacher Work Engagement in the Public Schools
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20325380Keywords:
Ethical leadership, work engagement, sustainable engagement, school administrators, professional developmentAbstract
This study examined the relationship between ethical leadership practices of school administrators and teachers’ work engagement in public elementary schools of Inabanga North District during the 2025–2026 school year. Using a quantitative descriptive-correlational design, data were gathered from 82 teachers through a validated questionnaire covering demographic profile, ethical leadership dimensions (ethics of care, justice, and critic), work engagement (vigor, dedication, absorption), and challenges in sustaining engagement. Descriptive statistics and Spearman’s rho were employed, while qualitative responses were organized and ranked according to the frequency of occurrence of the pre-determined options. Findings revealed that teachers perceived a high extent of ethical leadership and a high level of work engagement. Administrators consistently demonstrated care, fairness, and reflective decision-making, while teachers exhibited strong enthusiasm, commitment, and immersion in their work. A significant moderate positive relationship was found between ethical leadership and work engagement, indicating that ethical practices of administrators enhance teachers’ motivation and involvement. Challenges encountered were situational, including workload in teaching and administrative tasks, limited resources and bureaucratic constraints, emotional and cognitive strain, role overload, insufficient recovery time, and occasional stress related to both challenge and hindrance demand in the workplace. The study concludes that ethical leadership fosters a supportive environment that sustains teacher engagement. It recommends a contextualized enhanced professional development plan focusing on strengthening ethical leadership competencies, promoting supportive conditions, and sustaining teachers’ professional commitment and performance across participating schools informing policy and practice.
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