MEDIATING ROLE OF SCHOOL CLIMATE IN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP AND TEACHERS’ WORK PRESSURE

Abstract

This study investigates the mediating role of school climate in the relationship between instructional leadership and teachers’ work pressure. Grounded in the positivist paradigm, a quantitative, correlational research design was employed. A sample of 354 secondary school teachers was drawn from a population of 3106 using stratified random sampling across five districts: Bannu, Lakki Marwat, Dera Ismail Khan, Tank, and Karak. Validated instruments measuring instructional leadership, school climate, and teacher work pressure were utilized, with Cronbach's alpha coefficients of 0.798, 0.755, and 0.836, respectively. Correlation analysis revealed significant negative associations between instructional leadership and teachers' work pressure, and between school climate and teachers' work pressure, while a positive association was found between instructional leadership and school climate. Mediation analysis, using Hayes’ PROCESS Macro (Model 4), confirmed that school climate partially mediates the relationship between instructional leadership and teachers’ work pressure. These findings underscore the importance of fostering effective instructional leadership and a supportive school climate to reduce stress and enhance teacher well-being. The study offers practical implications for leadership development and policy reform in Pakistan’s public education system.