Available online at www.sciencedirect.

com

ScienceDirect
Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 191 (2015) 2554 – 2558

WCES 2014

The Relationships Among Authentic Leadership, Teachers’ Work

Engagement, Academic Optimism And
School Size As Moderator: A Conceptual Model
Dhirapat Kulophas a *, Auyporn Ruengtrakul a, Suwimon Wongwanich a
a
Department of Educational Research and Psychology, Faculty of Education, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand

Abstract

Positive psychology has recently gained interests among educational researchers due to its role in improving interpersonal
relationships and offering a new research framework (Hoy & Tarter, 2011) among various positive psychological concepts in
educational context, authentic leadership, teachers’ work engagement and teachers’ academic optimism are three of the highly
explored. Authentic leadership deals with a principal’s desire to understand oneself and others and act in accordance with his/her
core values in order to lead the school to success (Avolio & Mhatre, 2011; Gardner, Cogliser, Davis, & Dickens, 2011). While
teachers’ work engagement concerns with how much a teacher is involved and enthusiastic about his or her work (Bakker & Bal,
2010; Klassen et al., 2012), teacher’s academic optimism is a teacher’s belief that he or she can teach all of the students
effectively, stress the importance of learning and trust in students and parents (Beard, Hoy, & Woolfolk Hoy, 2010; Woolfolk
Hoy, Hoy, & Kurz, 2008). Although authentic leadership and teachers’ work engagement have been found to be positively
related (Bird, Chuang, Watson, & Murray, 2012; Wang & Bird, 2011), so far there have been no studies that focused on the
relationships among the three. Furthermore, since school size has a significant impact on various school outcomes particularly the
interpersonal processes (Crosnoe, Johnson, & Elder Jr, 2004; Leithwood & Jantzi, 2009), we hypothesized that school size would
moderate the aforementioned relationships. The purpose of the study was to propose a conceptual model linking authentic
leadership, teachers’ work engagement and academic optimism with school size as a moderator. Several research propositions
based on the model are presented. The proposed model is expected to be a valuable tool for conducting related future researches
and developing initiatives to improve principal authentic leadership in school.
©©2015
2014Published
The Authors. Published
by Elsevier Ltd. by Elsevier
This Ltd.access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
is an open
Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the Organizing Committee of WCES 2014.
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the Organizing Committee of WCES 2014
Keywords: developing, optimism , related , teach

* Dhirapat Kulophas. Tel.: +66-(0)8-6789-0902

E-mail address: dhirapat.k@student.chula.ac.th

1877-0428 © 2015 Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the Organizing Committee of WCES 2014
doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.04.298
 Dhirapat Kulophas et al. / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 191 (2015) 2554 – 2558 2555

1. Introduction

In the past decade, researchers from various fields have turned their attentions to positive psychology and started
to introduce its concepts in their work. Considering that positive psychology in educational study is still in its early
stage (Hoy & Tarter, 2011), proposing and utilizing the framework in educational research is a promising notion
since it “enriches the conceptual base and helps the field accumulate understanding” (Hoy & Tarter, 2011). Among
the positive psychological traits studied in educational context, authentic leadership, teachers’ work engagement and
teachers’ academic optimism are three of the most promising for both academic and practitioners’ standpoint. Since
there has been no prior research linking these constructs collectively, the aim of this paper was to propose a
conceptual framework to rationalize these relationships as well as the effects school size has on them. The outline of
this paper started with the reviews of the main constructs: teachers’ work engagement, teachers’ academic optimism,
and authentic leadership respectively, followed by explaining the basis for conceptual model and ended with ideas
for future research.

2. Teachers’ work engagement

Due to both internal and external pressure that put on teachers to perform and account for high student outcome,
many teachers experienced high stress and burnout and some decided to leave the profession. This resulted in
burnout becoming a hot topic in educational research until recently when the concept of positive psychology has
brought interest to work engagement. Work engagement, based on self-determination theory, is “a positive, fulfilling
work-related state of mind that is characterized by vigor, dedication, and absorption (Schaufeli, Salanova, González-
Romá, & Bakker, 2002). Past studies in business organizational context indicated that employees with high level of
work engagement were highly motivated and performed well on the job (Bakker, Schaufeli, Leiter, & Taris, 2008).
Likewise, the level of teachers’ work engagement was positively related to their work performance (Bakker & Bal,
2010). In sum, teachers’ work engagement deals with how much a teacher is occupied and excited by his or her
work (Bakker & Bal, 2010; Klassen et al., 2012). Although there are other measurement tools for work engagement
readily available, the most prominent one in educational research is the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES)
(Klassen, et al., 2012). The instrument has been validated and found suitable with both western and non-western
teachers although the researchers recommended adjusting questionnaire items when used in non-western context.

3. Teachers’ academic optimism

Academic optimism is originally a school-level 2nd order construct rooted in and developed from positive
psychology (Hoy & Tarter, 2011). Past research showed a positive impact of academic optimism on student
achievement (I. H. Chang, 2011; Smith & Hoy, 2007). In 2010, Beard and colleagues (2010) hypothesized and
confirmed academic optimism as a latent individual-level construct consisting of 3 factors: teachers’ academic
emphasis, teachers’ trust in parents and students and teachers’ self-efficacy. Teachers’ academic optimism is defined
as “individual teachers’ beliefs that they can teach effectively, their students can learn and parents will support them
so the teacher can press hard for learning” (Beard, et al., 2010). Researchers initially used separate tools to measure
each of the three 1st order factors separately and utilized factor analysis to confirm the construct. Later Beard and
colleagues (2010) shortened, simplified and combined the three measures and introduced a new 11-item
questionnaire called Teacher Academic Optimism Scale (TAOS) specifically made for measuring the construct.

4. Authentic leadership

Authentic leadership is a form of leadership that originated from positive psychology theory (Avolio & Gardner,
2005). It was also contributed and positively related to transformational leadership (Spitzmuller & Ilies, 2010;
Walumbwa, Luthans, Avey, & Oke, 2011). Walumbwa and colleagues (2008) defined authentic leadership as “a
pattern of leader behavior that draws upon and promotes both positive psychological capacities and a positive ethical
climate, to foster greater self-awareness, an internalized moral perspective, balanced processing of information, and
relational transparency on the part of leaders working with followers, fostering positive self-development.” The
latent construct comprises of 4 factors: self-awareness, relational transparency, balanced processing, and
internalized moral perspective. In brief, a principal with authentic leadership is a school leader who aspires to
2556 Dhirapat Kulophas et al. / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 191 (2015) 2554 – 2558

understand his/herself and teachers and behave in accordance with his/her core values in order to steer the school
towards its goals (Avolio & Mhatre, 2011; Gardner, et al., 2011). Several measures have been conceived to measure
authentic leadership but the 16-item Authentic Leadership Questionnaire (ALQ) by Walumbwa and colleagues
(2008) were the most widely used.

5. The main relationships

Since teachers’ belief and attitude are predictably influenced by their principal, it is no surprise that previous
research findings reinforced that school leadership had a significant relationship with teachers’ academic optimism
and work engagement. Authentic leadership of principal was found to be positively correlated with teachers’ work
engagement (Bird, et al., 2012; Wang & Bird, 2011). Although no prior research has studied the relationship
between authentic leadership and teachers’ academic leadership, according to Rutledge (2010), a school with high
level of transformation leadership was likely to have teachers with high level of academic optimism. Similarly,
while a study of the relation between academic optimism and work engagement of teachers has not been done,
according to Xanthopoulou and colleagues (2009) self-efficacy, a factor of academic optimism, had a positive
correlation with work engagement. Therefore, the aforementioned findings suggested potential relationships among
these constructs.

6. School size as moderator

School size has a profound influence on every actor in school both on personal and interpersonal level and also
school outcomes. Many studies concluded that a small school, in general, has more advantage over a large school
particularly in teachers’ sense of responsibility and belonging (Leithwood & Jantzi, 2009) and interpersonal
relationships (Bryk & Schneider, 2003). Additionally, Leithwood and Jantzi (2009) found that school size was the
most frequently used moderator in school research. However, due to inconclusive findings, further study was
suggested regarding the moderating effect of school size.

Fig. 1. A conceptual model

7. Basis for conceptual model

Pragmatically, during the educational reform age in Thailand where accountability for student outcome is the
main focus. The roles and responsibilities of a school leader have been under scrutiny from all involved parties,
particularly from the eyes of teachers and parents. It is no denying that motivating teachers to perform their best is a
vital job of a principal. Since both teachers’ academic optimism and work engagement are two of the most desirable
 Dhirapat Kulophas et al. / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 191 (2015) 2554 – 2558 2557

traits in teachers, it is important to find out whether an authentic principal can induce such qualities in teachers.
From positive psychology perspectives, it is sensible that the premise is achievable but school size also plays a big
role in how interpersonal relationships function. Therefore, the proposed model (see fig.1) could potentially help
support further study and improvement of the relationships within a school. Academically, this conceptual model is
the first that explores the relationship among authentic leadership, teachers’ academic optimism and teachers’ work
engagement. It also followed the recommendation by Avolio and Mhatre (2011) that future research topics
concerning authentic leadership should focus on the moderating and mediating relationships in order to better
understand how authentic leadership influences an organization. Lastly, the framework with moderating effect of
school size should help explain the role of school size in school actors’ relationships.

8. Future research initiatives

The proposed conceptual model provided several potential topics for future research. First of all, for research and
development, the conceptual framework may provide a practical direction to initiate a policy to enhance teachers’
academic optimism and work engagement by educating and preparing a principal to become a more authentic
leader. Secondly, a quantitative study utilizing structural equation modelling with the current model or expanded
one with additional variables of interest. In a case of adding a dependent variable, teachers’ academic optimism and
work engagement may act as mediating variables. More advanced quantitative studies may include both mediating
and moderating effects in the model as well. Besides, by applying a multi-level modelling, a study about the effect
of authentic leadership may be done on both academic optimism and work engagement of a group of teachers as a
collective construct. Finally, a mixed method study which includes a qualitative phase may be incorporated into a
study to further clarify the relationships among the main variables.

Acknowledgements

The researchers would like to thank Chulalongkorn University Graduate School Thesis Grant for funding this
research.

References

Avolio, B. J., & Gardner, W. L. (2005). Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership
Quarterly, 16(3), 315-338.
Avolio, B. J., & Mhatre, K. H. (2011). Advances in theory and research on authentic leadership: The Oxford handbook of positive organizational
scholarship. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Bakker, A. B., & Bal, M. P. (2010). Weekly work engagement and performance: A study among starting teachers. Journal of Occupational and
Organizational Psychology, 83(1), 189-206. doi: 10.1348/096317909x402596
Bakker, A. B., Schaufeli, W. B., Leiter, M. P., & Taris, T. W. (2008). Work engagement: An emerging concept in occupational health
psychology. Work & Stress, 22(3), 187-200. doi: 10.1080/02678370802393649
Beard, K. S., Hoy, W. K., & Woolfolk Hoy, A. (2010). Academic optimism of individual teachers: Confirming a new construct. Teaching and
Teacher Education, 26(5), 1136-1144.
Bird, J. J. j. u. e., Chuang, W., Watson, J., & Murray, L. (2012). Teacher and Principal Perceptions of Authentic Leadership: Implications for
Trust, Engagement, and Intention to Return. [Article]. Journal of School Leadership, 22(3), 425-461.
Bryk, A. S., & Schneider, B. (2003). Trust in schools: A core resource for school reform. Educational Leadership, 60(6), 40-45.
Chang, I. H. (2011). A study of the relationships between distributed leadership, teacher academic optimism and student achievement in
Taiwanese elementary schools. School Leadership & Management, 31(5), 491-515.
Chang, M. L. (2009). An appraisal perspective of teacher burnout: Examining the emotional work of teachers. Educational psychology review,
21(3), 193-218.
Crosnoe, R., Johnson, M. K., & Elder Jr, G. H. (2004). School Size and the Interpersonal Side of Education: An Examination of Race/Ethnicity
and Organizational Context*. Social Science Quarterly, 85(5), 1259-1274.
Gardner, W. L., Cogliser, C. C., Davis, K. M., & Dickens, M. P. (2011). Authentic leadership: A review of the literature and research agenda.
The Leadership Quarterly.
Hattie, J. (2008). Visible Learning: A Synthesis of Over 800 Meta-Analyses Relating to Achievement: Taylor & Francis.
Hoy, W. K., & Tarter, C. J. (2011). Positive Psychology and Educational Administration An Optimistic Research Agenda. Educational
Administration Quarterly, 47(3), 427-445.
Klassen, R. M., Aldhafri, S., Mansfield, C. F., Purwanto, E., Siu, A. F. Y., Wong, M. W., & Woods-McConney, A. (2012). Teachers’
Engagement at Work: An International Validation Study. The Journal of Experimental Education, 80(4), 317-337. doi:
10.1080/00220973.2012.678409
Leithwood, K., & Jantzi, D. (2009). A review of empirical evidence about school size effects: A policy perspective. Review of educational
2558 Dhirapat Kulophas et al. / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 191 (2015) 2554 – 2558

research, 79(1), 464-490.

Rutledge, R. D. (2010). The effects of transformational leadership on academic optimism within elementary schools. PhD Thesis, The University
of Alabama Tuscaloosa.
Sanders, W. L., Wright, S. P., & Horn, S. P. (1997). Teacher and classroom context effects on student achievement: Implications for teacher
evaluation. Journal of personnel evaluation in education, 11(1), 57-67.
Schaufeli, W. B., Salanova, M., González-Romá, V., & Bakker, A. B. (2002). The measurement of engagement and burnout: A two sample
confirmatory factor analytic approach. Journal of Happiness studies, 3(1), 71-92.
Smith, P. A., & Hoy, W. K. (2007). Academic optimism and student achievement in urban elementary schools. Journal of Educational
Administration, 45(5), 556-568.
Spitzmuller, M., & Ilies, R. (2010). Do they [all] see my true self? Leader's relational authenticity and followers' assessments of transformational
leadership. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 19(3), 304-332.
Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Wernsing, T. S., & Peterson, S. J. (2008). Authentic Leadership: Development and Validation
of a Theory-Based Measure†. Journal of Management, 34(1), 89-126.
Walumbwa, F. O., Luthans, F., Avey, J. B., & Oke, A. (2011). Authentically leading groups: The mediating role of collective psychological
capital and trust. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 32(1), 4-24.
Wang, C., & Bird, J. J. (2011). Multi-level modeling of principal authenticity and teachers’ trust and engagement. Academy of Educational
Leadership Journal.
Woolfolk Hoy, A., Hoy, W. K., & Kurz, N. M. (2008). Teacher's academic optimism: The development and test of a new construct. Teaching
and Teacher Education, 24(4), 821-835.
Xanthopoulou, D., Bakker, A. B., Demerouti, E., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2009). Reciprocal relationships between job resources, personal resources,
and work engagement. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 74 (3), 235-244.