Abstract
Given the negative consequences of disengagement, such as disruptive behavior,
low achievement, boredom, and high dropout rates, it seems imperative to seek
mechanisms to determinants of student engagement in learning. This study is
original because it combines Social Exchange Theory with evidence regarding
engagement and distributed leadership to provide a theoretical explanation of how
leadership affects student outcomes and teacher behavioral patterns. Therefore, this
study aimed at investigating the role of principals’ distributed leadership in predicting
students’ engagement as mediated by teachers’ organizational commitment in
the secondary schools in Ethiopia. Accordingly, to achieve this aim, a correlational
survey was employed. From five provinces (zones), 714 teachers were selected
through a multistage random sampling. Before the actual study, the measurement
tools were validated through a pilot study. As a result, the study found significantly
below-average student engagement, a moderate level of distributed leadership
practices, and an average teacher organizational commitment. The study also
revealed that distributed leadership had significant positive relationships with teacher
organizational commitment and student engagement. Teacher organizational
commitment (R2 = 0.47) had significant partial mediation roles in the relationship
between distributed leadership and student engagement. The results suggest that
when school leadership responsibilities are distributed more broadly, teachers’ sense
of commitment are enhanced, improving student engagement in the learning
process. Thus, the study’s findings have several implications. Theoretically, the results
of the study may serve as a reference for other scholars and provide a theoretical
explanation for how leadership affects teacher organizational commitment and
student engagement by integrating Social Exchange Theory with distributed
leadership and engagement studies. This research will also have significant practical
implications for secondary school students, teachers, researchers, policymakers,
school leaders, and education experts.