The impact of school principals' sustainable leadership behaviors on the relationship between teachers' innovative work behaviors and emotional intelligence

In contemporary educational contexts, it is essential for teachers to enhance both their emotional competencies and innovative work skills—capacities that are closely associated with the implementation of sustainable leadership practices in schools. The rapid pace of social and technological change necessitates the continuous development of teachers' individual capabilities, alongside consistent managerial support. Within this framework, it is suggested that school administrators' sustainable leadership behaviors may play a pivotal role in understanding the relationship between teachers' emotional intelligence and their innovative work behaviors. Thus, investigating the potential influence of sustainable leadership on teachers' emotional and professional competencies holds particular significance. This study aims to examine the effect of school administrators' sustainable leadership behaviors on the relationship between teachers' emotional intelligence and innovative work behaviors. The research employed a quantitative approach within the framework of the relational survey model. Data were collected through the "Sustainable Leadership in Schools Scale," the "Emotional Intelligence Scale," the "Innovative Work Behavior Scale," and a "Personal Information Form" developed by the researcher. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS 29. As the data met the assumption of normality, parametric statistical tests were used. Independent Samples t-Test and One-Way ANOVA were performed for group comparisons, and the Tukey and Games-Howell post hoc tests were applied to identify the sources of significant differences. Pearson correlation analysis was used to examine relationships between variables, multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to assess predictive power, and structural equation modeling was employed to test the mediating role of sustainable leadership. The sample consisted of 489 teachers working in public schools affiliated with the Isparta Provincial Directorate of National Education during the 2023-2024 academic year, selected through simple random sampling. The findings revealed a positive and significant relationship between emotional intelligence and innovative work behavior. However, the sustainable leadership behaviors of school administrators did not have a statistically significant mediating effect on this relationship. Based on the results, several recommendations were proposed to strengthen sustainable leadership practices and support teachers' emotional and innovative capacities.