The moderating role of various variables in the relationship between school principals' leadership styles and teachers' counterproductive work behaviors

This study was conducted to examine the relationship between school principals' leadership styles and teachers' counterproductive work behaviors, as well as the moderating role of demographic variables in this relationship. Data were collected from 405 teachers working in the province of Ordu and analyzed using SPSS 26.0 and JAMOVI software. Descriptive statistics, independent samples t-tests, one-way ANOVA, moderation analysis, and path analysis were used to test for significant differences and relationships. Findings indicated that while transformational leadership was perceived at a high level among teachers, perceptions of laissez-faire and transactional leadership were relatively lower. Counterproductive work behaviors among teachers were generally observed at low levels; however, some demographic variables were found to influence these behaviors. With regard to gender, female teachers reported significantly higher perceptions of transformational leadership than their male counterparts, whereas male teachers perceived higher levels of laissez-faire and transactional leadership. In terms of educational level, teachers with a master's degree reported higher scores on the theft sub-dimension compared to those with a bachelor's degree. Analyses based on the method of principal appointment revealed that teachers working under officially appointed principals reported significantly higher scores on the theft and withdrawal sub-dimensions than those under acting principals. Regarding the gender of the principal, transformational leadership was perceived to be higher among female principals, while male principals were associated with higher levels of laissez-faire and transactional leadership. Based on the level of school, transformational leadership perceptions were found to be higher among primary school teachers. In terms of counterproductive work behaviors, teachers working in preschool and primary education exhibited lower levels of abuse, theft, and withdrawal behaviors compared to those working in secondary education. Path analysis findings revealed that transformational leadership directly reduced counterproductive work behaviors, whereas laissez-faire leadership increased such negative behaviors. The relationship between transactional leadership and counterproductive work behaviors appeared to be limited.Results from the moderation analysis showed that the effect of transformational leadership on the theft sub-dimension varied by gender. For female teachers, transformational leadership significantly reduced theft behavior, whereas this effect was not significant for male teachers. It was also found that laissez-faire leadership increased theft behavior among male teachers. The results of the study highlight that school principals' leadership styles play a crucial role in shaping teachers' workplace behaviors.