Relationships between school principals' green transformational leadership behaviors and teachers' green organizational behaviors

This study aims to examine the relationship between school principals' green transformational leadership behaviors and teachers' green organizational behaviors based on the perceptions of teachers working in public primary, middle, and high schools. A quantitative research method, specifically the descriptive and relational survey model, was employed. The sample consists of 435 teachers working in public schools in the central district of Denizli, selected through convenience sampling. Data were collected using the Green Transformational Leadership Scale and the Green Organizational Behavior Scale. For data analysis, Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal–Wallis, and Spearman rho correlation tests were used. Findings revealed that teachers rated their principals' green transformational leadership at a neutral level ("neither agree nor disagree"), while their own green organizational behavior was reported at a high level ("always"). Teachers' perceptions of green transformational leadership varied significantly based on the principals' postgraduate education status and whether the teachers had received environmental training. Significant differences in teachers' green organizational behavior were found in relation to gender, school type, seniority, reading habits, environmental training, and postgraduate education. Male teachers exhibited higher levels of environmentally participative and green purchasing behaviors compared to female teachers. Green organizational behavior increased with teachers' years of experience, and those working in primary schools showed the highest green behavior scores. Teachers who had received environmental training demonstrated significantly higher green organizational behavior scores. Additionally, teachers with only a bachelor's degree showed significant differences in the economic sensitivity sub-dimension compared to those with postgraduate degrees. A positive, weak, but statistically significant correlation was found between teachers' perceptions of their principals' green transformational leadership and their own green organizational behavior. This study is meaningful in pioneering the limited research on green transformational leadership in educational administration and emphasizing the implementation of environmental sustainability goals in schools. Keywords: Green transformational leadership, green organizational behavior, environmental sustainability, educational administration