The relationship between the cultural leadership of school administrators and the academic optimism of teachers

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between the cultural leadership levels of school administrators and the academic optimism of teachers. The study is designed according to a relational survey model. The population of the study consists of teachers working in public schools in Uşak province during the 2023-2024 academic year, while the sample includes 373 teachers selected using a convenient sampling method. Data were collected using the 'Cultural Leadership Scale' and the 'School Academic Optimism Scale.' According to the results, teachers' perceptions of the cultural leadership levels of administrators are high in the dimensions of culture creation, culture adoption, and culture management. There are no differences in teachers' perceptions of school administrators' cultural leadership levels based on gender, seniority, duration of working at the same school, and the location of the school. However, teachers' perceptions differ according to the school level they work at and their educational background. Teachers' academic optimism is found to be very high in the self-efficacy dimension and moderate in the trust and academic emphasis dimensions. The levels of academic optimism among teachers vary based on gender, the school level where they work, seniority, educational background, and the duration of working at the same school. The variable of the school's location did not have an effect on teachers' academic optimism. Additionally, the study found significant, positive, medium-level relationships between the cultural leadership of school administrators and teachers' academic optimism. The research also revealed that the cultural leadership levels of school administrators significantly predict teachers' academic optimism. It is suggested that as the cultural leadership levels of school administrators increase, the academic optimism levels of teachers will also rise.