Digital era learner-centered leadership and teachers’ efficacy: the mediating role of teachers’ professional learning

<jats:sec><jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Purpose</jats:title><jats:p>This research aimed to investigate how learning-centered leadership influences teachers’ self-efficacy, with a focus on the mediating role of teachers’ professional learning in Malaysian national secondary schools. Given the continuously evolving educational environment and the integration of technology, teachers’ self-efficacy is of utmost importance.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Design/methodology/approach</jats:title><jats:p>The data for this study were collected from a sample of 430 secondary school teachers in Malaysia, and the analysis was conducted using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Findings</jats:title><jats:p>The research revealed significant relationships between variables: learning-centered leadership positively related to teachers’ professional learning, which, in turn, positively influences teachers’ self-efficacy. Interestingly, the study found that the direct relationship between learning-centered leadership and teachers’ self-efficacy was not significant. These findings highlight the crucial mediating role of teachers’ professional learning in the relationship between learning-centered leadership and teachers’ self-efficacy.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Originality/value</jats:title><jats:p>These findings provide important insights into the factors that enhance teachers’ self-efficacy and competence, especially within the dynamic environment of schools.</jats:p></jats:sec>