{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,5]],"date-time":"2026-08-05T04:48:38Z","timestamp":1785905318734,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":46,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,3]],"date-time":"2026-08-03T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1785715200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100010834","name":"Education Department of Hainan Province","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","award":["Hnjg2025-60"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["Hnjg2025-60"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100010834","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100010834","name":"Education Department of Hainan Province","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","award":["Hnjg2025ZM-21"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["Hnjg2025ZM-21"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100010834","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]},{"award":["Hnjg2025-60"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["Hnjg2025-60"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/026meb765","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"award":["Hnjg2025ZM-21"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["Hnjg2025ZM-21"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/026meb765","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Behav. Sci.","Behavioral Sciences"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Teaching innovation plays a central role in advancing high-quality education and fulfilling the fundamental task of fostering moral development and holistic student growth. However, the internal mechanisms through which transformational leadership is associated with teachers\u2019 innovative behavior remain insufficiently understood. Integrating the implicit theories framework and the job demands\u2013resources (JD-R) model, this study proposes a sequential mediation framework in which transformational leadership is associated with primary and secondary school teachers\u2019 innovative behavior through creative growth mindset and work engagement. Data were collected from 1082 primary and secondary school teachers using validated measures of transformational leadership, creative growth mindset, work engagement, and teachers\u2019 innovative behavior. Structural equation modeling with bootstrapping was employed to test the hypothesized model. The results indicated that transformational leadership was positively associated with teachers\u2019 innovative behavior. Creative growth mindset and work engagement each showed significant indirect associations between transformational leadership and teachers\u2019 innovative behavior. Moreover, the sequential indirect association via creative growth mindset and work engagement was significant, supporting a cognitive\u2013motivational pathway linking transformational leadership to teachers\u2019 innovative behavior. These findings suggest that transformational leadership may relate to teachers\u2019 innovative behavior not only directly but also through a cognitive\u2013motivational pathway involving teachers\u2019 beliefs about the malleability of creativity and their subsequent work engagement. From a practical perspective, these results highlight the potential value of leadership practices that communicate an inspiring vision, support teachers\u2019 growth-oriented beliefs about creativity, and foster sustained motivational engagement.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/bs16081321","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,3]],"date-time":"2026-08-03T08:04:59Z","timestamp":1785744299000},"page":"1321","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["How Transformational Leadership Shapes Teachers\u2019 Innovative Behavior: A Serial Mediation Model of Creative Growth Mindset and Work Engagement"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Yilin","family":"Shen","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Psychology, Hainan Normal University, Haikou 571158, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yi","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Psychology, Hainan Normal University, Haikou 571158, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kaili","family":"Tang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Psychology, Hainan Normal University, Haikou 571158, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jia","family":"Wu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Elementary Education, Hainan Normal University, Haikou 571158, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7610-5832","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Qianfeng","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Psychology, Hainan Normal University, Haikou 571158, China"},{"name":"Adolescent Psychological Development and Education Center of Hainan, Hainan Normal University, Haikou 571158, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Shaobei","family":"Xiao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Psychology, Hainan Normal University, Haikou 571158, China"},{"name":"Adolescent Psychological Development and Education Center of Hainan, Hainan Normal University, Haikou 571158, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,3]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"670","article-title":"Transformational leadership and innovation: The mediating role of knowledge sharing amongst higher education faculty","volume":"24","author":"Moizer","year":"2019","journal-title":"International Journal of Leadership in Education"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"4","DOI":"10.1080\/1359432X.2010.485352","article-title":"Key questions regarding work engagement","volume":"20","author":"Bakker","year":"2010","journal-title":"European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"273","DOI":"10.1037\/ocp0000056","article-title":"Job demands\u2013resources theory: Taking stock and looking forward","volume":"22","author":"Bakker","year":"2017","journal-title":"Journal of Occupational Health Psychology"},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"187","DOI":"10.1080\/02678370802393649","article-title":"Work engagement: An emerging concept in occupational health psychology","volume":"22","author":"Bakker","year":"2008","journal-title":"Work & Stress"},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev.psych.52.1.1","article-title":"Social cognitive theory: An agentic perspective","volume":"52","author":"Bandura","year":"2001","journal-title":"Annual Review of Psychology"},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"130","DOI":"10.1037\/0003-066X.52.2.130","article-title":"Does the transactional\u2013transformational leadership paradigm transcend organizational and national boundaries?","volume":"52","author":"Bass","year":"1997","journal-title":"American Psychologist"},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Bass, B. M., and Riggio, R. E. (2006). Transformational leadership, Psychology Press.","DOI":"10.4324\/9781410617095"},{"key":"ref_8","unstructured":"Blau, P. (1964). Exchange and power in social life, John Wiley & Sons."},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"71","DOI":"10.1016\/j.tate.2017.03.010","article-title":"Fostering teachers\u2019 team learning: An interplay between transformational leadership and participative decision-making?","volume":"65","author":"Bouwmans","year":"2017","journal-title":"Teaching and Teacher Education"},{"key":"ref_10","first-page":"273","article-title":"Impact of transformational leadership on college teachers\u2019 change support behavior: A moderated mediation model","volume":"19","author":"Cao","year":"2021","journal-title":"Studies of Psychology and Behavior"},{"key":"ref_11","first-page":"96","article-title":"Transformational leadership, psychological empowerment, and employees\u2019 organizational commitment: An empirical study in the Chinese context","volume":"17","author":"Chen","year":"2006","journal-title":"Management World"},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"296","DOI":"10.1177\/1094428107300343","article-title":"Testing mediation and suppression effects of latent variables: Bootstrapping with structural equation models","volume":"11","author":"Cheung","year":"2008","journal-title":"Organizational Research Methods"},{"key":"ref_13","unstructured":"Creswell, J. W., and Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches, SAGE Publications. [5th ed.]."},{"key":"ref_14","unstructured":"Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success, Random House."},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"702","DOI":"10.1057\/s41599-024-03177-0","article-title":"Decent work and innovative work behavior of academic staff in higher education institutions: The mediating role of work engagement and job self-efficacy","volume":"11","author":"Hassan","year":"2024","journal-title":"Humanities and Social Sciences Communications"},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"36","DOI":"10.1037\/aca0000170","article-title":"Exploring creative mindsets: Variable and person-centered approaches","volume":"13","author":"Karwowski","year":"2019","journal-title":"Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts"},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Keravnos, N., Lipsou, E., and Pavlakis, M. (2025). Building high faculty trust through leadership integration in Cypriot primary schools: The role of transformational, instructional and distributed styles. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 1\u201329.","DOI":"10.1177\/17411432251398349"},{"key":"ref_18","first-page":"426","article-title":"Leading teacher innovative practices in a centralized education system: The role of transformational leadership, teacher growth mindset and long-term orientation","volume":"63","author":"Arslan","year":"2025","journal-title":"Journal of Educational Administration"},{"key":"ref_19","unstructured":"Kline, R. B. (2016). Principles and practice of structural equation modeling, Guilford Press. [4th ed.]."},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"625","DOI":"10.1002\/job.2355","article-title":"Transformational leadership and creativity: A meta-analytic review and identification of an integrated model","volume":"40","author":"Koh","year":"2019","journal-title":"Journal of Organizational Behavior"},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"313","DOI":"10.1007\/s12186-020-09242-4","article-title":"Towards successful innovations in education: Development and validation of a multi-dimensional innovative work behaviour instrument","volume":"13","author":"Beausaert","year":"2020","journal-title":"Vocations and Learning"},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"101476","DOI":"10.1016\/j.stueduc.2025.101476","article-title":"Transformational and transactional school leadership as predictors of teacher self-efficacy","volume":"86","author":"Lefteri","year":"2025","journal-title":"Studies in Educational Evaluation"},{"key":"ref_23","first-page":"97","article-title":"Evaluation on reliability and validity of utrecht work engagement scale (UWES-9), Chinese version among policemen","volume":"29","author":"Li","year":"2013","journal-title":"Chinese Journal of Public Health"},{"key":"ref_24","first-page":"42","article-title":"Regulatory focus and teachers\u2019 innovative work behavior: The mediating role of autonomous and controlled motivation","volume":"14","author":"Li","year":"2016","journal-title":"Studies of Psychology and Behavior"},{"key":"ref_25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Lin, W., Yin, H., and Liu, Z. (2022). The roles of transformational leadership and growth mindset in teacher professional development: The mediation of teacher self-efficacy. Sustainability, 14, (11).","DOI":"10.3390\/su14116489"},{"key":"ref_26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"102156","DOI":"10.1016\/j.tsc.2026.102156","article-title":"Linking creativity myths and facts to creative teaching behavioral intentions: The role of creative mindsets in pre-service teachers","volume":"61","author":"Liu","year":"2026","journal-title":"Thinking Skills and Creativity"},{"key":"ref_27","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Ma, Y. (2023). Boosting teacher work engagement: The mediating role of psychological capital through emotion regulation. Frontiers in Psychology, 14.","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2023.1240943"},{"key":"ref_28","first-page":"48","article-title":"A comparative study of the relationship between transformational leadership and authentic leadership with teachers\u2019 work engagement","volume":"29","author":"Mao","year":"2017","journal-title":"Teacher Education Research"},{"key":"ref_29","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"98","DOI":"10.34097\/jeicom-6-1-6","article-title":"Transformational leadership and educational outcomes: A literature review","volume":"6","author":"Menon","year":"2024","journal-title":"Journal of Education, Innovation and Communication"},{"key":"ref_30","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1663","DOI":"10.1007\/s11218-021-09661-8","article-title":"Teachers with a growth mindset are motivated and engaged: The relationships among mindsets, motivation, and engagement in teaching","volume":"24","author":"Nalipay","year":"2021","journal-title":"Social Psychology of Education"},{"key":"ref_31","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Panagopoulos, N., Karamanis, K., and Anastasiou, S. (2023). Exploring the impact of different leadership styles on job satisfaction among primary school teachers in the Achaia Region, Greece. Education Sciences, 14, (1).","DOI":"10.3390\/educsci14010045"},{"key":"ref_32","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"879","DOI":"10.1037\/0021-9010.88.5.879","article-title":"Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies","volume":"88","author":"Podsakoff","year":"2003","journal-title":"Journal of Applied Psychology"},{"key":"ref_33","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"631","DOI":"10.1111\/bjep.70042","article-title":"Responsible school leadership and teachers\u2019 emotional exhaustion: The moderated mediation role of work meaningfulness and proactive personality","volume":"96","author":"Polatcan","year":"2025","journal-title":"British Journal of Educational Psychology"},{"key":"ref_34","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"293","DOI":"10.1002\/job.248","article-title":"Job demands, job resources, and their relationship with burnout and engagement: A multi-sample study","volume":"25","author":"Schaufeli","year":"2004","journal-title":"Journal of Organizational Behavior"},{"key":"ref_35","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"71","DOI":"10.1023\/A:1015630930326","article-title":"The measurement of engagement and burnout: A two sample confirmatory factor analytic approach","volume":"3","author":"Schaufeli","year":"2002","journal-title":"Journal of Happiness Studies"},{"key":"ref_36","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"101832","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cedpsych.2019.101832","article-title":"Motivation and social cognitive theory","volume":"60","author":"Schunk","year":"2020","journal-title":"Contemporary Educational Psychology"},{"key":"ref_37","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"580","DOI":"10.2307\/256701","article-title":"Determinants of innovative behavior: A path model of individual innovation in the workplace","volume":"37","author":"Scott","year":"1994","journal-title":"Academy of Management Journal"},{"key":"ref_38","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Su, H., Zhang, J., Xie, M., and Zhao, M. (2022). The relationship between teachers\u2019 emotional intelligence and teaching for creativity: The mediating role of working engagement. Frontiers in Psychology, 13.","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2022.1014905"},{"key":"ref_39","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"491","DOI":"10.1177\/1741143220932582","article-title":"Transformational leadership, leader\u2013member exchange and school learning climate: Impact on teachers\u2019 innovative behaviour in the Netherlands","volume":"50","author":"Vermeulen","year":"2020","journal-title":"Educational Management Administration & Leadership"},{"key":"ref_40","first-page":"67","article-title":"How does school vitality influence teaching innovation among primary and secondary school teachers? The mediating role of teaching autonomy and the moderating role of work stress","volume":"37","author":"Yan","year":"2025","journal-title":"Teacher Education Research"},{"key":"ref_41","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Yang, C., and Xu, Z. (2026). Principal visionary leadership and teacher instructional innovation: Mediating roles of teacher workplace well-being and collaboration. Frontiers in Psychology, 17.","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2026.1701099"},{"key":"ref_42","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1383","DOI":"10.3724\/SP.J.1041.2012.01383","article-title":"Effects of team communication and job insecurity climate on innovative behavior: The moderating role of creative self-efficacy","volume":"44","author":"Yang","year":"2012","journal-title":"Acta Psychologica Sinica"},{"key":"ref_43","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"89","DOI":"10.26803\/ijlter.17.8.6","article-title":"Connection of teachers\u2019 organizational commitment and transformational leadership. A case study from Greece","volume":"17","author":"Zacharo","year":"2018","journal-title":"International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research"},{"key":"ref_44","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Zainal, M. A., and Mohd Matore, M. E. E. (2021). The influence of teachers\u2019 self-efficacy and school leaders\u2019 transformational leadership practices on teachers\u2019 innovative behaviour. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18, (12).","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph18126423"},{"key":"ref_45","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Zeng, G., Chen, X., Cheung, H. Y., and Peng, K. (2019). Teachers\u2019 growth mindset and work engagement in the Chinese educational context: Well-being and perseverance of effort as mediators. Front Psychol, 10.","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2019.00839"},{"key":"ref_46","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Zhou, Y., Yang, W., and Bai, X. (2020). Creative mindsets: Scale validation in the Chinese setting and generalization to the real workplace. Front Psychol, 11.","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2020.00463"}],"container-title":["Behavioral Sciences"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2076-328X\/16\/8\/1321\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,5]],"date-time":"2026-08-05T04:19:01Z","timestamp":1785903541000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2076-328X\/16\/8\/1321"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,3]]},"references-count":46,"journal-issue":{"issue":"8","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8]]}},"alternative-id":["bs16081321"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/bs16081321","relation":{},"ISSN":["2076-328X"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2076-328X","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,3]]}}}