Leadership matters: The role of destructive leadership behavior and teachers’ demographic characteristics on teachers’ social engagement with students

The study intended to investigate the role of destructive leadership behavior, and teachers’ demographic characteristics on teachers’ social engagement with students in colleges of teacher education in the State of Amhara. A mixed method with an explanatory sequential design was employed. 397 teachers and 366 students participated in the quantitative data collection (questionnaire), whereas the qualitative data were collected with the help of interviews with college deans and teachers. Data collected through a questionnaire was analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics. On the other hand, narration and interpretation were employed for qualitative data analysis. Findings revealed that deans’ destructive leadership behavior was exhibited significantly. Teachers were socially engaged with students (t (396) = 58.902, d = 0.54, p =.000). Deans’ destructive leadership behavior and demographic characteristics explain teachers’ social engagement with students. However, demographic characteristics only have a minimal contribution in explaining teachers’ social engagement with students. In conclusion, demographic characteristics have no role in teachers’ social engagement with students but destructive leadership behavior plays a role. Finally, recommendations were forwarded to potential stakeholders. © 2024 British Educational Leadership, Management & Administration Society (BELMAS).