The Differentiated Impact of Distributed Leadership for Novice and Experienced Teachers

Using a statewide survey administered to K-12 teachers in public schools, two structural equation models were developed to examine distributed leadership and its relationship to novice and experienced teachers’ job satisfaction. The first model indicated a direct path between distributed leadership and job satisfaction; the second model introduced satisfaction with leadership as a mediator. Group comparison showed significant differences between novice and experienced teachers, suggesting that distributed leadership has a more direct effect on job satisfaction for experienced teachers, while for novice teachers, the effect of distributed leadership is mediated more strongly by satisfaction with leadership.