Distributed leadership’s impact on instructional practices: Mediators of self-efficacy and school innovativeness, moderated by autonomy

This study examined the influence of distributed leadership on teachers’ instructional practices in Vietnam, with teacher self-efficacy and school innovativeness as mediators, and teacher autonomy as a moderator. Using secondary data from the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) 2018, responses from 3825 lower secondary teachers were analysed through partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The findings indicate that distributed leadership positively impacts teachers’ instructional practices and indirectly impacts it through teacher self-efficacy. However, school innovativeness does not mediate the relationship between distributed leadership and teachers’ instructional practices. Notably, for distributed leadership to impact instructional practices through school innovativeness, the process follows a chain from distributed leadership to school innovativeness, then to teacher self-efficacy, and finally to instructional practices. Besides, teacher autonomy moderates the relationship between distributed leadership and teachers’ instructional practices. These results offer insights into the interactions between leadership, teacher beliefs, school climate, and autonomy within the Confucian–socialist school context. • Distributed leadership boosts teacher self-efficacy and school innovativeness. • Teacher self-efficacy strongly predicts instructional practices in Vietnam. • School innovativeness enhances self-efficacy but not instructional practices. • Teacher autonomy strengthens leadership’s impact on instructional practices. • Chain effect: distributed leadership → school innovativeness → self-efficacy → instructional practices.