Instructional leadership and teacher job satisfaction as psychological resources for social sustainability: evidence from secondary schools in Northern Cyprus

Teacher wellbeing has become an increasingly important concern in sustainable education systems because teachers’ professional experiences influence instructional quality, organizational resilience, and the long-term capacity of schools to maintain supportive learning environments. Contemporary perspectives on educational sustainability emphasize that schools are sustainable not only through academic effectiveness but also through their ability to foster participation, professional recognition, supportive relationships, and psychological resources among teachers. Within this perspective, shared instructional leadership can be considered an organizational resource, while teacher job satisfaction represents an important psychological resource contributing to the human foundations of socially sustainable schools. This study examined the relationship between shared instructional leadership and teacher job satisfaction among secondary school teachers in Northern Cyprus. A quantitative correlational research design was employed with 300 teachers working in public secondary schools during the 2024–2025 academic year. Data were collected using the Shared Instructional Leadership Scale and the Teacher Job Satisfaction Scale. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation analysis, and simple linear regression analysis were conducted to examine the relationship between shared instructional leadership and teacher job satisfaction. The findings revealed a significant positive relationship between shared instructional leadership and overall teacher job satisfaction ( r = 0.580, p < 0.001). Within this perspective, shared instructional leadership is conceptualized as an organizational resource, while teacher job satisfaction represents a psychological indicator of teachers’ positive professional experiences. ( β = 0.580, p < 0.001), explaining 33.4% of the variance in teacher job satisfaction ( R 2 = 0.334). Significant positive relationships were also found between shared instructional leadership and several dimensions of job satisfaction, including management, achievement–respect–recognition, interpersonal relationships, and the nature of teaching work. The findings suggest that shared instructional leadership may contribute to socially sustainable schooling by strengthening teachers’ professional recognition, relational experiences, and psychological resources. Although social sustainability was not directly measured in this study, the findings highlight leadership practices and teacher satisfaction as important organizational and psychological conditions supporting sustainable educational environments. This study contributes to educational sustainability and leadership literature by emphasizing the human dimension of sustainable schools within the underrepresented context of Northern Cyprus.