Leading reflective schools: Action research culture, teacher commitment and leadership for learning in Malaysia

This study examines how leadership driven action research (AR) culture influences teacher commitment and teacher quality in Malaysian primary schools. Using data from 481 teachers across 50 districts, partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) confirmed that AR culture significantly strengthens teacher commitment and indirectly enhances teacher quality. The strongest pathway operated through teacher commitment as an intermediate endogenous variable, reflecting its dual role as both an outcome of leadership and a predictor of professionalism. Integrating Kotter's change management, Guest's HRM, Allen and Meyer's commitment, and Spencer and Spencer's competency frameworks, the study demonstrates how leadership transforms organisational culture into professional capacity. Aligned with recent EMAL research on distributed and instructional leadership, it highlights that effective leadership operates through reflective, inquiry-based cultures rather than hierarchical control. Theoretically, it positions AR as a leadership construct; practically, it shows how principals can cultivate professional learning through inquiry; and policy wise, it supports embedding reflective practice within Malaysia's Standard Guru Malaysia 2.0 and SKPMg2. This study extends international debates on leadership for learning and professional growth.