This study examines the influence of democratic leadership style on student academic performance in Cambodian public higher education institutions. Grounded in organizational and educational leadership theory, the research responds to the need for empirical evidence regarding participative leadership within Southeast Asian academic contexts. A quantitative cross-sectional approach was utilized, involving a survey of 305 lecturers chosen through stratified random sampling. The study used a structured questionnaire with a five-point Likert scale to measure key constructs. Reliability was confirmed with Cronbach’s alpha scores of 0.871 for democratic leadership and 0.973 for student performance, while validity was established through exploratory factor analysis. A simple linear regression analysis revealed that democratic leadership style has a statistically significant and positive effect on student academic performance (B = 0.361, p < 0.001). Although the model explains 6.1% of the variance (R² = 0.061), the result highlights the potential of participative governance to improve student engagement and outcomes. The findings support the notion that democratic, open communication, and faculty empowerment can enhance institutional culture and teaching effectiveness, ultimately benefiting student learning. These insights align with global evidence and underscore the importance of shifting from hierarchical to collaborative leadership models in Cambodian higher education. The study contributes to the limited body of literature on leadership in developing countries and offers practical implications for policy and professional development. It advocates for expanding democratic leadership practices in university governance to foster student-centered academic environments. Future research should explore longitudinal effects, incorporate student perspectives, and examine cross-institutional differences to enhance the generalizability and depth of findings.
Holl et al. (2025) studied this question.