The relationship between school autonomy and principals’ organizational commitment: A multimediation model

This study analyzed the mechanism of school autonomy on principals’ organizational commitment by applying self-determination theory. Participants were 223 Chinese principals from primary and secondary schools. The survey results revealed that (a) school autonomy, job satisfaction, self-efficacy, principal–teacher relationships, and organizational commitment were positively correlated with each other; (b) job satisfaction, self-efficacy, and principal–teacher relationships played multiple mediating roles between school autonomy and organizational commitment; and (c) the respective strength of the three mediation effects was not significantly different. The findings enrich knowledge of school principals’ organizational commitment and imply a need to pay attention to the satisfaction of their psychological needs.