Vietnamese college students' orientation toward transformational leadership and social justice: The mediating role of spirituality and self-esteem

• Main Author: Pham, Bich Thuy Thi
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2021
• Subjects: Vietnamese college students, transformational leadership, social justice, spirituality, self-esteem, mediation, structural equation modeling; Educational Leadership; Religion
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etdd_tred/1; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&context=etdd_tred
• Institution: De La Salle University

The achievement of nation-building and global advancement toward the betterment of all cannot happen without effective leadership and guaranteed inclusivity with participation for everyone and equity of opportunities. Since it is apparent that there are few, if any, discussions around transformational leadership and social justice in the educational settings in Vietnam, this study aspires to bridge that gap. The Theory of Planned Behavior posits that behavior is executed based on the actor’s attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control over the act. However, the present study argues that other determinants, namely spirituality and self-esteem, influence the translation of perception of transformational leadership and social justice into concrete behavioral involvements. Participants in the study were 1030 Vietnamese college students. Structural Equation Modeling was employed to test the study’s hypotheses. Students demonstrated an above-average tendency toward transformational leadership and a high degree of social justice orientation and commitment. More excellent orientation toward transformational leadership yielded a stronger intention to become leaders. A more significant concern for social justice resulted in a more profound commitment to acting for social justice causes. The participants scored high average on spirituality and scored in the normal range of self-esteem. The results of path analysis confirmed the mediating role of self-esteem in transformational leadership. Neither spirituality nor self-esteem could explain the relationship between social justice orientation and social justice commitment. The recommendations derived from the findings provided ideas for interventions in education, formation, and counseling. There were also suggestions for further study in the future