IJIET 2026 Vol.16(9): 2308-2316
doi: 10.18178/ijiet.2026.16.9.2689
doi: 10.18178/ijiet.2026.16.9.2689
Creative Leadership Competencies and Preschool Teachers’ Performance: The Mediating Role of Teachers’ Creativity and the Moderating Role of Organizational Climate in Fostering Educational Innovation
Li Yu 1 and Loy Chee Luen 2,*
1. Faculty of Human Development, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, Tanjung Malim, Perak, Malaysia
2. Department of Education, Hengshui University, Hengshui, China
Email: 517802370@qq.com (L.Y.); loy.cl@fpm.upsi.edu.my (L.C.L.)
*Corresponding author
2. Department of Education, Hengshui University, Hengshui, China
Email: 517802370@qq.com (L.Y.); loy.cl@fpm.upsi.edu.my (L.C.L.)
*Corresponding author
Manuscript received November 19, 2025; revised January 5, 2026; accepted March 19, 2026; published September 10, 2026
Abstract—Creative leadership has been recognized as a crucial driver of educational innovation, yet few studies have examined the mechanisms by which it enhances Preschool Teachers’ Performance (PTP) in the Chinese context. This present study analyzed the effects of Creative Leadership Competencies (CLC) on PTP through the mediating role of Teachers’ Creativity (TC) and the moderating role of Organizational Climate (OC). Data were collected from 412 preschool teachers in Hebei Province, China, and analyzed by using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) and Hayes’ PROCESS Macro (Model 7). The results revealed that CLC had a significant predictive power for TC (p < 0.001, β = 0.563) and PTP (p < 0.001, β = 0.231), and TC had a significant enhancing predictive power for PTP (p < 0.001, β = 0.406). The moderating effect of OC on the CLC-TC relationship was significant (β = 0.114, p = 0.007), and the index of moderated mediation (0.071, 95% CI [0.021, 0.125]) indicated that supportive OC enhances the indirect effect of CLC on PTP through TC. These findings further expand creative leadership theory by demonstrating the interactive roles of individual creativity and organizational context in early childhood education. Practically, this study highlights that developing creativity-oriented leadership and fostering collaborative organizational climates are essential strategies for achieving sustainable educational innovation and improved teacher performance.
Keywords—creative leadership, teacher creativity, organizational climate, preschool education, teacher performance, educational innovation
Copyright © 2026 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (CC BY 4.0).
Keywords—creative leadership, teacher creativity, organizational climate, preschool education, teacher performance, educational innovation
Cite: Li Yu and Loy Chee Luen, "Creative Leadership Competencies and Preschool Teachers’ Performance: The Mediating Role of Teachers’ Creativity and the Moderating Role of Organizational Climate in Fostering Educational Innovation," International Journal of Information and Education Technology, vol. 16, no. 9, pp. 2308-2316, 2026.
Copyright © 2026 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (CC BY 4.0).