Trust in Educational Leadership: A Structural Equation Modeling Study of Empathy, Management Support, and Relational Transparency

Trust in educational leadership remains a persistent concern in school organizations, particularly in relation to leaders’ relational practices. This study examined teachers’ trust in school leaders by modeling the influence of empathy, management support practices, and relational transparency using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). A quantitative, non-experimental, cross-sectional design was employed, involving 400 public junior high school teachers from a public school context in the Philippines. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, multiple regression, confirmatory factor analysis, and SEM. Results showed high levels of perceived trust, empathy, management support, and relational transparency. While all three leadership variables were significantly associated with trust in preliminary analyses, SEM results identified a parsimonious best-fitting model in which empathy and relational transparency emerged as significant direct predictors of teachers’ trust, whereas management support practices were not retained in the final structural model. The findings highlight the central role of relational leadership qualities in shaping trust in school leaders and demonstrate the value of SEM in explaining complex leadership dynamics. Implications for leadership practice, policy, and future research are discussed.