A Structural Model of Educational Management Practices as Estimated by Organizational Citizenship Behavior, Emotional Leadership and Work Life Balance

Abstract

This quantitative study utilized Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to validate a multivariate structural model that predicts Educational Management Practices (EMP) among school leaders and administrators in Local and State Universities and Colleges in Davao, Region XI. The research investigated the direct and indirect influence of Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB), Emotional Leadership (EL), and Work-Life Balance (WLB) on EMP. The final, revised model demonstrated an excellent global fit to the data, confirming its reliability. Findings established that OCB is the most potent and direct predictor of effective EMP (β=.83, p<.001). Crucially, the positive influence of Emotional Leadership on EMP was found to be fully mediated through OCB (β=.581, p<.001), demonstrating that a leader's emotional support is effective by successfully boosting discretionary staff effort. Conversely, the model confirmed that Work-Life Balance does not have a statistically significant total effect on educational management practices (β=.083, p=.184). This validated structure provides a data-driven framework for academic institutions, highlighting that fostering positive staff behaviors is the primary mechanism for achieving high-quality management outcomes.