Measuring Leadership Quotient in Educational Leaders: Development and Validation of the ZION Instrument
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.48017/dj.v10i2.3365Keywords:
Leadership Quotient, Educational Leadership, Instrument Development and Validation, Factor Analysis, Construct ValidityAbstract
This study aimed to develop and validate the Leadership Quotient (LQ) Instrument for educational leaders. Specifically, it sought to identify key competencies based on established leadership frameworks, determine the underlying factors through exploratory factor analysis (EFA), assess the instrument's reliability and validity, and examine the relationships among the identified leadership factors. The EFA results revealed three key factors of leadership: Strategic Leadership and Decision-Making, Adaptability and Change Management, and Interpersonal Leadership. The instrument demonstrated high internal consistency with Cronbach's alpha values exceeding 0.70. Additionally, the LQ showed strong convergent validity with the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) (r = 0.998, p < .001). The study successfully developed a reliable and valid tool for assessing educational leaders' competencies. The findings suggest that leadership effectiveness in education depends on a balance of strategic vision, adaptability, and interpersonal skills.
Metrics
References
Abbas, J., and Sagsan, M. (2020). Identification of key employability attributes and evaluation of university graduates’ performance: Instrument development and validation. Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, 10(2), 233-248. https://doi.org/10.1108/HESWBL-01-2020-0002
Ahmed Aldawsariذ, R. (2020). The Relationship between Leaders’ Emotional Intelligence and Leadership Effectiveness from Perspectives of Leaders and Faculty Members at University of Hafr Al Batin. المجلة التربوية لکلية التربية بسوهاج, 79(79), 1-26.
Akbar, T., Khan, H. U., & Iqbal, S. (2022). DISTRIBUTIVE LEADERSHIP BEHAVIOR, PARENTAL ENGAGEMENT AND THEIR IMPACT ON STUDENTS’ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE: A MEDIATING EFFECTOF LEADERSHIP BEHAVIOR. Pakistan Journal of Educational Research, 5(2).
Al-Atwi, A. A., and Al-Hassani, K. K. (2021). Inclusive leadership: Scale validation and potential consequences. Leadership and Organization Development Journal. https://doi.org/10.1108/LODJ-09-2020-0438
Alblooshi, M., Shamsuzzaman, M., and Haridy, S. (2021). The relationship between leadership styles and organisational innovation: A systematic literature review and narrative synthesis. European Journal of Innovation Management. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJIM-11-2020-0421
Al-Dhuhouri, F. S., Alshurideh, M., Al Kurdi, B., and Salloum, S. A. (2020, September). Enhancing our understanding of the relationship between leadership, team characteristics, emotional intelligence and their effect on team performance: A Critical Review. In International conference on advanced intelligent systems and informatics (pp. 644-655). Cham: Springer International Publishing.
Allen-Ile, C., Mahembe, B., and Balogun, T. V. (2020). A confirmatory factor analytic study of an authentic leadership measure in Nigeria. SA Journal of Human Resource Management, 18(1). https://doi.org/10.4102/sajhrm.v18i1.1120
Alwali, J., and Alwali, W. (2022). The relationship between emotional intelligence, transformational leadership, and performance: A test of the mediating role of job satisfaction. Leadership and Organization Development Journal, 43(6), 928-952.
Antonopoulou, H., Matzavinou, P., Giannoukou, I., & Halkiopoulos, C. (2025). Teachers’ Digital Leadership and Competencies in Primary Education: A Cross-Sectional Behavioral Study. Education Sciences, 15(2), 215.
Atrizka, D., and Pratama, I. (2022). The influence of organizational leadership and coaches on Indonesian athletes' adversity quotient (intelligence). Journal of Sport Psychology, 31(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.37231/apj.2020.3.1.121
Bagheri, A., and Harrison, C. (2020). Entrepreneurial leadership measurement: a multi-dimensional construct. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 27(4), 659-679. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSBED-01-2019-0027
Bailes, L. P., Ahmad, S., and Vitale, M. N. (2022). Quality or control: High-needs principals’ perceptions of a PSEL-based evaluation system. Journal of Educational Leadership, Policy and Practice, 18(4), 123-145. https://doi.org/10.1177/19427751221118952
Bass, B. M., and Riggio, R. E. (2020). Transformational Leadership (3rd ed.). Routledge.
Batista-Foguet, J. M., Esteve, M., and van Witteloostuijn, A. (2021). Measuring leadership an assessment of the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire. Plos one, 16(7), e0254329.
Bengtson, E., Lasater, K., and Albiladi, W. (2020). The Need for a Broader Understanding of Data under the Professional Standards for Educational Leaders. Education Leadership Review, 21(1), 57-71.
Brauckmann, S., Pashiardis, P., and Ärlestig, H. (2023). Bringing context and educational leadership together: Fostering the professional development of school principals. Professional development in education, 49(1), 4-15.
Brown, M. E., and Treviño, L. K. (2021). Ethical leadership: A review and future directions. The Leadership Quarterly, 32(5), 101564.
Byrne, B. M. (2021). Structural Equation Modeling with AMOS (3rd ed.). Routledge.
Candrasari, R., Dewi, R., Rizki, D., Meliza, R., Al Usrah, C. R., & Fasya, T. K. (2021, January). Learning Communication Strategy at Colleges During the Covid-19 Pandemic and the New Normal Phase. In International Conference on Social Science, Political Science, and Humanities (ICoSPOLHUM 2020) (pp. 18-23). Atlantis Press.
Chen, J. (2016). Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium Standards. In The SAGE Encyclopedia of Educational Research, Measurement, and Evaluation. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781506326139.n345
Chen, J. (2022). Understanding teacher leaders’ behaviours: Development and validation of the Teacher Leadership Inventory. Educational Management Administration and Leadership, 50(4), 630-648.
Cheung, G. W., Cooper-Thomas, H. D., Lau, R. S., and Wang, L. C. (2023). Reporting reliability, convergent and discriminant validity with structural equation modeling: A review and best-practice recommendations. Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 41, 745–783. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10490-023-03313-5
Collins, M., Li, Y., Brienza, J. P., and Restubog, S. (2024). Organizational formalization neutralizes the effect of leader trait anger and vision on follower trust in the leader. Personnel Review. https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-04-2024-0364
Crisol Moya, E., Molonia, T., and Caurcel Cara, M. J. (2020). Inclusive leadership and education quality: Adaptation and validation of the questionnaire “Inclusive Leadership in Schools” (LEI-Q) to the Italian context. Sustainability, 12(13), 5375. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12135375
Crispín, R. L., Huayta-Franco, Y. J., Pimentel, J. F. F., Arenas, R. D., and Flores, E. (2022). Management performance, pedagogical leadership and school management in the learning. MOJEM: Malaysian Online Journal of Educational Management, 10(2).
Dasborough, M. T., Ashkanasy, N. M., Humphrey, R. H., Harms, P. D., Credé, M., and Wood, D. (2022). Does leadership still not need emotional intelligence? Continuing “The Great EI Debate”. The Leadership Quarterly, 33(6), 101539.
Davidson, F. D. (2022). The Principal's desk reference to professional standards. Routledge.
El-Den, S., Schneider, C., Mirzaei, A., & Carter, S. (2020). How to measure a latent construct: Psychometric principles for the development and validation of measurement instruments. International Journal of Pharmacy Practice, 28(4), 326-336.
Filice, L., and Weese, W. J. (2024). Developing Emotional Intelligence. Encyclopedia, 4(1), 583-599.
Flotman, A.-P., and Grobler, A. (2020). The validation of the servant leadership scale. SA Journal of Industrial Psychology, 46(1). https://doi.org/10.4102/sajip.v46i0.1752
Gocen, A., and Sen, S. (2020). A validation of servant leadership scale on multinational sample. Journal of Educational Administration, 124(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/0033294120957246
Gomes, A. R., Simães, C., Morais, C., and Resende, R. (2021). Psychometric properties of the multidimensional sport leadership scale: Comparison to multifactorial leadership questionnaire. International Journal of Sport Psychology, 52(3), 189-212. https://doi.org/10.7352/IJSP.2021.52.189
Gómez-Leal, R., Holzer, A. A., Bradley, C., Fernández-Berrocal, P., and Patti, J. (2022). The relationship between emotional intelligence and leadership in school leaders: A systematic review. Cambridge Journal of Education, 52(1), 1-21.
Gómez-Leal, R., Holzer, A. A., Bradley, C., Fernández-Berrocal, P., and Patti, J. (2021). The relationship between emotional intelligence and leadership in school leaders: A systematic review. Educational Management Administration and Leadership, 49(3), 425-445. https://doi.org/10.1177/17411432211009670
Gonzaga University Library. (n.d.). Mixed methods research. Gonzaga University Library. Retrieved October 28, 2024, from https://researchguides.gonzaga.edu/qualitative/mixed-methods
Görgens-Ekermans, G., and Roux, C. (2021). Revisiting the emotional intelligence and transformational leadership debate:(How) does emotional intelligence matter to effective leadership?. SA Journal of Human Resource Management, 19, 1279.
Gransberry, C. K. (2022). How emotional intelligence promotes leadership and management practices. Public Organization Review, 22(4), 935-948.
Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., and Anderson, R. E. (2022). Multivariate Data Analysis (8th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Hairston, S. C. (2020). Perceptions of School Leaders regarding the effectiveness of their Principal Preparation Program. Virginia Tech.
Hajncl, L., and Vučenović, D. (2020). Effects of measures of emotional intelligence on the relationship between emotional intelligence and transformational leadership. Psihologijske teme, 29(1), 119-134.
Hajncl, L., and Vučenović, D. (2020). Effects of measures of emotional intelligence on the relationship between emotional intelligence and transformational leadership. Psihologijske teme, 29(1), 119-134. https://doi.org/10.31820/pt.29.1.7
Heifetz, R., Grashow, A., and Linsky, M. (2021). The Practice of Adaptive Leadership: Tools and Tactics for Changing Your Organization and the World. Harvard Business Press.
Heimann, A. L., Ingold, P. V., and Kleinmann, M. (2020). Tell us about your leadership style: A structured interview approach for assessing leadership behavior constructs. The Leadership Quarterly, 31(4), 101364.
Hickman, L., Bosch, N., Ng, V., Saef, R., Tay, L., and Woo, S. E. (2022). Automated video interview personality assessments: Reliability, validity, and generalizability investigations. Journal of Applied Psychology, 107(8), 1323-1351.
Hughes, T. R. (2024). In Support of Advocacy-Focused Legal Literacy Skills for School Leaders. Leading and Managing, 30(1), 75-93.
KEMER, A. S., & YILDIZ, E. (2023). Does Innovative Leadership Affect Evidence-Based Practice: A Path Analysis on the Nursing Group. Gevher Nesibe Journal Of Medical And Health Sciences, 8(1), 181-189.
Kirabira, A., Winston, B. E., & Wood Jr, J. A. (2023). Development of an Instrument to Measure Leadership Excellence. In Handbook of Global Leadership and Followership: Integrating the Best Leadership Theory and Practice (pp. 1-32). Cham: Springer International Publishing.
Korzynski, P., Kozminski, A. K., Baczynska, A., and Haenlein, M. (2021). Bounded leadership: An empirical study of leadership competencies, constraints, and effectiveness. European Management Journal, 39(2), 226-235.
Kuranchie, A., and Affum, P. K. (2021). The pathways to student leadership and effects of training on students’ leadership competence. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 10(1).
Kwiotkowska, A., Gajdzik, B., Wolniak, R., Vveinhardt, J., and Gębczyńska, M. (2021). Leadership competencies in making Industry 4.0 effective: the case of Polish heat and power industry. Energies, 14(14), 4338.
Lambriex-Schmitz, P., Van der Klink, M. R., Beausaert, S., Bijker, M., and Segers, M. (2020). Towards successful innovations in education: Development and validation of a multi-dimensional Innovative Work Behaviour Instrument. Vocations and Learning, 13, 313-340. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12186-020-09282-5
Leithwood, K. (2021). A review of evidence about equitable school leadership. Education Sciences, 11(8), 377. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11080377
Lewis, C. C., Mettert, K., & Lyon, A. R. (2021). Determining the influence of intervention characteristics on implementation success requires reliable and valid measures: results from a systematic review. Implementation Research and Practice, 2, 2633489521994197.
Lopez, R., Ahmad, J., and Abu Zarim, N. Z. (2020). The psychometric properties of authentic leadership measurement in school context: Confirmatory factor analysis approach. Turkish Journal of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, 32(3), 6975.
Lubbadeh, T. (2020). Emotional intelligence and leadership–the dark and bright sides. Modern Management Review, 25(27), 39-50.
Malloy, E., and Kavussanu, M. (2021). A comparison of authentic and transformational leadership in sport. Journal of Applied Social Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1111/jasp.12769
Mat Nawi, F. A., Tambi, A. M. A., Samat, M. F., and Wan Mustapha, W. M. (2020). A review on the internal consistency of a scale: The empirical example of the influence of human capital investment on Malcolm Baldridge quality principles in TVET institutions. Asian People Journal, 3(1), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.37231/apj.2020.3.1.121
Mathieu, J. E., Luciano, M. M., LePine, J. A., and Marks, M. A. (2019). The Development and Construct Validity of a Team Processes Survey Measure. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 23(3), 371-392. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094428119840801
Matthews, S. H., Kelemen, T. K., and Bolino, M. C. (2021). How follower traits and cultural values influence the effects of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 32(1), 101497. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2021.101497
Moon, J. (2021). Effect of Emotional Intelligence and Leadership Styles on Risk Intelligent Decision Making and Risk Management. Journal of Engineering, Project and Production Management, 11(1).
Muff, K., Liechti, A., and Dyllick, T. (2020). How to apply responsible leadership theory in practice: A competency tool to collaborate on the sustainable development goals. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 27(5), 2254-2274.
Mustafa, M. B., Nordin, M. B., and Razzaq, A. B. A. (2020). Structural equation modelling using AMOS: Confirmatory factor analysis for taskload of special education integration program teachers. Univ J Educ Res, 8(1), 127-33.
Mysirlaki, S., and Paraskeva, F. (2020). Emotional intelligence and transformational leadership in virtual teams: Lessons from MMOGs. Leadership and Organization Development Journal, 41(4), 551-566.
National Policy Board for Educational Administration. (2015). Professional standards for educational leaders. https://www.npbea.org/psel
Northouse, P. G. (2021). Leadership: Theory and Practice (9th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Omer, M. M., Mohd-Ezazee, N. M. A., Lee, Y. S., Rajabi, M. S., and Rahman, R. A. (2022). Constructive and destructive leadership behaviors, skills, styles and traits in BIM-based construction projects. Buildings, 12(12), 2068. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12122068
Raman, A., Batumalai, C., Arokiasamy, A. R., Balakrishnan, R., Louis, S. A., and Sukirthanandan, P. (2024). An E-learning Tools Acceptance System for Higher Education Institutions in Developing Countries.
Riopel, L. (2019). Emotional intelligence frameworks, charts, diagrams & graphs. Retrieved September, 3, 2023.
Saleem, A., Aslam, S., Yin, H.-b., and Rao, C. (2020). Principal leadership styles and teacher job performance: Viewpoint of middle management. Sustainability, 12(8), 3390. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12083390
Schmid, M., Brianza, E., and Petko, D. (2020). Developing a short assessment instrument for Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK. xs) and comparing the factor structure of an integrative and a transformative model. Computers and Education, 157, 103967.
Schott, C., van Roekel, H., and Tummers, L. G. (2020). Teacher leadership: A systematic review, methodological quality assessment and conceptual framework. Educational Review, 73(2), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2020.100352
Shahzad, K., Raja, U., and Hashmi, S. D. (2021). Impact of Big Five personality traits on authentic leadership. Leadership and Organization Development Journal. https://doi.org/10.1108/LODJ-05-2020-0230
Skalicky, J., Pedersen, K. W., van der Meer, J., Fuglsang, S., Dawson, P., and Stewart, S. (2018). A framework for developing and supporting student leadership in higher education. Higher Education Research and Development, 38(1), 100-116. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2018.1522624
Söling, S., Pfaff, H., Karbach, U., Ansmann, L., and Köberlein-Neu, J. (2022). How is leadership behavior associated with organization-related variables? Translation and psychometric evaluation of the implementation leadership scale in German primary healthcare. BMC Health Services Research, 22(1065). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-022-08494-8
Sonmez Cakir, F., and Adiguzel, Z. (2020). Analysis of leader effectiveness in organization and knowledge sharing behavior on employees and organization. Sage Open, 10(1), 2158244020914634.
Stinson, B. E. (2022). A Qualitative Phenomenological Study of the Conceptualization of the Principalship by Novice Principals. Northcentral University.
Sukarmin, S., and Sin, I. (2022). The influence of principal instructional leadership behaviour on the organisational commitment of junior high school teachers in Surakarta. Malaysian Journal of Learning and Instruction (MJLI), 19(2), 69-95.
Sun, Y., Yan, A., Hu, X., and Zang, Z. (2024). Relationship between Machiavellianism and relational energy: Based on trait activation theory. Baltic Journal of Management. https://doi.org/10.1108/BJM-04-2023-0218
Tanzeh, A., Fadhilah, D. A., Chotimah, C., Aziz, A., & Sukur, M. (2021). The importance of improving education quality and principal leadership in improving school competitiveness. MOJEM: Malaysian Online Journal of Educational Management, 9(4), 17-31.
Tavakol, M., and Wetzel, A. (2020). Factor Analysis: a means for theory and instrument development in support of construct validity. International journal of medical education, 11, 245.
Tobón, S., Juárez-Hernández, L. G., Herrera-Meza, S. R., and Núñez, C. (2020). Assessing school principal leadership practices. Validity and reliability of a rubric. Educación XX1, 23(2), 187-210.
Toprak, M. (2020). Leadership in educational. International Journal of Educational Administration, Management, and Leadership, 85-96.
van Diggele, C., Burgess, A., Roberts, C., and Mellis, C. (2020). Leadership in healthcare education. BMC medical education, 20, 1-6.
Wahab, J. A., Mansor, A. Z., Hussin, M., and Kumarasamy, S. (2020). Headmasters' instructional leadership and its relationship with teachers' performance. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 8(11A), 97-102. https://doi.org/10.13189/ujer.2020.082112
Willis, C., LaVenia, K. N., and Horner, C. G. (2023). Wisdom of the Outsiders Within: How Career Technical Education Leaders Can Inform Educational Leadership Preparation. International Journal of Educational Leadership Preparation, 19(3). https://doi.org/10.1177/19427751231181425
Zaim, H., Demir, A., and Budur, T. (2021). Ethical leadership, effectiveness and team performance: An Islamic perspective. Middle East Journal of Management, 8(1), 42-66.
Zeb, A., Rehman, F. U., Imran, M., Ali, M., and Almansoori, R. G. (2020). Authentic leadership traits, high-performance human resource practices and job performance in Pakistan. International Journal of Public Leadership, 16(3), 275-288. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPL-07-2019-0032
Zurita-Ortega, F., Olmedo-Moreno, E. M., Chacón-Cuberos, R., Expósito López, J., and Martínez-Martínez, A. (2020). Relationship between leadership and emotional intelligence in teachers in universities and other educational centres: A structural equation model. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(1), 293. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17010293
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Reynaldo JR Collado, Susana C. Bautista
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
The Diversitas Journal expresses that the articles are the sole responsibility of the Authors, who are familiar with Brazilian and international legislation.
Articles are peer-reviewed and care should be taken to warn of the possible incidence of plagiarism. However, plagiarism is an indisputable action by the authors.
The violation of copyright is a crime, provided for in article 184 of the Brazilian Penal Code: “Art. 184 Violating copyright and related rights: Penalty - detention, from 3 (three) months to 1 (one) year, or fine. § 1 If the violation consists of total or partial reproduction, for the purpose of direct or indirect profit, by any means or process, of intellectual work, interpretation, performance or phonogram, without the express authorization of the author, the performer, the producer , as the case may be, or whoever represents them: Penalty - imprisonment, from 2 (two) to 4 (four) years, and a fine. ”
.png){kind=logo}
