THE INFLUENCE OF TEACHERS’ CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT STYLES ON STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC ENGAGEMENT: AN INTEGRATED PERSPECTIVE BASED ON TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND SELF-DETERMINATION THEORY

Abstract

Against the backdrop of the deepening implementation of the “Double Reduction” policy and the shift in educational development toward connotation construction and quality improvement, the classroom—as the basic unit of school organization—and teachers’ classroom management styles have become critical factors influencing students’ academic engagement. This study moves beyond isolated examinations of specific teaching behaviors and, from an integrated “educational leadership” perspective, systematically investigates the mechanisms by which elementary school teachers’ classroom management styles influence their perceptions of class-level students’ academic engagement. Drawing on an integrated framework of social cognitive theory, transformational leadership theory, and self-determination theory, this study employs a quantitative research paradigm and conducts a census of all in-service teachers at a public elementary school in Kunming, Yunnan Province, China. Using self-developed scales—the Teacher Classroom Management Style Scale (comprising three dimensions: democratic-supportive, rule-controlled, and permissive-detached) and the Classroom Student Academic Engagement Assessment Scale—78 valid paired responses were collected. Data analysis utilized descriptive statistics, Pearson product-moment correlation analysis, and analysis of variance. Key findings include: (1) Democratic-supportive management style showed a strong positive correlation with class-level academic engagement (r=.68, p<.01), emerging as the strongest predictor of high academic engagement; (2) Rule-controlled style exhibited a weak but significant negative correlation with academic engagement (r=-.22, p<.05), suggesting that reliance solely on external control has limited effectiveness in promoting deep engagement; (3) Permissive-detached style demonstrated a moderate negative correlation with academic engagement (r=-.45, p<.01), confirming it as a clear risk factor undermining academic engagement; (4) Teachers with 6-15 years of experience (mid-career backbone teachers) scored highest on democratic-supportive style; homeroom teachers rated their class’s academic engagement significantly higher than non-homeroom teachers. This study confirms that teachers’ classroom management styles are critical process variables influencing students’ academic engagement, with the democratic-supportive style demonstrating exceptional efficacy. These findings suggest that, in the context of the “Double Reduction” policy, school administrators should elevate the development of teachers’ “classroom leadership”—particularly democratic, supportive, and empowering leadership behaviors—to a strategic position equal to subject teaching competency. By establishing data-driven management diagnostic systems and designing targeted professional development programs, schools can systematically facilitate teachers’ transformation into “transformational classroom leaders,” thereby improving macro-level educational quality through optimizing micro-level management practices.