CRISIS LEADERSHIP AND TEACHER RESILIENCE IN CONFLICT-AFFECTED SCHOOLS: A QUANTITATIVE STUDY IN KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA, PAKISTAN

Abstract

This study explored the relationship between principal crisis leadership behaviour and teacher resilience and continuity in conflict-affected secondary schools of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Province, Pakistan with psychological safety serving as a mediator and conflict severity, school sector and teacher gender serving as moderators. Data were gathered using a quantitative cross-sectional survey design with 312 teachers from 26 secondary schools in four KP districts with different conflict exposure. Pearson correlation, hierarchical multiple regression. The results showed that the influence of crisis leadership behaviour was significant in predicting teacher resilience and the protective effect of crisis leadership increased in high-severity districts. Findings are the first systematic quantitative evidence of the crisis leadership – teacher resilience relationship in KPK educational context, which has direct implications for crisis leadership development for principals and school crisis management policy in conflict-affected Pakistan.