Enhancing Teachers’ Mental Health and Work Well-Being Through the Instructional Leadership Styles of School Heads: Basis for a Capacity-Building Program

Teachers' mental health and work well-being have become critical concerns in educational leadership, particularly amid increasing professional demands and organizational challenges. This study examined the relationship between school heads' instructional leadership styles and teachers' mental health and work well-being in the Schools Division of Alaminos City. Using a descriptive-correlational research design, data were collected from 337 teachers and school heads via a validated, researcher-developed questionnaire. Statistical tools employed included frequency and percentage, weighted mean, Spearman's Rank Correlation, Kendall's Tau-b, and Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA). Findings revealed that teachers generally demonstrated high levels of mental health (M = 3.69) and highly satisfactory work well-being (M = 4.04). School heads manifested a high level of instructional leadership (M = 4.30), with digital/technology leadership, servant leadership, and collaborative leadership obtaining the highest ratings. Significant positive relationships were found between instructional leadership styles and both teachers’ mental health and work well-being. Transformational leadership emerged as the strongest predictor of emotional well-being, coping mechanisms, organizational support, and work engagement. Moreover, educational attainment and participation in mental health-related training significantly influenced the manifestation of leadership. The study concludes that instructional leadership serves as a critical organizational resource that promotes teacher wellness and professional functioning. A capacity-building program focused on leadership development and teacher wellness is proposed to strengthen supportive, healthy school environments.