Transformational leadership strategies that foster a growth mindset among teachers in a charter school: a mixed-methods case study

Abstract

This mixed-methods case study examined transformational leadership strategies perceived by teachers as most effective in fostering a growth mindset within a suburban charter school setting. Grounded in transformational leadership theory and growth mindset theory, the study focused on the four dimensions of transformational leadership: idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration. Teachers at a K–12 suburban charter school filled out a Likert-scale survey and took part in semi-structured interviews to give us data. Quantitative findings indicated that teachers perceived transformational leadership practices as positively influencing the development of a growth mindset, with individualized consideration and inspirational motivation emerging as the most influential dimensions. Qualitative analysis revealed six themes: Trust Before Growth, Growth Feels Personal, Learning Requires Safe Risk-Taking, Purpose Sustains Effort, Growth Mindset as an Environmental Outcome, and Balancing Support and Accountability. These themes illustrate that leadership influence functioned as a developmental process in which trust established psychological safety, individualized support enabled improvement, intellectual stimulation promoted instructional risk-taking, and motivational practices sustained persistence. Findings further suggest that a growth mindset emerged not solely as an individual belief but as an environmental outcome shaped by consistent leadership practices. Transformational leadership operated as an integrated system in which each dimension contributed a distinct yet interconnected role in supporting teacher development. This study contributes to the field of educational leadership by identifying specific leadership mechanisms that foster growth-oriented professional behaviors and sustain continuous improvement within charter school contexts. Implications for practice emphasize the importance of intentionally balancing support and accountability while cultivating professional environments that promote trust, reflection, risk-taking, and ongoing learning.