Building high faculty trust through leadership integration in Cypriot primary schools: The role of transformational, instructional and distributed styles

This study investigates how primary school leaders build high levels of faculty trust by integrating Transformational (TL), Instructional (IL) and Distributed Leadership (DL) within a highly centralised education system. Using a sequential mixed-methods multi-case design, survey data from 1320 teachers across 85 public schools identified five high-trust sites for in-depth qualitative inquiry through interviews and observations. Principals in these schools enacted context-responsive blends of leadership; articulated shared moral purpose and vision (TL), sustained instructional quality and credibility (IL) and empowered teachers through participatory decision-making (DL). Trust functioned simultaneously as a precondition and a product of these practices, reinforcing collaboration, collective efficacy and professional learning despite systemic constraints. Contextual variables – particularly governance centralisation, school size and relational culture – shaped how integration occurred. School leaders can strengthen trust by modelling fairness and transparency, engaging meaningfully with teaching and learning and sharing decision-making that recognises teacher expertise. Leadership preparation programmes should subsequently prioritise the development of these relational, instructional and collaborative competencies that enable principals to build cohesive, trust-rich school cultures within policy-driven environments. Ultimately, the study advances understanding of how integrated, trust-based leadership sustains professional cohesion and organisational resilience, offering a transferable model for leadership in both centralised and decentralised education systems.