Thriving school climate and growth mindset leadership for sustainable well-being in elementary education
Downloads
The pursuit of sustainable school well-being constitutes an indispensable imperative in contemporary educational transformation, particularly within primary education, which must rigorously balance academic excellence with holistic development. Growth mindset leadership and a thriving school climate function as non-negotiable catalysts for institutional resilience, collaborative efficacy, and long-term academic flourishing. This study systematically examines the empirical literature to determine the structural relationships among growth-mindset leadership, a thriving school climate, and overarching school well-being in primary educational settings. Strictly adhering to the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, a rigorous Systematic Literature Review was executed across premier international and national academic databases. Thematic analysis dictates four definitive trends: a critical escalation of scholarly focus on post-pandemic school well-being; the decisive role of growth mindset leadership in driving educator motivation and an adaptive institutional culture; the empirical positive influence of a thriving climate on sustainable well-being; and the establishment of an integrated framework linking leadership, climate, and well-being as the absolute foundation of a robust school ecosystem. The findings unequivocally assert that sustainable school well-being is attainable exclusively through leadership paradigms that systematically cultivate intellectual growth, inclusivity, and a collective institutional purpose. Ultimately, this review establishes critical theoretical insights and authoritative policy implications, directing future research trajectories to align with national curricula and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for quality education.
Downloads
Aldridge, J. M., Blackstock, M. J., & McLure, F. I. (2024). School climate: Using a person-environment fit perspective to inform school improvement. Learning Environments Research, 27, 411–430. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10984-023-09490-w
Bardach, L., Klassen, R. M., & Perry, N. E. (2022). Teachers’ psychological characteristics: Do they matter for teacher effectiveness, teachers’ well-being, retention, and interpersonal relations? An integrative review. Educational Psychology Review, 34, 259–300. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-021-09614-9
Beausaert, S., Froehlich, D. E., Riley, P., & Gallant, A. (2023). What about school principals’ well-being? The role of social capital. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 51(2), 405–421. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143221991853
Cameron, K. (2021). Applications of positive organizational scholarship in institutions of higher education. In M. L. Kern & M. L. Wehmeyer (Eds.), The Palgrave Handbook of Positive Education (pp. 771–795). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-64537-3_29
Dang, V. H., Nguyen, L. T., & Pham, H. T. (2024). The mediating role of self-efficacy and stress on school climate and teachers’ job satisfaction linkages. Journal of General Management, 50(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/03063070241280432
Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. Random House.
Fernandez-Sogorb, A., Jimenez-Ayala, C. E., Cargua, N. I., Aparicio-Flores, M. P., Anton, N., & Garcia-Fernandez, J. M. (2024). Does school climate affect student well-being? Anxiety in school situations as a predictor of stress in high-school students. Journal of Education and Health Promotion, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.4103/jehp.jehp_2082_23
Fleming, C. M., Calvert, H. G., & Turner, L. (2023). Burnout among school staff: A longitudinal analysis of leadership, connectedness, and psychological safety. School Mental Health, 15, 900–912. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-023-09594-x
Fullan, M. (2020). System change in education. American Journal of Education, 126(4), 321–338. https://doi.org/10.1086/709975
Fullan, M., & Quinn, J. (2021). Coherence: The right drivers in action for schools, districts, and systems. Corwin Press.
Gaol, N. T. L. (2023). School leadership in Indonesia: A systematic literature review. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 51(4), 831–848. https://doi.org/10.1177/17411432211010811
Gray, F., & Downie, A. (2024). Designing thriving school ecosystems: The synergy of biophilic design, wellbeing science, and systems science. Architecture, 4(3), 594–612. https://doi.org/10.3390/architecture4030031
Gunawardena, H., Merlo, S., & Stevens, R. (2020). The preconditions to flourishing: Structural necessities for achieving well-being in schools. British Journal of Educational Studies, 68(4), 425–442. https://doi.org/10.1080/00071005.2020.1711857
Karakus, M., Toprak, M., & Chen, J. (2024). Demystifying the impact of educational leadership on teachers’ subjective well-being: A bibliometric analysis and literature review. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 54(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/17411432241242629
Laine, S., & Tirri, K. (2023). Literature review on teachers’ mindsets, growth-oriented practices and why they matter. Frontiers in Education, 8, Article 1275126. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2023.1275126
Lee, S., Kim, J., & Park, E. (2022). Growth mindset leadership and teacher innovation in Korean elementary schools. Teaching and Teacher Education, 112, Article 103643. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2022.103643
Manke, S. N., Pietsch, M., & Freund, P. A. (2025). The role of empathy and empathic leadership practices in schools: A scoping review. Educational Review, 1–31. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2025.2510969
March, A., Stapley, E., Hayes, D., Moore, D., & Deighton, J. (2024). Sustaining mental health and well-being programmes in schools: Recommendations from an online roundtable. Frontiers in Education, 9, Article 1397994. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2024.1397994
Meierdirk, C., & Fleischer, S. (2022). Exploring the mindset and resilience of student teachers. Teacher Development, 26(2), 263–278. https://doi.org/10.1080/13664530.2022.2048687
Mesler, R. M., Corbin, C. M., & Martin, B. H. (2021). Teacher mindset is associated with development of students’ growth mindset. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 76, Article 101299. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2021.101299
Mogren, A., Gericke, N., & Scherp, H. A. (2018). Whole school approaches to education for sustainable development: A model that links to school improvement. Environmental Education Research, 25(4), 508–531. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2018.1455074
Nellitawati, N., Ganefri, G., Rusdinal, R., Hardianto, H., Ali Setiawan, M. N., Ginanjar, S., & Arwildayanto, A. (2024). The influence of instructional leadership and work commitment on teacher performance. Jurnal Cakrawala Pendidikan, 43(3), 546–561. https://doi.org/10.21831/cp.v43i3.66677
Nwafor, I. N., & Ololube, P. N. (2024). The impact of bureaucratic structures on the performance of school principals in public secondary schools. International Journal of Environment, Engineering and Education, 6(2), 96–106. https://doi.org/10.55151/ijeedu.v6i2.135
Obeidat, M. S. (2024). Students’ well-being and school climate: A bibliometric analysis. Review of Education, 12, Article e3486. https://doi.org/10.1002/rev3.3486
Patras, Y. E., Herawati, N., Karmilasari, & Nurhayati, N. (2023). School well-being pada siswa berprestasi sekolah dasar yang melaksanakan full day school system. Pendas: Jurnal Ilmiah Pendidikan Dasar, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.23969/jp.v8i1.7179
Pradika, R. A., Rosidah, & Perez, L. C. D. (2025). Principal leadership as a moderator: Enhancing the impact of work environment and motivation on teacher performance. Jurnal Kependidikan: Penelitian Inovasi Pembelajaran, 9(1), 33–42. https://doi.org/10.21831/jk.v9i1.84409
Raharja, S., Nashir, I. M., & Andriani, D. E. (2022). The effect of principals’ transformational leadership and organisational culture on teacher performance. Jurnal Kependidikan, 6(2), 152–162. https://doi.org/10.21831/jk.v6i2.49456
Şahin, T. G. (2026). School climate as a mediator between job satisfaction and career sustainability among native language teachers in rural Türkiye. BMC Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-026-04676-2
Setyawati, R., Supandi, S., & Nurkolis, N. (2026). Transformational leadership and organizational climate as predictors of positive discipline culture in Indonesian elementary schools. Journal of Innovation and Research in Primary Education, 5(1), 2078–2088. https://doi.org/10.56916/jirpe.v5i1.3319
UNICEF. (2023). Promoting well-being in schools: Global report on child-friendly learning environments. UNICEF Publications.
Velarde, J. M., Ghani, M. F., Adams, D., & Cheah, J.-H. (2022). Towards a healthy school climate: The mediating effect of transformational leadership on cultural intelligence and organisational health. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 50(1), 163–184. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143220937311
Veletić, J., Price, H. E., & Olsen, R. V. (2023). Teachers’ and principals’ perceptions of school climate: The role of principals’ leadership style in organizational quality. Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability, 35, 525–555. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11092-023-09413-6
Wati, N. L. S. W., Riastini, P. N., & Werang, B. R. (2025). Growth mindset profiles of elementary school teachers with inclusive students: An analysis by professional status, age, and gender. Journal for Lesson and Learning Studies, 8(2), 294–303. https://doi.org/10.23887/jlls.v8i2.91366
Wibowo, U. B., Sayekti, O. M., & Dewanti, S. R. (2023). Nature and skills of effective leadership for the success of literacy programs in elementary schools. Jurnal Prima Edukasia, 11(2), 286–293. https://doi.org/10.21831/jpe.v11i2.62816
Widyanarko, R., Murniati, N. A. N., & Nugrahani, D. (2025). Effective leadership, work environment and work culture as main factors of job satisfaction among elementary school teachers. Edunesia: Jurnal Ilmiah Pendidikan, 6(3), 1618–1633. https://doi.org/10.51276/edu.v6i3.1348
Yu, J., Kreijkes, P., & Salmela-Aro, K. (2022). Students’ growth mindset: Relation to teacher beliefs, teaching practices, and school climate. Learning and Instruction, 80, Article 101616. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2022.101616
Zhang, K., & He, W. J. (2024). Perceived school climate support moderates the relationship between teachers’ growth mindset and work engagement. Education Sciences, 14(12), Article 1283. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14121283
Zhou, J., & Guo, J. (2024). A voyage of discovering the role of principal transformational leadership behaviour on EFL teacher psychological well-being and success. European Journal of Education, 59, Article e12758. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejed.12758
Zhou, W., Taylor, L., Boyle, L., Funk, S., DeBorst, L., & De Neve, J. E. (2025). Whole school approach to wellbeing in childhood and adolescence: Literature review. International Baccalaureate Organization.
Copyright (c) 2026 Jurnal Kependidikan: Penelitian Inovasi Pembelajaran
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
The authors submitting a manuscript to this journal agree that, if accepted for publication, copyright publishing of the submission shall be assigned to JK. However, even though the journal asks for a copyright transfer, the authors retain (or are granted back) significant scholarly rights.
The copyright form should be signed originally and sent to the Editorial Office through email to jk@uny.ac.id
Download HERE
Jurnal Kependidikan by http://journal.uny.ac.id/index.php/jk is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
