Psychological Capital and Transformational Leadership: Insights from Islamic School Principals

Main Article Content

Kunkun Syaeful Millah

Abstract

This study explores the relationship between psychological capital and transformational leadership among Islamic school principals. Psychological capital, consisting of hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism, has been widely recognized as a positive psychological resource that enhances leadership effectiveness. Drawing on a mixed-method approach, data were collected through surveys and semi-structured interviews involving principals from various Islamic schools. Quantitative analysis revealed a significant positive correlation between the dimensions of psychological capital and the four components of transformational leadership: idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration. Qualitative findings further highlight that principals who cultivate strong psychological capital demonstrate greater adaptability, empathy, and vision in managing educational challenges within faith-based contexts. The study provides insights into the role of inner psychological resources in shaping effective transformational leadership, particularly in Islamic educational institutions. These findings underscore the importance of training programs aimed at strengthening psychological capital as a strategy to foster visionary and value-driven leadership

Article Details

How to Cite
Millah, K. S. (2025). Psychological Capital and Transformational Leadership: Insights from Islamic School Principals. Darussalam: Journal of Psychology and Educational, 4(1), 84–93. https://doi.org/10.70363/djpe.v4i1.311
Section
Articles

References

Azinga, S. A. (2023). Assessing the effects of transformational leadership on innovative behavior: The role of affective commitment and psychological capital. Evidence Based Hrm, 11(4), 725–745. https://doi.org/10.1108/EBHRM-05-2022-0119

Belle, M. A. (2022). Am I Gonna Get a Job? Graduating Students’ Psychological Capital, Coping Styles, and Employment Anxiety. Journal of Career Development, 49(5), 1122–1136. https://doi.org/10.1177/08948453211020124

Cao, S. (2022). Age Difference in Roles of Perceived Social Support and Psychological Capital on Mental Health During COVID-19. Frontiers in Psychology, 13(Query date: 2025-08-01 19:12:58). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.801241

Castillo, D. V. del. (2022). Antecedents of psychological Capital at Work: A Systematic Review of Moderator–mediator Effects and a New Integrative Proposal. European Management Review, 19(1), 154–169. https://doi.org/10.1111/emre.12460

Derakhshan, A. (2024). A self-determination perspective on the relationships between EFL learners’ foreign language peace of mind, foreign language enjoyment, psychological capital, and academic engagement. Learning and Motivation, 87(Query date: 2025-08-01 19:12:58). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lmot.2024.102025

Dirzyte, A. (2022). Associations between Leisure Preferences, Mindfulness, Psychological Capital, and Life Satisfaction. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(7). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19074121

Finch, J. (2023). Developing the HERO within: Evaluation of a brief intervention for increasing Psychological Capital (PsyCap) in Australian female students during the final year of school in the first year of COVID-19. Journal of Affective Disorders, 324(Query date: 2025-08-01 19:12:58), 616–623. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2022.12.169

Fu, L. (2022). Benefits of psychological capital on host country nationals’ support and burnout of Chinese expatriates in Thailand: The moderating effect of personal characteristics. Asia Pacific Journal of Business Administration, 14(3), 265–284. https://doi.org/10.1108/APJBA-06-2020-0181

Garg, N. (2022). Does Gratitude Ensure Workplace Happiness Among University Teachers? Examining the Role of Social and Psychological Capital and Spiritual Climate. Frontiers in Psychology, 13(Query date: 2025-08-01 19:12:58). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.849412

Ghafoor, A. (2022). Does job stress enhance employee creativity? Exploring the role of psychological capital. Personnel Review, 51(2), 644–661. https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-08-2019-0443

Goswami, M. (2023). A comprehensive examination of psychological capital research using bibliometric, TCCM and content analysis. Benchmarking, 30(5), 1588–1622. https://doi.org/10.1108/BIJ-10-2021-0586

Hsu, C. P. (2022). Does the social platform established by MMORPGs build social and psychological capital? Computers in Human Behavior, 129(Query date: 2025-08-01 19:12:58). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2021.107139

Huang, Y. (2023). Association between psychological capital and depressive symptoms during COVID-19: The mediating role of perceived social support and the moderating effect of employment pressure. Frontiers in Public Health, 11(Query date: 2025-08-01 19:12:58). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1036172

Jin, M. (2022). A cross sectional study of the impact of psychological capital on organisational citizenship behaviour among nurses: Mediating effect of work engagement. Journal of Nursing Management, 30(5), 1263–1272. https://doi.org/10.1111/jonm.13609

Jing, X. (2022). Associations of Psychological Capital, Coping Style and Emotional Intelligence with Self-Rated Health Status of College Students in China During COVID-19 Pandemic. Psychology Research and Behavior Management, 15(Query date: 2025-08-01 19:12:58), 2587–2597. https://doi.org/10.2147/PRBM.S383743

Kahtani, N. S. A. (2022). A Study on How Psychological Capital, Social Capital, Workplace Wellbeing, and Employee Engagement Relate to Task Performance. Sage Open, 12(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440221095010

Kim, M. (2023). An expanded psychological capital (A-HERO) construct for creativity: Building a competitive advantage for sport organisations. European Sport Management Quarterly, 23(3), 722–744. https://doi.org/10.1080/16184742.2021.1922480

Loghman, S. (2023). A Comprehensive Meta-Analyses of the Nomological Network of Psychological Capital (PsyCap). Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, 30(1), 108–128. https://doi.org/10.1177/15480518221107998

Lu, X. (2023). Development and initial validation of the psychological capital scale for nurses in Chinese local context. BMC Nursing, 22(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-022-01148-x

Mahipalan, M. (2024). Does workplace toxicity undermine psychological capital (PsyCap) of the employees? Exploring the moderating role of gratitude. International Journal of Organizational Analysis, 32(3), 476–503. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOA-12-2022-3543

Margheritti, S. (2023). Can psychological capital promote safety behaviours? A systematic review. International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics, 29(4), 1451–1459. https://doi.org/10.1080/10803548.2022.2135285

Patnaik, S. (2022). Can psychological capital reduce stress and job insecurity? An experimental examination with indian evidence. Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 39(3), 1071–1096. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10490-021-09761-1

Preston, A. (2023). A Systematic Scoping Review of Psychological Capital Related to Mental Health in Youth. Journal of School Nursing, 39(1), 72–86. https://doi.org/10.1177/10598405211060415

Ramalu, S. S. (2022). Authentic leadership and organizational citizenship behaviour: The role of psychological capital. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 71(2), 365–385. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPPM-03-2020-0110

Saleem, M. S. (2022). Analyzing the impact of psychological capital and work pressure on employee job engagement and safety behavior. Frontiers in Public Health, 10(Query date: 2025-08-01 19:12:58). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.1086843

Sekhar, C. (2022). Do high-commitment work systems engage employees? Mediating role of psychological capital. International Journal of Organizational Analysis, 30(4), 1000–1018. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOA-10-2020-2466

Sun, C. (2023). Association between career adaptability and turnover intention among nursing assistants: The mediating role of psychological capital. BMC Nursing, 22(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-023-01187-y

Xerri, M. J. (2023). Catching emotions: The moderating role of emotional contagion between leader-member exchange, psychological capital and employee well-being. Personnel Review, 52(7), 1823–1841. https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-11-2021-0785

Xu, J. (2023). Can Emotional Intelligence Increase the Positive Psychological Capital and Life Satisfaction of Chinese University Students? Behavioral Sciences, 13(7). https://doi.org/10.3390/bs13070614

Yang, Y. (2022). Effect of College Students’ Academic Stress on Anxiety Under the Background of the Normalization of COVID-19 Pandemic: The Mediating and Moderating Effects of Psychological Capital. Frontiers in Psychology, 13(Query date: 2025-08-01 19:12:58). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.880179

Yao, X. (2022). Does Psychological Capital Mediate Occupational Stress and Coping Among Nurses in ICU. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 44(7), 675–683. https://doi.org/10.1177/01939459211014426

Zuberbühler, M. J. P. (2023). Development and validation of the coaching-based leadership scale and its relationship with psychological capital, work engagement, and performance. Current Psychology, 42(1), 648–669. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-01460-w

Zyberaj, J. (2022). Developing Sustainable Careers during a Pandemic: The Role of Psychological Capital and Career Adaptability. Sustainability Switzerland, 14(5). https://doi.org/10.3390/su14053105