Managing Mental Well-Being Among School Leaders in Malaysian Fully Residential Schools: A Sequential Explanatory Mixed-Methods Framework

Abstract

School leaders are increasingly required to manage complex administrative, instructional, organisational and stakeholder demands while maintaining effective leadership and personal well-being. The increasing complexity of school leadership has consequently generated greater scholarly interest in the conditions that influence leaders’ psychological well-being and sustainability (Bakker & Demerouti, 2017; Leithwood et al., 2020). However, research specifically examining the mental well-being of school leaders in Malaysian Fully Residential Schools (Sekolah Berasrama Penuh, SBP) remains limited. This study proposes a contextual framework for examining and managing the mental well-being of SBP principals through a Sequential Explanatory Mixed Methods design. Guided by the pragmatist paradigm, the study integrates the Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) Model and the PERMA model of well-being. The quantitative phase examines Job Demands, Job Resources and mental well-being, while the subsequent qualitative phase explores principals’ experiences, challenges and strategies for managing their well-being. Quantitative findings will inform the qualitative phase, after which both strands will be integrated through joint displays and meta-inferences. The proposed framework is intended to explain how workplace demands and resources interact with the multidimensional well-being of school leaders within the Malaysian educational context. The study is expected to contribute theoretically through the contextual application of JD-R and PERMA, methodologically through mixed-methods integration, and practically through implications for leadership development and organisational support. As the empirical phases have not yet been completed, this article presents the conceptual and methodological foundation of the study rather than reporting empirical findings.