Mentorship-Oriented Leadership on the Learning Satisfaction of Higher Vocational Students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.71222/pbaknn71Keywords:
mentorship-oriented leadership, learning satisfaction, vocational education, emotional support, social cognitive theory, cultural responsivenessAbstract
This study investigated the influence of mentorship-oriented leadership on the learning satisfaction of higher vocational students in a selected institution in Shandong Province, China. Grounded in Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory, the research examined how four mentorship leadership dimensions — empowerment, cultural responsiveness, emotional support, and goal alignment — correlated with four dimensions of learning satisfaction: cognitive engagement, emotional satisfaction, instructional interaction, and facilitation. A quantitative research design was employed, involving a total of 513 students through census sampling. A structured, researcher-developed questionnaire was used to collect data. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, independent samples t-tests, one-way ANOVA, and Pearson correlation coefficients. Results indicated that both mentorship-oriented leadership and learning satisfaction were perceived as "manifested" by students. Emotional support was rated as the most prominent leadership behavior, while cultural responsiveness received the lowest rating. In terms of satisfaction, facilitation and emotional satisfaction scored highest. No significant differences were found across sex, age, or year level, suggesting consistent perceptions across demographic groups. Crucially, all four mentorship leadership dimensions showed significant positive correlations with learning satisfaction dimensions, with the strongest relationship between emotional support and emotional satisfaction (r = 0.54, p < 0.01). The study concludes that mentorship-oriented leadership positively influences student satisfaction and recommends the institutionalization of structured mentorship programs, enhanced faculty training, and increased emphasis on cultural inclusivity to promote holistic student development in vocational education.
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