From Learning to Leading: Modelling the Predictive Impacts of Lifelong Learning on Adaptive Expertise and Sustainable Leadership Competencies Development

Lifelong learning, adaptive expertise, and sustainable leadership competence development are increasingly recognised as vital factors for professional and institutional effectiveness. Nevertheless, the dynamic interplay among these constructs remains insufficiently explored, particularly  in the context of higher education. Addressing this gap, the present study investigates how teachers’ engagement in lifelong learning is related to sustainable leadership competencies development, with particular attention to the mediating role of adaptive expertise in this relationship. Employing a correlational study design with a cross-sectional nature of data, the study data were collected using questionnaires from 381 participants selected through stratified sampling. The collected data were then analysed using structural equation modelling. The study findings demonstrate a significant relationship between lifelong learning and the development of both adaptive expertise and sustainable leadership competencies. Furthermore, adaptive expertise emerges as a partial mediator in this relationship, indicating its pivotal role in transforming the engagement of teachers in lifelong learning into the development of sustainable leadership competencies. These findings together highlight lifelong learning not only as a professional obligation but also as a transformative process that enables educators to lead adaptively in intricate educational environments. The study contributes valuable empirical evidence and practical implications for higher education institutions seeking to cultivate sustainable leadership among teachers through intentional investment in lifelong learning and adaptive capacity-building.