Iranian Journal of Educational Sociology 2645-3460 In Press 2026 09 01 School Leadership as Bounded Professional-Capacity Conversion in Formal EFL Education: Developing the LENS–CAPS Framework School Leadership as Bounded Professional-Capacity Conversion in Formal EFL Education: Developing the LENS–CAPS Framework 1 17 10.61838/ge4px212 EN Journal Article 2026 04 01 <p><strong>Purpose:</strong> This study aimed to develop the LENS–CAPS framework and examine the relationships between teacher-perceived school leadership and professional agency, perceived collective capacity, academic optimism, and sustained professional-development engagement among Iranian EFL teachers.</p> <p><strong>Methods and Materials:</strong> An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was integrated with a purposive critical synthesis of the literature on school leadership, teacher agency, policy enactment, and formal-school EFL education. In the quantitative phase, 205 EFL teachers from accessible public and private schools in District 22 of Tehran completed measures of teacher-perceived school leadership, professional agency, perceived collective capacity, academic optimism, and professional-development engagement. The measurement and structural models were evaluated using partial least squares structural equation modeling with 5,000 bootstrap resamples. In the qualitative phase, follow-up semistructured interviews were conducted with 12 purposefully selected teachers and three school leaders. Interview data were analyzed thematically and integrated with the quantitative findings and critical synthesis to construct the LENS–CAPS framework.</p> <p><strong>Findings:</strong> Teacher-perceived school leadership was significantly and positively associated with professional agency (β = .61, p &lt; .001), perceived collective capacity (β = .56, p &lt; .001), academic optimism (β = .58, p &lt; .001), and sustained professional-development engagement (β = .63, p &lt; .001). All four hypothesized structural paths were therefore supported, with the strongest relationship observed for professional-development engagement and the weakest, although still substantial, relationship observed for perceived collective capacity.</p> <p><strong>Conclusion:</strong> The findings indicate that school leadership is associated with multiple, conceptually distinct professional capacities, but leadership support becomes consequential only when converted into legitimate and actionable professional opportunities. The resulting LENS–CAPS framework identifies language-specific instructional understanding, enabling professional conditions, networked professional structures, and system-facing policy mediation as leadership functions operating through legitimacy, access, coordination, and protection.</p> https://qijes.com/index.php/ijes/article/download/1550/1558