The Moderating Role of Social Justice in the Relationship Between Democratic Leadership and Cultural Diversity in Public Universities in Southwest Nigeria

Abstract

This study examined the moderating role of social justice in the relationship between democratic leadership and cultural diversity in public universities in Southwest Nigeria. It addressed the concern that universities may bring together students from different ethnic, religious, linguistic, and cultural backgrounds while inclusion, fairness, participation, and belonging remain uneven. The objective was to determine whether social justice strengthens or weakens the relationship between democratic leadership and cultural diversity. The study adopted a pragmatic research philosophy and a convergent mixed-methods design. Quantitative data were collected from 592 final-year students across six selected public universities, while qualitative data were obtained through semi-structured interviews with 14 educational leaders. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, ordinal logistic regression, and thematic analysis. Findings showed that democratic leadership significantly influenced cultural diversity (χ²(3) = 18.138, p < .001, Nagelkerke R² = .038). Social justice significantly moderated the relationship (χ²(3) = 19.849, p < .001, Nagelkerke R² = .059), increasing explanatory power from 3.8% to 5.9%. The conclusion was that democratic leadership supports cultural diversity, but its influence is stronger when supported by fairness, equity, inclusion, and access.