Identifying the Factors of Psychological Empowerment in Female High School Teachers
Keywords:
: Psychological empowerment, teacher empowerment, confirmatory factor analysis, educational leadership, professional development, teacher well-being, organizational effectiveness.Abstract
Purpose: This study aimed identify the factors of psychological empowerment among female high school teachers in educational settings.
Methods and Materials: The study employed a mixed-methods approach. In the qualitative phase, 15 experts in educational sciences and psychology were interviewed to identify key dimensions of psychological empowerment, forming the basis of the questionnaire. In the quantitative phase, data were collected from 414 female high school teachers in Tehran using the developed questionnaire. The questionnaire included 61 items across nine dimensions: meaningfulness, job competence, autonomy, effectiveness, participation, trust, organizational commitment, self-management, and acceptance of outcomes. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed using AMOS 24.0 to evaluate the structural validity of the model. Fit indices such as Chi-square, GFI, AGFI, CFI, and RMSEA were assessed to determine model adequacy.
Findings: The CFA results confirmed the validity and reliability of the Psychological Empowerment Questionnaire. The final hierarchical nine-factor model demonstrated acceptable fit indices after adjustments, with the strongest factor loading observed for effectiveness (β = 0.954) and the weakest for meaningfulness (β = 0.701). All factor loadings exceeded the acceptable threshold of 0.32, indicating that the questionnaire effectively measures its intended constructs. The results underscored the interconnectedness of the nine dimensions, emphasizing the centrality of effectiveness, participation, and trust in psychological empowerment.
Conclusion: Its multidimensional structure provides valuable insights for designing interventions aimed at enhancing teacher well-being and organizational effectiveness. The findings highlight the critical role of psychological empowerment in fostering teacher engagement and professional satisfaction.
Downloads
References
Akgun, N. (2021). The Relation between Learning-Centered Leadership and Structural Empowerment of Teachers. International online journal of educational sciences, 13(4). https://doi.org/10.15345/iojes.2021.04.002
Dee, J. R., Henkin, A. B., & Duemer, L. (2003). Structural antecedents and psychological correlates of teacher empowerment. Journal of Educational Administration, 41(3), 257-277. https://doi.org/10.1108/09578230310474412
En, W. C. (2023). Research on the Relationship Between Principal’s Transformational Leadership, Teachers’ Empowerment, and Teachers’ Well-Being. Ijer, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.33552/ijer.2023.01.000503
Farzaneh, M., Poorkarimi, J., & Ezati, M. (2015). Studying Relationship between Professional Competencies and Psychological Empowerment of High School Teachers in the County of Shirvan. Research in School and Virtual Learning, 2(8), 69-88. https://www.magiran.com/paper/1441550
Ghanbari, S., & Majouni, H. (2021). The Impact of Ethical Leadership on Organizational Effectiveness in Schools with the Mediating Role of Psychological Empowerment and Teacher Creativity. Research on Educational Systems, 15(53), 163-178.
Kang, M. M., Park, S., & Sorensen, L. C. (2022). Empowering the frontline: internal and external organizational antecedents of teacher empowerment. Public Management Review, 24(11), 1705-1726. https://doi.org/10.1080/14719037.2021.1919185
Kiral, B. (2020). The relationship between the empowerment of teachers by school administrators and organizational commitments of teachers. International Online Journal of Education and Teaching, 7(1), 248-265. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1244261
Klein, J. (2019). Teacher empowerment, horizontal and vertical organisational learning, and positional mobility in schools. European Journal of Teacher Education, 39(2), 238-252. https://doi.org/10.1080/02619768.2015.1119118
Ma, L., Zhou, F., & Liu, H. (2021). Relationship Between Psychological Empowerment and the Retention Intention of Kindergarten Teachers: A Chain Intermediary Effect Analysis. Frontiers in psychology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.601992
Maarefvand, A., & Shafiabady, A. (2024). Effectiveness of Shafie-Abadi's Multidimensional Model Training on Enhancing Occupational Well-being and Quality of Work Life among Teachers in Qom City. International Journal of Education and Cognitive Sciences, 4(4), 21-30. https://doi.org/10.61838/kman.ijecs.4.4.3
Majouni, H., Ardalan, M., Ghanbari, S., & Afzali, A. (2021). Examining the Relationship Between Level 5 Leadership and Structural Empowerment with School Organizational Excellence Through the Mediating Role of Teacher Psychological Empowerment. Applied Sociology (Research Journal of the University of Isfahan Humanities), 32(4 [Issue 84]), 97-118.
Najafi, H., Zahed Babolan, A., Khaleghkhah, A., & Moienikia, M. (2020). Teachers' Empowerment of Educational Administration Perspective (Investigating the Role of Individual Self-efficacy; Knowledge Transfer and Quality of Work Life). Journal of New Approaches in Educational Administration, 11(1), 41-68. https://www.magiran.com/paper/2122835
Nasser Sheykholeslami, S. M., Oladian, M., & Bakhtiari, A. (2021). Presenting an empowerment model for primary teachers based on the study approach (Case study of Tehran). Educational Development of Judishapur, 12(0), 108-119. https://doi.org/10.22118/edc.2021.278852.1750
Rafiee, M., & Saeedian, N. (2017). Relationship between knowledge management and psychological empowerment with teachers' creativity. Scinzer Journal of Accounting and Management, 3(4), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.21634/SJAM.3.4.17
Rezaei, M., Hoveida, R., & Samavatian, H. (2015). Concept of psychological empowerment and its relationship with psychological capital among teachers. New Educational Approaches 10(1), 67-82. https://nea.ui.ac.ir/article_19127.html
Sadeghi, R., Moazami, M., Hashemi, S. M., Kayosi, E., & Miresmaeili, B. (2021). Providing a model of technological empowerment for new elementary school teachers in Tehran. Popularization of Science, 12(1), 105-127. https://doi.org/10.22034/popsci.2021.295585.1111
Samadi, A., Rashidi, Z., & Shahraki, H. (2020). Presenting the Model of Empowerment of Teachers in West Azerbaijan Province based on the Iranian-Islamic Model of the Document of Fundamental Transformation of Education. Islamic Life Journal, 4(1), 1-8. https://islamiclifej.com/article-1-761-en.html
Sami, R., Piri, M., & Talebi, B. (2020). Modelling the Empowerment of Primary School’s Teachers based on Lessen Study Approach. Educational and Scholastic studies, 9(3), 223-251. https://pma.cfu.ac.ir/mobile/article_1421_638fec1d3f762e8910de9bc36a84b372.pdf
Setiawan, A., Hanim, Z., Komariyah, L., & Salim, N. A. (2020). Empowerment Management Of High School Teachers In Kutai Kartanegara. International Journal of Latest Research in Humanities and Social Science (IJLRHSS). http://www. ijlrhss. com/vol3-iss12. html. http://www.ijlrhss.com/paper/volume-3-issue-12/13-HSS-885.pdf
Shahzadeh Teymourlu, H., Khodayari, A., noorbakhsh, M., & Alidoust Ghahfarokhi, E. (2020). Developing an empowerment model of physical education teachers with emphasis of I.R Iran's 1404 Vision document. Research on Educational Sport, 8(18), 91-112. https://doi.org/10.22089/res.2017.4387.1322
Valeh, M., Shokri, O., & Asadzadeh, H. (2021). Effectiveness of mental empowerment training program on increasing teachers’ psychological capital and job-related affective well-being. Journal-of-Psychological-Science, 20(100), 579-596. http://psychologicalscience.ir/article-1-843-en.html
Wall, L. A. (2020). An Exploratory Study of Teacher Empowerment and Technical Education in Kentucky [Doctoral Dissertation, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, Kentucky].
Wilcoxen, C., Bell, J., & Steiner, A. (2019). Empowerment Through Induction: Supporting the Well-Being of Beginning Teachers. International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, 9(1), 52-70. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijmce-02-2019-0022
Yusoff, S. M., & Tengku-Ariffin, T. F. (2020). Looking After Teacher Wellbeing: Does Teacher Empowerment Matter? Malaysian Online Journal of Educational Management, 8(4), 43-56. https://doi.org/10.22452/mojem.vol8no4.3
Downloads
Published
Submitted
Revised
Accepted
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Fatemeh Naghizadeh, Fattah Nazem, Soghra Afkaneh (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
