Unlocking teacher potential: The integrated influence of empowering leadership and authentic leadership on teacher self-efficacy and agency in Turkey

Teacher agency has attracted growing attention in the field of educational management and leadership due to its positive outcomes for schools. This study investigated how and under what conditions school principals empowering leadership beneficial to teacher agency using data collected from 756 public secondary school teachers in Turkey. This study tested a moderated mediation model of how authentic leadership influences the effects of empowering leadership on teacher self-efficacy and teacher agency. The results supported the partial mediation model in which principal empowering leadership was associated with direct and indirect effects through teacher self-efficacy on teacher agency. Moreover, higher levels of principal authentic leadership were associated with stronger effects of empowering leadership on both teacher self-efficacy and teacher agency. Our results indicate a more profound comprehension of how empowering leadership influences teacher agency within the context of Turkish public schools. Furthermore, we provide practical recommendations for promoting teacher agency within school settings.