This study examined the moderating influence of transformational leadership on the relationship between social justice leadership and teachers’ psychological capital to seek empirical evidence for transformative social justice leadership. The research was conducted with 991 teachers across 97 schools using multilevel structural equation modeling. The findings demonstrated significant positive associations between principals’ social justice leadership and transformational leadership practices with all dimensions of psychological capital: self-efficacy, hope, resilience, and optimism. Furthermore, the interaction between social justice leadership and transformational leadership was positively associated with all dimensions of psychological capital. The study revealed that principals’ high levels of transformational leadership enhanced social justice leadership's capacity to improve teachers’ psychological capital. These findings highlight the potential of integrating transformational and social justice leadership into a unified framework, conceptualized as transformative social justice leadership, and its critical role in enhancing teachers’ self-efficacy, hope, resilience, and optimism, particularly in times of intense educational and economic pressure.
AikenLSWestSG (1991) Multiple regression: Testing and interpreting interactions. Newbury Park, USA: Sage Publications.
2.
ArarKÖrücüD (2024) Post-migration ecology in educational leadership and policy for social justice: Welcoming refugee students in two distinct national contexts. Educational Management Administration & Leadership52(6): 1410–1433.
3.
ArchambaultJGaronR (2011) Transformative leadership: How do Montréal school principals ensure social justice in their disadvantaged school?Counterpoints409: 291–306.
4.
AriciFBozkayaHCengizEKuzeyM (2023) Education in disaster situations: The impact of the Kahramanmaraş earthquake on teachers’ experiences. Sakarya University Journal of Education13(4): 650–684.
5.
AtilaFDönmezB (2022) Psychological capital perception scale: A scale development study. Inonu University Journal of the Faculty of Education (INUJFE)23(1): 515–538.
6.
AveyJBLuthansFJensenSM (2009) Psychological capital: A positive resource for combating employee stress and turnover. Human Resource Management48(5): 677–693.
7.
BassBMRiggioRE (2006) Transformational leadership. New York, USA: Psychology Press.
8.
BeachumFDGulloGL (2020) School leadership: Implicit bias and social justice. In: PapaR (ed) Handbook on Promoting Social Justice in Education. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing, 429–454.
9.
Bellibaş MŞKılınçAÇPolatcanM (2021) The moderation role of transformational leadership in the effect of instructional leadership on teacher professional learning and instructional practice: An integrated leadership perspective. Educational Administration Quarterly57(5): 776–814.
10.
BerkovichI (2014) A socio-ecological framework of social justice leadership in education. Journal of Educational Administration52(3): 282–309.
11.
BerkovichI (2018) Will it sink or will it float: Putting three common conceptions about principals; transformational leadership to the test. Educational Management Administration and Leadership46(6): 888–907.
12.
BerkovichIEyalO (2020) A Model of Emotional Leadership in Schools: Effective Leadership to Support Teachers’ Emotional Wellness. New York, USA: Routledge.
13.
BerkovichIHassanT (2023) Principals’ digital transformational leadership, teachers’ commitment, and school effectiveness. Education Inquiry16(2): 177–194.
14.
BliesePD (2000) Within-group agreement, non-independence, and reliability: Implications for data aggregation and analysis. In: KleinKJKozlowskiSWJ (eds) Multilevel Theory, Research, and Methods in Organizations. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 349–381.
15.
BogotchI (2024) Educational leadership and social justice: 4.0. Research in Educational Administration and Leadership9(2): 179–207.
16.
BozkurtB (2022) The relationship between social justice leadership and organizational citizenship behaviours. Participatory Educational Research9(2): 88–102.
17.
CarlessSAWearingAJMannL (2000) A short measure of transformational leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology14: 389–405.
18.
CarrilloCFloresM (2020) COVID-19 and teacher education: A literature review of online teaching and learning practices. European Journal of Teacher Education43: 466–487.
19.
ChenQKongYNiuJGaoWLiJLiM (2019) How leaders’ psychological capital influence their followers’ psychological capital: Social exchange or emotional contagion. Frontiers in Psychology10: 1578.
20.
CherkowskiSKutsyurubaBWalkerK (2020) Positive leadership: Animating purpose, presence, passion and play for flourishing in schools. Journal of Educational Administration58(4): 401–415.
21.
CudeckR (2000) Exploratory factor analysis. In: HowardEADBrownS (eds) Handbook of Applied Multivariate Statistics and Mathematical Modeling. San Diego, CA, USA: Academic Press, 265–296.
22.
DeMatthewsDIzquierdoE (2018) The importance of principals supporting dual language education: A social justice leadership framework. Journal of Latinos and Education17(1): 53–70.
23.
ErichsenKReynoldsJ (2020) Public school accountability, workplace culture, and teacher morale. Social Science Research85: 102347.
24.
FabrigarLRWegenerDTMacCallumRCStrahanEJ (1999) Evaluating the use of exploratory factor analysis in psychological research. Psychological Methods4(3): 272–299.
25.
FengF-IChenW-L (2019) The effect of principals’ social justice leadership on teachers’ academic optimism in Taiwan. Education and Urban Society51(9): 1245–1264.
26.
FredricksonBL (2013) Positive emotions broaden and build. In: DevinePPlantA (eds) Advances in Experimental Social Psychology. Burlington: Academic Press, 1–53.
27.
FredricksonBL (2016) Leading with positive emotions. Organisational Science5: 1–3.
28.
FurmanG (2012) Social justice leadership as praxis: Developing capacities through preparation programs. Educational Administration Quarterly48(2): 191–229.
29.
GootyJGavinMJohnsonPDFrazierMLSnowDB (2009) In the eyes of the beholder: Transformational leadership, positive psychological capital, and performance. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies15(4): 353–367.
30.
GrantAM (2012) Leading with meaning: Beneficiary contact, prosocial impact, and the performance effects of transformational leadership. Academy of Management Journal55(2): 458–476.
31.
GrözingerACWolffSRufPJMoogP (2022) The power of shared positivity: Organizational psychological capital and firm performance during exogenous crises. Small Business Economics58(2): 689–716.
32.
GümüşSArarKOplatkaI (2021) Review of international research on school leadership for social justice, equity, and diversity. Journal of Educational Administration and History53(1): 81–99.
33.
HairJFJrAndersonRETathamRLBlackWC (2010) Multivariate data analysis (8th ed.). New York, NY: Macmillan.
34.
HarmanHH (1954) The square root method and multiple group methods of factor analysis. Psychometrika19(1): 39–55.
35.
HayesAF (2018) Partial, conditional, and moderated moderated mediation: Quantification, inference, and interpretation. Communication Monographs85(1): 4–40.
36.
HollowayJKeddieA (2020) Competing locals in an autonomous schooling system: The fracturing of the ‘social’ in social justice. Educational Management Administration & Leadership48(5): 786–801.
37.
HuLBentlerPM (1999) Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling6: 1–55.
38.
İşEGüçlüE (2024) Teachers’ burnout experience: Causes and solution suggestions. International Journal of Mardin Studies5(1): 54–66.
39.
JamesLRDemareeRGWolfG (1993) Rwg: An assessment of within-group interrater agreement. Journal of Applied Psychology78(2): 306–309.
40.
KaraferyeFBellibaşMŞ (2025) Key school leadership practices to enhance teacher wellbeing: A meta-synthesis of qualitative evidence. Research Papers in Education1–33. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02671522.2025.2475496.
41.
KazakEGündoğduG (2023) A qualitative study on causes and consequences of teacher burnout. Inonu University Journal of the Faculty of Education24(1): 175–207.
42.
KoçakS (2021) Does social justice leadership in education improve the school belonging and resilience of students?Educational Administration: Theory and Practice27(1): 1061–1084.
43.
KoseBW (2011) Developing a transformative school vision: Lessons from peer-nominated principals. Education and Urban Society43(2): 119–136.
44.
KossekEEPerriginoMB (2016) Resilience: A review using a grounded integrated occupational approach. Academy of Management Annals10(1): 729–797.
45.
LeiHLeaungkhammaLLePB (2020) How transformational leadership facilitates innovation capability: The mediating role of employees’ psychological capital. Leadership & Organization Development Journal41(4): 481–499.
46.
LeithwoodKJantziDSteinbachR (1995) An organisational learning perspective on school responses to central policy initiatives. School Organisation15(3): 229–252.
47.
LepistoDAPrattMG (2017) Meaningful work as realization and justification: Toward a dual conceptualization. Organizational Psychology Review7(2): 99–121.
48.
LinCCKaoYTChenYLLuSC (2016) Fostering change-oriented behaviors: A broaden-and-build model. Journal of Business and Psychology31(3): 399–414.
49.
LuthansFAvolioBJAveyJBNormanSM (2007) Positive psychological capital: Measurement and relationship with performance and satisfaction. Personnel Psychology60(3): 541–572.
50.
LuthansFYoussef-MorganCM (2017) Psychological capital: An evidence-based positive approach. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior4(1): 339–366.
51.
MaasCJMHoxJJ (2005) Sufficient sample sizes for multilevel modeling. Methodology1(3): 86–92.
52.
MacKinnonDPLockwoodCMWilliamsJ (2004) Confidence limits for the indirect effect: Distribution of the product and resampling methods. Multivariate Behavioral Research39(1): 99–128.
53.
MakaiauASHalagaoPEThaoG (2023) Creating transformative leaders of social justice in education. Multicultural Perspectives25(1): 52–59.
54.
MarksHMPrintySM (2003) Principal leadership and school performance: An integration of transformational and instructional leadership. Educational Administration Quarterly39(3): 370–397.
55.
MemiliEWelshDHBKaciakE (2014) Organizational psychological capital of family franchise firms through the lens of the leader–member exchange theory. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies21(2): 200–209.
MoNE [Ministry of National Education] (2024b) The Turkish Century Maarif Model: School leaders’ roles and the guide for monitoring and evaluating teaching and learning processes (with secondary education examples). Ankara: Ministry of National Education.
58.
MorganH (2018) Enhancing social mobility within marginalized youth: The accumulation of positive psychological capital through engagement with community sports clubs. Sport in Society21(11): 1669–1685.
59.
NevilleHA (2015) Social justice mentoring: Supporting the development of future leaders for struggle, resistance, and transformation. The Counseling Psychologist43(1): 157–169.
60.
ÖzdemirMKütkütB (2015) Development of the social justice leadership scale (SALÖ): A study on validity and reliability. Ahi Evran University Kirşehir Faculty of Education Journal (KEFAD)16(3): 201–218.
61.
PieterseANVan KnippenbergDSchippersMStamD (2010) Transformational and transactional leadership and innovative behavior: The moderating role of psychological empowerment. Journal of Organizational Behavior31(4): 609–623.
62.
PodsakoffPMMacKenzieSBLeeJ-YPodsakoffNP (2003) Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology88(5): 879–903.
63.
RebeloTDimasIDLourençoPRPalácio (2018) Generating team PsyCap through transformational leadership: A route to team learning and performance. Team Performance Management: An International Journal24(7/8): 363–379.
64.
RyanJTutersS (2015) Leadership and emotions: Promoting social justice. In: ClarkeSO'DonoghueT (eds) School Leadership in Diverse Contexts. New York, USA: Routledge, 173–190.
65.
SantiagoISantosEDa SilvaJ, et al. (2023) The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of teachers and its possible risk factors: A systematic review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health20(1): 1–30.
66.
SchornickZEllisNRayE, et al. (2023) Hope that benefits others: A systematic literature review of hope theory and prosocial outcomes. International Journal of Applied Positive Psychology81(1): 37–61.
67.
ShakedH (2024) Integrating instructional leadership with social justice leadership: Insights from Israel’s principals. Educational Administration Quarterly60(4): 452–492.
68.
ShakedH (2025) How instructional leaders promote social justice. Educational Management Administration & Leadership53(2): 279–297.
69.
ShieldsCM (2003) Good intentions are not enough: Transformative leadership for communities of difference. Lanham, MD: The Scarecrow Press.
70.
ShieldsCM (2010) Transformative leadership: Working for equity in diverse contexts. Educational Administration Quarterly46(4): 558–589.
71.
ShieldsCMHesbolKA (2020) Transformative leadership approaches to inclusion, equity, and social justice. Journal of School Leadership30(1): 3–22.
72.
ShihH-ANguyenT-V (2022) Effects of leader-follower congruence in humor on employee creativity: A broaden and build theory approach. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology31(5): 743–754.
73.
SiangchokyooNKlingerRLCampionED (2020) Follower transformation as the linchpin of transformational leadership theory: A systematic review and future research agenda. The Leadership Quarterly31(1): 101341.
74.
SrivastavaURMauryaV (2017) Organizational and individual level antecedents of psychological capital and its associated outcomes: Development of a conceptual framework. Management and Labour Studies42(3): 205–236.
75.
SunBGuoHXuLDingF (2022) How does teachers’ psychological capital influence workplace well-being? A moderated mediation model of ego-resiliency and work-meaning cognition. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health19(22): 14730.
76.
SunJLeithwoodK (2012) Transformational school leadership effects on student achievement. Leadership and Policy in Schools11(4): 418–451.
77.
TiwariSKGhulyaniSShaikR, et al. (2025) Business group affiliation and firm performance: The role of organizational psychological capital. Journal of Business Research186(2025): 1–12.
UrickABowersAJ (2014) What are the different types of principals across the United States? A latent class analysis of principal perception of leadership. Educational Administration Quarterly50(1): 96–134.
80.
Van KnippenbergD (2020) Meaning-based leadership. Organizational Psychology Review10(1): 6–28.
81.
WalkerKD (2006) Fostering hope: A leader’s first and last task. Journal of Educational Administration44(6): 540–569.
82.
WangF (2018) Social justice leadership—theory and practice: A case of Ontario. Educational Administration Quarterly54(3): 470–498.
83.
WidiantoSWilderomCPM (2023) Followers’ PsyCap and job performance: A longitudinal COR approach to transformational leadership as a key resource. Sage Open13(3): 21582440231201702.
84.
Yager-ElorriagaDMcWhirterPT (2014) Positive psychology as a foundation for social justice leadership. In: NormoreAHBrooksJS (eds) Educational Leadership for Ethics and Social Justice: Views from the Social Sciences. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing, 23–42.
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
