Psychological Empowerment as a Mediator Between Superintendents’ Transformational Leadership and Educators' Wellbeing

Year 2026, Volume: 11 Issue: 1 , 162 - 196 , 30.03.2026

Anat Barth , Sigalit Tsemach

https://doi.org/10.30828/real.1676795

https://izlik.org/JA75HL39NP

Abstract

Early childhood educators (ECE) have a major role in shaping children's development; their occupational wellbeing is an important issue for themselves and for their students. ECEs in Israel work in educational units that are not part of a school setting, an almost singular situation worldwide. They have little immediate professional support available to them, making their superintendents a main source of support. The superintendents' heavy workloads and often distant geographical locations challenge their leadership effectivity. In this study, 504 Israeli ECEs were surveyed through an online quantitative questionnaire. Hierarchical regression tests revealed that responders' psychological empowerment mediates the connection between ECE superintendents' transformational leadership and ECEs' burnout fully, and this model explains 12% of burnout. The tests also revealed that psychological empowerment mediates the connection between superintendents' transformational leadership and ECEs' job satisfaction, but only partially; the model explains 29% of job satisfaction. The current study suggests that ECEs' sense of psychological empowerment is a mediator between superintendent's transformational leadership and ECE's wellbeing, i.e., low burnout and high job satisfaction. This research illuminates the role of ECE superintendents' leadership, which has so far received little academic attention, and highlights the importance of the mechanism by which superintendents' leadership improves ECEs' wellbeing.

Keywords

early childhood educators superintendent , transformational leadership , early childhood educators , psychological empowerment , burnout , job satisfaction

Ethical Statement

All ethical guidlines were kept

Supporting Institution

Michlala Jerusalem

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