Exploring the link between transformational leadership and teacher professional well-being through work engagement and psychological safety

This study examined a cross-level moderated mediation model of the association between transformational leadership and teacher professional well-being, focusing on the theoretically proposed mediating role of work engagement and the moderating role of psychological safety. Data from 976 teachers across 83 basic education and upper secondary schools in Türkiye were analysed using multilevel structural equation modelling with Bayesian estimation. The results supported the hypothesised moderated mediation model: transformational leadership was positively associated with teacher professional well-being, with work engagement accounting for a significant indirect association, while psychological safety significantly moderated the association between transformational leadership and work engagement and the corresponding indirect association with teacher professional well-being. The findings suggest that, within the Turkish educational context, the association between transformational leadership and teacher professional well-being may vary depending on teachers’ perceived psychological safety, underlining the importance of considering these conditional relationships. This study advances the school leadership literature and offers practical implications for leadership practice in Türkiye.