Exploring the effects of empowering leadership on teachers’ career calling in China: The mediating role of psychological empowerment

The Chinese sense of career calling, i.e., shiming, is essential for promoting teachers’ well-being. Principals’ leadership plays a significant role in enhancing Chinese teachers’ career calling. However, the mechanism of action through which empowering leadership influences Chinese teachers’ career calling remains unclear. Thus, this study, which is grounded in empowerment theory, aimed to reveal the mediating role of psychological empowerment between empowering leadership and Chinese teachers’ career calling. A total of 814 Chinese teachers participated in this study. The results indicated that empowering leadership was significantly and positively related to both Chinese teachers’ career calling and psychological empowerment. Psychological empowerment and its dimensions were significantly and positively related to Chinese teachers’ career calling. Psychological empowerment mediated the relationship between empowering leadership and Chinese teachers’ career calling. In addition, the three dimensions of psychological empowerment—meaning, competence, and impact—mediated the relationship between them. Therefore, to effectively enhance Chinese teachers’ career calling, school administrators should implement measures to strengthen principals’ empowering leadership and improve teachers’ psychological empowerment. Copyright © 2025 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.