Strategies principals used to develop teachers’ psychological empowerment in primary schools, Ethiopia: qualitative study

The idea of empowerment has gained popularity recently as a powerful tool for improving organizational efficiency. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine strategies principals used to develop teachers’ psychological empowerment. A case study research approach was employed. Information was obtained from nine teachers and five principals through interviews. As a result, to empower teachers’ sense of meaning about their job, principals facilitate teachers to be internally motivated, memorize teachers about the tasks, dignity of the teaching profession, make teachers share experiences, associate the work environment with teachers’ personalities, and show students’ success. Principals also develop teachers’ sense of competency by providing different advice and ways, encouraging teachers to peer and self-assessments, providing training, giving recognition and rewards, and giving freedom. Moreover, to develop teachers’ feelings of impact and autonomy, principals recognize the contribution of teachers, share experiences, make teachers feel influential, encourage self-assessment, and provide autonomy to choose their instructional activities. Finally, to develop teachers’ sense of goal internalization, principals work together with teachers to draft school’s goals, remember school’s goals in different meetings, and so forth. This study also supports principals in developing and implementing effective empowerment strategies and achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4. Academically, this study adds something special to the body of knowledge on teacher empowerment in Ethiopian schools and offers insightful information for further research and real-world applications by highlighting the significance of various empowerment strategies to resource-constrained and culturally particular situations like Ethiopia.