Social justice leadership and teacher work engagement: A moderated mediation model of teacher voice behaviour and trust in leader

Teacher work engagement has gained increasing attention in educational management and leadership research due to its critical role in teacher well-being and school effectiveness. This study aimed to examine a hypothesised model explaining the relationship between social justice leadership and work engagement, with a particular focus on the mediating role of teachers’ voice behaviour and the moderating role of trust in leader. Data were collected from teachers working in public schools in Türkiye's highly centralised education system. The results supported a moderated mediation model, indicating that social justice leadership is positively associated with teacher work engagement both directly and indirectly through teacher voice behaviour. Furthermore, the indirect effect of social justice leadership on teacher work engagement via teacher voice behaviour was stronger at higher levels of trust in leader. These findings highlight the importance of justice-oriented leadership practices in fostering teacher engagement by promoting voice behaviour within trust-based school environments. The study provides theoretical and practical insights into how social justice leadership contributes to teacher engagement, particularly in centralised and high-power distance educational contexts.