Abstract

Introduction:

Transformational leadership and employee empowerment are recognized as key factors in improving the performance of educational organizations. In this regard, media literacy, as an essential competence in the digital era, can act as a mediating variable in this relationship. Although previous studies have examined these variables separately, their combined effect within educational organizations has received less attention.

Research Methodology:

This study is applied in purpose and correlational in terms of data collection method. The statistical population consisted of all administrative staff of the Department of Education, District 2, Bandar Abbas, during the 2024–2025 academic year (N = 110). Given the limited size of the population, a census approach was employed. Data were collected using three standardized instruments: Toman’s Media Literacy Questionnaire (1995), Bass and Avolio’s Transformational Leadership Questionnaire (2000), and Spreitzer and Mishra’s Empowerment Questionnaire (1992). The reliability of the instruments was confirmed using Cronbach’s alpha. Data analysis was carried out through structural equation modeling (SEM) with the aid of SPSS and SmartPLS software.

Findings:

The results indicated that transformational leadership had a positive and significant relationship with both employee empowerment and media literacy. Moreover, media literacy played a significant mediating role in the relationship between transformational leadership and employee empowerment.

Conclusion:

The findings suggest that transformational leadership, when accompanied by enhanced media literacy, can effectively strengthen employee empowerment in educational organizations. These results can provide valuable implications for educational managers and policymakers in promoting effective leadership, organizational learning, and overall educational quality.