ERIC Number: EJ1110296
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016-Aug
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0022-0663
EISSN: N/A
Teachers' Psychological Functioning in the Workplace: Exploring the Roles of Contextual Beliefs, Need Satisfaction, and Personal Characteristics
Collie, Rebecca J.; Shapka, Jennifer D.; Perry, Nancy E.; Martin, Andrew J.
Journal of Educational Psychology, v108 n6 p788-799 Aug 2016
The purpose of the current study was to provide a greater depth of knowledge about teachers' psychological functioning at work-including the contextual, basic psychological need satisfaction and personal factors relevant to this. We examined the extent to which perceived autonomy support predicts basic psychological need satisfaction and, in turn, whether need satisfaction predicts teachers' perceptions of well-being, motivation, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment. Participants were 485 Canadian school teachers (76% female) who completed an online questionnaire. After confirming the measurement model with factor analysis, the hypothesized model was tested using structural equation modeling. Findings indicated that perceived autonomy support positively predicted need satisfaction, and, in turn, need satisfaction predicted the work-related perceptions. Of particular importance were the differing roles played by the basic psychological needs in predicting each of the work-related perceptions. Additional analyses revealed that well-being and motivation played key mediating roles in how need satisfaction was associated with job satisfaction (but less so with commitment) and that teachers' personal characteristics played minor moderating roles in influencing how teachers' workplace beliefs and perceptions were associated. Together, the study's findings enable a greater depth of understanding about teachers' psychological functioning at work, which is important for healthy teachers and effective teaching and learning.
Descriptors: Psychological Needs, Need Gratification, Teacher Characteristics, Professional Autonomy, Teacher Attitudes, Well Being, Teacher Motivation, Job Satisfaction, Questionnaires, Factor Analysis, Structural Equation Models, Self Determination, Foreign Countries, Elementary School Teachers, Secondary School Teachers, Middle School Teachers, Statistical Analysis
American Psychological Association. Journals Department, 750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002. Tel: 800-374-2721; Tel: 202-336-5510; Fax: 202-336-5502; e-mail: order@apa.org; Web site: http://www.apa.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education; Secondary Education; Middle Schools; Junior High Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Canada
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A