The relationship among teachers' general self-efficacy perceptions, job burnout and life satisfaction

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship among teachers' general self-efficacy perceptions, job burnout, and life satisfaction. The participants of the research consist of 412 teachers teaching at the elementary, secondary and high schools. Hypotheses have been developed related to the relationship among variables and a model has been proposed based on these hypotheses. In terms of analyzing the data, confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling were used. As a result of the analysis, it was found that the general self-efficacy perceptions had the negative effects on the job burnout of teachers, and, it was determined that it had a positive effect on life satisfaction but teachers' vocational burnout had negative effect on life satisfaction. It was also found that teachers' vocational burnout played a mediating role between general self-efficacy perceptions and life satisfaction. © 2018 by authors, all rights reserved

Mediation, translation and local ecologies: understanding the impact of policy levers on FE colleges

This article reports the views of managers and tutors on the role of policy ‘levers’ on teaching, learning, and inclusion in colleges of Further Education (FE) in our research project, ‘The impact of policy on learning and inclusion in the Learning and Skills Sector (LSS)’.i Using data from five research visits conducted over two years in eight FE learning sites, we explore the processes by which colleges ‘mediate’ and ‘translate’ national policy levers and how this affects their ability to respond to local need. The paper tentatively develops three related concepts/metaphors to explain the complexity of the policy/college interface – ‘the process of mediation’, ‘acts of translation’ and ‘local ecologies’. We found that policy levers interacted with a complex set of national, local and institutional factors as colleges responded to pressures from the external environment and turned these into internal plans, systems and practices. We conclude by suggesting that national policy-makers, who design national policy levers, may not be fully aware of these complexities and we make the case for the benefits of greater local control over policy levers, where these interactions are better understood

Work demands and work resources : Testing a model of factors predicting turnover intentions in early childhood education

We studied the working conditions in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC). The aim was to explore how ECEC staff experience work demands and resources and how these relate to turnover intentions. The research was based on a modified Job Demands-Resources model (Bakker and Demerouti in J Manage Psychol 22(3):309-328, 2007) according to which job strain is influenced by both job demands and resources. The sample was identified through trade union registers and the data were collected via a survey (N = 538). The findings show a rather high proportion of turnover intentions. Both general workload and emotional workload were related to turnover intentions, and they were mediated by participation. However, leadership satisfaction did not mediate the relationship between workload and turnover intentions. This study contributes to the knowledge on risk factors related to intentions to leave the ECEC profession in the Finnish as well as the international context. It is urgent to know more about factors related to turnover because a high rate undermines trust in the ECEC sector and negatively impacts staff and children.Peer reviewe

Managing ambiguity: between markets and managerialism - a case study of 'middle' managers in further education

Advocates of devolved and market oriented Education reform, point to the benefits from self determination which enhance both teacher and managerial autonomy. Critics refer, on the other hand, to the ways in which running education institutions on business and accounting principles have introduced a new managerialism (Clarke et al, 1994; Pollitt, 1990; Clarke and Newman, 1997), which has driven a wedge between lecturers and senior manager interests. In Further Education, according to Elliott (1996a), this finds expression in conflict between lecturers in defence of professional and pedagogic values, and senior managers promoting the managerial bottom line (Randle and Brady, 1994). The danger in polarising such interests in this way is that it presents a plausible, if not oversimplified, analysis of organisational behaviour as market forces permeate FE. If this paper concurs with many critics on the effects of the new managerialism, it departs company from a prevailing determinism which assumes an over controlled view of the FE workplace (Seddon and Brown, 1997). Despite evidence of widespread casualisation and depro-fessionalisation in FE, this paper examines changing managerial cultures in the FE workplace, in this case among academic ‘middle’ managers, which suggests that managerialism is not as complete or uncontested as is often portrayed. The paper draws on an ESRC research project conducted by the authors (ESRC no. R000236713), looking at Changing Teaching and Managerial Cultures in FE, at a time when the sector is emerging from a series of funding crises associated with redundancies, industrial action, mismanagement and low morale at college level

The Relationship between Optimism and Happiness of Physical Education Teachers’ Candidates: The Mediator Role of Life Satisfaction

The aim of this study is to examine the mediating role of life satisfaction in the relationship between optimism and happiness levels of physical education teacher candidates. The research group consists of 278 physical education teacher candidates who were trained in the formation education program opened at Akdeniz University in the 2018-2019 academic year. Optimism Scale, Happiness Scale and Life Satisfaction Scale were used to collect research data. In the process of analyzing the data, Pearson correlation analysis was used first to determine the relationships of variables with each other, and PROCESS macro regression analysis was used to determine the mediating effect of life satisfaction between optimism and happiness. As a result, it can be said that life satisfaction has a mediating role in the relationship between optimism and happiness levels of physical education teacher candidates. In line with this information, considering that life satisfaction is an important psychological factor in physical education teacher candidates, it is extremely important to keep the life satisfaction levels of physical education teacher candidates, who have a primary effect on the healthy upbringing of future generations. In this context, it is recommended that relevant rule makers or managers who want to increase the quality and quality of education take this information into consideration

Qualities of Effective Teachers; Factors Affecting the Teachers Commitment

Teaching is a demanding and complex craft. It is impossible to discuss in a page or two the characteristics and input of an effective teacher. Effective teaching is the fundamental ingredient for the success of every student. Teachers are the central figure of the educational infrastructure of any country, and have a huge role to play in shaping the destiny of their nation. It is a noble and selfless profession. The following paper provides and introduction to the literature regarding Teacher effectiveness. This paper displays the input of the teacher in a society, what challenges they have to counter, and what recommendations can be implemented to improve the development and effectiveness of the teachers. In this study the impact and importance of effective teachers in being investigated through the feedback from both the teachers and the students. And a comparison and inter relationship between the both opinions is being developed. On the other hand Lack of teacher commitment is one of the key factors that have the potential to cause the shortage of effective teachers all over the world. There are multiple factors that might cause teachers to leave their jobs. These can be low salaries, extravagant workload, poor working conditions, low quality of teacher preparation programs, inefficient leadership etc. In the following research work a qualitative and quantitative method was implied to study the working condition environment and teacher attrition patterns. It was seen that school with satisfactory and proper working conditions displayed a better commitment and lower attrition rates. This study also documented the patterns of teacher retention rates across multiple schools, which had different policies, and student demographics

TESTING THE MEDIATING ROLE OF COLLECTIVE EFFICACY PERCEPTIONS ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF PROFESSIONAL BURNOUT AND ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT

The aim of this study is to investigate the mediating role of perceptions of collective efficacy in the relationship between teachers’ professional burnout and organizational commitment. The study group consisted of 377 teachers working at different levels of education in central districts of Konya. Data were obtained by using Demographic Information Form, Collective Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale, Organizational Commitment Scale and Maslach Burnout Inventory. The relationships between the variables were analysed by using Structural Equation Modeling. Our results indicate that teachers’ perceptions of burnout affected both their organizational commitment and perceptions of collective efficacy negatively. It was found that perceptions of collective efficacy had a partial mediating role in the relationship between professional burnout and organizational commitment. As teachers’ perceptions of professional burnout are increased, their tendency to display organizational commitment increases

Teacher Stability and Turnover in Los Angeles: The Influence of Teacher and School Characteristics

Analyzes how teacher and school characteristics - including demographics, quality and qualification, specialty, school type (public, magnet, charter) and size, academic climate, and teacher-student racial match - influence teacher turnover