| Abstract (english) | This research is theoretically grounded in the revised Schaufeli and Bakker’s Job Demands-Resources model (JD-R model), which was based on the model by Demerout et al. (2001). Schaufeli and Bakker (2004) revised Demerouti et al.’s model by including job engagement instead of disengagement, alongside burnout, and in such a way they also explained the employee psychological status. In this research, Scahufeli and Bakker’s (2004) model is revised by adding job satisfaction as an extra mediator and organizational school commitment as an outcome variable, which enriched the model with a new research variable.
The primary aim of this research was to examine the relationship between job demands and resources and teachers’ work engagement, satisfaction, burnout and organizational commitment, and to determine whether work engagement and burnout act as mediators in the relationship between job demands and resources and job satisfaction and organizational commitment. In accordance with the set research aims, four problems and the related research hypotheses were formulated.
The research was conducted among 407 teachers of grades one through four of primary school across Croatia. The sample included 94.8% female and 3.9% male teachers, and 1.3% remained undeclared. The average age of the participants was 44, while the average length of their work experience was 19 years in service, in a range from less than one to 42 years in service. The following measuring instruments were used: UWES – Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (Schaufeli & Bakker, 2004); OLBI – Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (Demerouti et al., 2003); SWWS – Satisfaction with Work Scale, which was revised by Merino et al. (2021) according to the SWLS scale designed by Diener et al. (1985); Affective, continuance and normative commitment scale, designed by Meyer et al. (1993) and adapted to the Croatian context by Maslić Seršić (1999). The Job Resources Scale (JR) and Job Demands Scale (JD) were used to measure job demands (Skaalvik & Skaalvik, 2018).
The first research problem was the investigation into the relation between job resources and teachers’ work engagement, work satisfaction, burnout and organizational commitment. It was hypothesized (H1) that job resources are positively correlated to teachers’ work engagement and organizational commitment, and negatively correlated to burnout. The research results have shown that job resources (positive and supportive relationships with colleagues, support from superiors, the perception of school culture and conformity) are positively correlated to teachers’ work engagement, job satisfaction and affective and normative commitment component, and negatively correlated to burnout. The correlation between job resources and continuance component of commitment, however, was not proven. The obtained results confirmed that the availability of job resources motivated positive job attitudes, i.e. engagement, satisfaction and normative commitment. On the other hand, the correlation between resources availability and continuance commitment was not proven. The hypothesis on the negative correlation between job resources and burnout was also confirmed.
The second research problem was to investigate the correlation between job demands and teachers' engagement, job satisfaction, burnout and organisational commitment. It was hypothesised (H2) that job demands are positively correlated with burnout, and negatively correlated to teachers' work engagement, job satisfaction and organisational commitment. The expected positive correlation was found between job demands (time pressure, students' misbehaviour and low motivation) and burnout, whereas the negative correlation was proven between job demands and teachers' engagement, job satisfaction and organisational commitment. The normative commitment component was not found to be correlated to job demands. Although it was not expected, a positive correlation to continuance commitment was determined. This result confirms that higher experience of job demands effects lesser engagement, job satisfaction and affective commitment, that is, it diminishes the experience of positive emotions at job. The positive relationship between job demands and burnout indicates that teachers who perceive they have more job demands also experience greater burnout and unexpectedly higher continuance commitment. From the obtained results, a conclusion arises that the participants perceive job demands as an obstacle (disturbance) that decreases positive emotions on the job, i.e. it decreases work engagement, job satisfaction and affective commitment component.
The lack of correlation to normative commitment was also unexpected. So the H2 hypothesis is partly confirmed, because negative correlations between job demands and all components of commitment were expected.
The third research problem was the investigation into the mediating role of work engagement, burnout and job satisfaction in the relationship between job resources and organisational commitment. It was assumed that work engagement, burnout and job satisfaction act as mediators between job resources and organisational commitment; therefore, two hypotheses were formulated. The first (H 3a) assumed that work engagement and job satisfaction act as mediating variables between job resources and organisational commitment, wherein job resources lead to greater engagement, which increases job satisfaction and consequently effects higher organisational commitment(affective, continuance and normative). The H3a hypothesis was partially confirmed. Namely, serial mediation of work engagement and satisfaction in the correlation between job resources and affective and normative component of organisational commitment was proven. This indicates the positive correlation between job resources and engagement, which affects further increase of job satisfaction, greater organisational commitment (affective) and a more pronounced obligation to continue working at the organisation (normative commitment). In addition, within this research it was confirmed that job satisfaction contributes to the increase of organisational commitment (Meyer et al., 2002; Nagar, 2012), that is, the increase of its affective and normative component. However, the hypothesis was not confirmed with regard to continuance commitment. The secondhypothesis (H 3b) was that burnout and job satisfaction act as mediators betweenresources and organisational commitment, wherein job resources lead to decreased burnout, which increases job satisfaction and consequently leads to greater organisational commitment (affective, continuance and normative). Hypothesis H 3b was partially confirmed. It was found that burnout and job satisfaction act as mediators between jobresources and two types of organisational commitment. The hypothesis was not confirmed with regard to continuance commitment (H 3b). Furthermore, the motivational process was confirmed within this hypothesis (Bakker et al., 2007, Hakanen et al., 2008; Hu et al., 2016; Llorens et al., 2007; Xanthopoulou et al., 2008), i.e. it was found that jobresources are correlated to organisational commitment through job engagement and satisfaction. The motivational hypothesis was not confirmed only in the case when the continuance variable acts as the outcome variable, that is, job resources were not proven to play a role in achieving continuance commitment.
The last, fourth, research problem was to investigate the role of work engagement, burnout and job satisfaction in the relationship between job demands and organisational commitment. It was assumed that engagement, burnout and job satisfaction act as mediators between job demands and organisational commitment. In accordance, two hypotheses were formulated. The first (H 4a) supposed that burnout and satisfaction act as mediators between job demands and organisational commitment, wherein job demands lead to greater burnout, which decreases job satisfaction and consequently leads to diminished organisational commitment (affective, continuance and normative). The second hypothesis (H 4b) assumed that work engagement and job satisfaction act as mediators between job demands and organisational commitment, wherein job demands lead to decreased engagement, which diminishes job satisfaction and consequently leads to lesser organisational commitment (affective, continuance and normative). The hypothesis on burnout and job satisfaction as mediating variables between job demands and all three types of organisational commitment was confirmed (H 4a). Along the same lines, the hypothesis that entailed work engagement and satisfaction as mediators between job demands and all three types of organisational commitment was also confirmed (H 4b). The existence of motivational and energetic process was proven in hypotheses H 3a and H 4a. The motivational process was not confirmed only for the component of continuance commitment, while the energetic process was proven for all three components.
The scientific contributions of this research can be found primarily in the expansion of the Job Demands-Resources model (JD-R) (Demerouti et al., 2001, Schaufeli & Baker, 2004). In this research job satisfaction is added to the model as a mediating variable, and organisational commitment as an outcome variable, which deepens previous scientific insight on the relationships between the examined variables (burnout, job satisfaction and organisational commitment) among a sample of teachers within the Job DemandsResources model. Furthermore, the research entails a contribution regarding the relationships of all three components of commitment (affective, continuance and normative) with the variables within the JD-R Model. In such a way, deeper insights were gained on the correlation between the examined variables to each of the commitment components in the population of participant teachers. The obtained research results have the potential to facilitate the comprehension of teachers' working conditions and practically contribute to the quality of the profession. The cognisance obtained within this research based on the suggested model could yield a fresh insight into the perception of teachers’ and the school's worth. It can also potentially affect the improvement of working conditions for teachers, competitiveness of schools and the wellbeing of both teachers and students. |
