Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

School Principal Support, and Teachers’ Work Engagement and Intention to Leave: The Role of Psychological Need Satisfaction

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Psychology of Retention

Abstract

The study reported in this chapter contributes to understanding the retention of teachers by analysing the relationships between perceived school principal support , and teachers’ psychological need satisfaction , engagement and intention to leave . A total of 513 secondary school teachers in public schools in South Africa participated in a cross-sectional survey. The School Principal Behaviour Scale, Work-related Basic Need Satisfaction Scale, Work Engagement Scale and Intention to Leave Scale were administered. Principal support was positively related to teachers’ psychological need satisfaction and work engagement , and negatively related to intention to leave . Principal support affected work engagement positively and intention to leave negatively via teachers’ autonomy satisfaction.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Baard, P. P., Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2004). Intrinsic need satisfaction: A motivational basis of performance and well-being in two work settings. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 34, 2045–2068.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bandura, A. (2000). Cultivate self-efficacy for personal and organizational effectiveness. In E. A. Locke (Ed.), Handbook of principles of organization behaviour (pp. 120–136). Oxford, UK: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bass, B. M. (1985). Leadership and performance beyond expectations. New York, NY: Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Burns, J. M. (1978). Leadership. New York, NY: Harper & Row.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Coward, R. T., Hogan, T. L., Duncan, R. P., Horne, C. H., Hilker, M. A., & Felsen, L. M. (1995). Job satisfaction of nurses employed in rural and urban long-term care facilities. Research in Nursing & Health, 18, 271–284.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Darling-Hammond, L. (2003). Keeping good teachers: Why it matters, what leaders can do. Educational Leadership, 60(8), 6–13.

    Google Scholar 

  • Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. New York, NY: Plenum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The “what” and “why” of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behaviour. Psychological Inquiry, 11, 227–268.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2002). Handbook of self-determination research. New York, NY: University of Rochester Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2008a). Self-determination theory: A macrotheory of human motivation, development, and health. Canadian Psychology, 49(3), 182–185.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2008b). Facilitating optimal motivation and psychological well-being across life’s domains. Canadian Psychology, 49, 14–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2011). Levels of analysis: Regnant causes of behavior and well-being: The role of psychological needs. Psychological Inquiry, 22, 17–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Diedericks, E. (2012). Flourishing of employees in the information technology industry in South Africa. Unpublished doctoral thesis. Vanderbijlpark, South Africa: North-West University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fernet, C., Guay., F., Senécal, C., & Austin, S. (2012). Predicting intra-individual changes in teacher burnout: The role of perceived school environment and motivational factors. Teaching and Teacher Education, 28, 514–525.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gagné, M., & Deci, E. L. (2005). Self-determination theory and work motivation. Journal of Organizational Behaviour, 26, 331–362.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gilbert, S. L., & Kelloway, E. K. (2014). Leadership. In M. Gagné (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of work engagement, motivation, and self-determination theory (pp. 181–198). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Graves, L. M., & Luciano, M. M. (2013). Self-determination at work: Understanding the role of leader-member exchange. Motivation and Emotion, 37, 518–536.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Greguras, G. J., & Diefendorff, J. M. (2010). Why does proactive personality predict employee life satisfaction and work behaviors? A field investigation in the mediating role of the self-concordance model. Personnel Psychology, 63, 539–560.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gu, Q., & Day, C. (2013). Challenges to teacher resilience: Conditions count. British Educational Journal, 39(1), 22–44.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harter, J., & Adkins, A. (2015, April). What great managers do to engage employees. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved October 9, 2016 from https://hbr.org/2015/04/what-great-managers-do-to-engage-employees.

  • Hayes, A. F. (2013). Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach. New York, NY: The Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hetland, H., Hetland, C., Andreassen, C. S., Pallesen, S., & Notelaers, G. (2011). Leadership and fulfillment of the three basic psychological needs at work. Career Development International, 16, 507–523.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hu, L. T., & Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cut-off criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 6, 1–55.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jackson, L. T. B., Rothmann, S., & Van De Vijver, A. J. R. (2006). A model of work-related well-being for educators in South Africa. Stress and Health, 22, 263–274.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Janik, M., & Rothmann, S. (2015). Meaningful work and secondary school teachers’ intention to leave. SA Journal of Education, 35(2), 13. https://doi.org/10.15700/saje.v35n2a1008. Art. 1008

  • Kahn, W. A., & Heaphy, E. D. (2014). Relational context of personal engagement at work. In C. Truss, R. Delbridge, E. Soane, K. Alfes & A. Shantz (Eds.), Employee engagement in theory and practice (pp. 163–179). Abingdon, UK: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kahn, W. A. (1990). Psychological conditions of personal engagement and disengagement at work. Academy of Management Journal, 33, 692–724.

    Google Scholar 

  • Katz, I., & Assor, A. A. (2007). When choice motivates and when it does not. Educational Psychology Review, 19, 429–442.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kovjanic, S., Schuh, S. C., Jonas, K., Van Quaquebeke, N., & Van Dick, R. (2012). How do transformational leaders foster positive employee outcomes? A self‐determination‐based analysis of employees’ needs as mediating links. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 33(8), 1031–1052.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kovjanic, S., Schuh, S. C., & Jonas, K. (2013). Transformational leadership and performance: An experimental investigation into the mediating effects of basic needs and work engagement. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 86, 543–555.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee, A. N., & Nie, Y. (2014). Understanding teacher empowerment: Teachers’ perceptions of principal’s and immediate supervisor’s empowering behaviours, psychological empowerment and work-related outcomes. Teaching and Teacher Education, 41, 67–79.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liebenberg, K., & Hattingh, C. (2017). ‘n Evaluering van opvoedermoreel in skole in Wellington. LitNet Akademies, 14(3), 661–717.

    Google Scholar 

  • May, D. R., Gilson, R. L., & Harter, L. M. (2004). The psychological conditions of meaningfulness, safety and availability and the engagement of the human spirit at work. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 77, 11–37.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Milyavskay, M., & Koestner, R. (2011). Psychological needs, motivation, and well-being: A test of self-determination theory across multiple domains. Personality and Individual Differences, 50, 387–391.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mor Barak, M. E., Nissly, J. A., & Levin, A. (2001). Antecedents to retention and turnover among child welfare, social work, and other human service employees: What can we learn from past research? A review and metanalysis. Social Service Review, 75, 625–661.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Muthén, L. K., & Muthén, B. O. (1998–2014). Mplus users’ guide (6th ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Muthén & Muthén.

    Google Scholar 

  • Otis, N., & Pelletier, L. G. (2005). A motivational model of daily hassles, physical symptoms, and future work intentions among police officers. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 35, 2193–2214.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Raykov, T. (2009). Evaluation of scale reliability for unidimensional measures using latent variable modeling. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 42, 223–232.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reeve, J. (2009). Why teachers adopt a controlling motivating style toward students and how they can become more autonomy supportive. Educational Psychologist, 44, 159–175.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rothmann, S., Diedericks, E., & Swart, J. P. (2013). Manager relations, psychological need satisfaction and intention to leave in the agricultural sector. SA Journal of Industrial Psychology, 39(2), 11. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajip.v39i2.1129.

  • Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development and well-being. American Psychologist, 55, 68–78.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schaufeli, W. B. (2014). What is engagement? In C. Truss, R. Delbridge, E. Soane, K. Alfes, & A. Shantz (Eds.), Employee engagement in theory and practice (pp. 15–35). Abingdon, UK: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schaufeli, W. B., & Bakker, A. B. (2004). Job demands, job resources, and their relationship with burnout and engagement: A multi-sample study. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 25, 293–315.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sheldon, K. M., & Houser-Marko, L. (2001). Self-concordance, goal attainment, and the pursuit of happiness: Can there be an upward spiral? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 80, 152–165.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Soane, M. (2014). Leadership and employee engagement. In C. Truss, R. Delbridge, E. Soane, K. Alfes, & A. Shantz (Eds.), Employee engagement in theory and practice (pp. 149–162). London, UK: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thomas, K. W. (2000). Intrinsic motivation at work: Building energy and commitment. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler.

    Google Scholar 

  • Truss, C., Delbridge, R., Soane, E., Alfes, K., & Shantz, A. (2014). Employee engagement in theory and practice. Abingdon, UK: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van den Broeck, A., Vansteenkiste, M., De Witte, H., & Lens, W. (2008). Explaining the relationships between job characteristics, burnout, and engagement: The role of basic psychological need satisfaction. Work and Stress, 22, 277–294.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van den Broeck, A., Vansteenkiste, M., De Witte, H., Soenens, B., & Lens, W. (2010). Capturing autonomy, competence, and relatedness at work: Construction and initial validation of the work-related basic need satisfaction scale. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 83, 981–1002.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vandenberg, R. J., & Nelson, J. B. (1999). Disaggregating the motives underlying turnover intentions: When do intentions predict turnover behavior? Human Relations, 52, 1313–1336.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang, J., & Wang, X. (2012). Structural equation modeling: Applications using Mplus. Chichester, United Kingdom: Wiley.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • West, S. G., Taylor, A. B., & Wu, W. (2012). Model fit and model selection in structural equation modeling. In R. H. Hoyle (Ed.), Handbook of structural equation modeling (pp. 209–231). New York, NY: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. North-West University, Vanderbijlpark, South Africa

    Sebastiaan Rothmann & Elmari Fouché

Authors
  1. Sebastiaan Rothmann
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Elmari Fouché
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sebastiaan Rothmann .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Industrial and Organisational Psychology, University of South Africa, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa

    Melinde Coetzee

  2. Department of Human Resource Management, University of South Africa, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa

    Ingrid L. Potgieter

  3. Department of Human Resource Management, University of South Africa, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa

    Nadia Ferreira

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Rothmann, S., Fouché, E. (2018). School Principal Support, and Teachers’ Work Engagement and Intention to Leave: The Role of Psychological Need Satisfaction. In: Coetzee, M., Potgieter, I., Ferreira, N. (eds) Psychology of Retention. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-98920-4_7

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation