Naslov
Educators' autonomy, competence and relatedness and their job satisfaction

Autori
Gotal, Petra ; Tot, Daria

Vrsta, podvrsta
Ostale vrste radova, izvještaj

Godina
2022

Ključne riječi
basic psychological needs ; educators ; preschool education ; work performance

Sažetak
The needs for autonomy, competence and connectedness represent fundamental psychological needs. They are universal, and in the work environment, they are a significant predictor of job satisfaction. Since preschool educators' competence, commitment, and motivation in educational work with children significantly determine the quality of this process, this study aims to examine the relationship between the basic psychological needs of educators and their job satisfaction. Four hundred ten educators from all over Croatia participated in the research. Educators attitudes were examined with the Scale of Basic Psychological Needs Related to Work (Van den Broeck, Vansteenkiste, De Witte, Soenens i Lens, 2010) and the Job Satisfaction Index (Brayfield and Rothe, 1951). As expected, the results indicate a statistically significant correlation between basic psychological needs related to work and educators' job satisfaction. Of all the basic psychological needs, autonomy and job satisfaction showed the most robust connection. Basic psychological needs explain 40.3% of job satisfaction. Analysis of variance found that educators of older chronological age and those with higher professional status and a higher level of education are more satisfied with the job. Obtained results are consistent with the theory of self-determination, and the findings of the previous studies show that the quality of an educator's work is directly related to how they feel at work. The results can also serve as guidelines for principals in improving the management process in early and preschool education institutions to raise efficiency and overall job satisfaction.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Psihologija, Pedagogija

POVEZANOST RADA