Firstly, work engagement is a positive experience in itself (Schaufeli, Salanova, Gonzalez-Roma & Bakker, 2002) and secondly, it is related to good health and positive work effects, such as low levels of depression, distress and psychosomatic complaints (Demerouti) , Bakker, Janssen & Schaufeli, 2001). It is therefore essential to look at the interaction between work demands and work resources of educators and analyze its effect on educators' levels of work engagement.
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES 1. General Objective
Specific Objectives
CHAPTER DIVISION
CHAPTER SUMMARY
LITERATURE REVIEW 2. INTRODUCTION
REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
Accordingly, this study aims to fill the gaps in the South African literature on the topic of job demands, job resources and work engagement among teachers and to contribute to the need for more information on positive states at work (i.e. work engagement). Therefore, using the Job Demands-Resources Model, the relationship between job demands, resources and teacher engagement is elaborated and insight is provided into previous research on this topic.
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK: JOB DEMANDS-RESOURCES MODEL
- Job Demands
- Job Resources
The JD-R model also posits that many different types of job resources can buffer the undesirable influence of job demands. The next section discusses the concept of work engagement, followed by its relationship to job demands and job resources.
WORK ENGAGEMENT
- Outcomes of Work Engagement
- Relationship between work engagement & job resources
- Relationship between work engagement & job demands
The concept of work engagement consists of three dimensions, namely energy, commitment and absorption (Schaufeli & Bakker, 2001). At the local level, Coetzer and Rothmann (2007) found that job resources, namely organizational support, growth opportunities, social support, and advancement are positively related to work engagement. More specifically, Hakanen, Perhoniemi, and Toppinen-Tanner (2008) found that job resources are important antecedents of work engagement.
Coetzer and Rothmann (2007) found that job resources, namely organizational support (including relationship with superiors, role clarity, information, communication and participation), growth opportunities (including variety, opportunities to learn and autonomy), social support and advancement are positively related. to work engagement. International literature and national literature show evidence that job demands have a negative impact on work engagement. Schaufeli and Bakker (2004) also found that job demands lead to burnout, which in turn has an impact on the work engagement of employees.
There is a wealth of international literature on teacher burnout, work stress, organizational commitment, work engagement and work demands/resources. However, for the purposes of this study, the focus is on the literature related to teacher work engagement. In addition, Hakanen, Bakker, and Schaufeli (2006) have shown that work engagement has predictive value for teachers' organizational commitment (see also Schaufeli & Bakker, 2004).
A study conducted among Finnish educators found that work engagement was positively related to several work resources, e.g. In determining which job demands and job resources predict the work engagement of academic staff in South African higher education institutions, the results of Rothmann and Jordaan (2006) showed that organizational support predicted 19% of the variance in work engagement. Therefore, more research is needed on work demands and resources in educational institutions in South Africa, with a particular focus on the positive effects of work and well-being, such as work engagement and organizational commitment.
CHAPTER SUMMARY
Therefore, the objective of this research is to focus on how job demands, resources and commitment are conceptualized in the literature; find out what is the relationship between educators' job demands and resources and work engagement; and to find out whether job demands and resources can be seen as antecedents of engagement.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 3. INTRODUCTION
- RESEARCH DESIGN
- RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS
- RESEARCH INSTRUMENTS
- RESEARCH PROCEDURE
- DATA ANALYSIS
- CHAPTER SUMMARY
The sample consists of approximately two hundred educators from eleven schools in the Pietermaritzburg central area, KwaZulu-Natal. Job resources, on the other hand, refer to those physical, psychological, social, or organizational aspects of the job that are functional in achieving job goals; reduce work demands and the associated physiological and psychological costs; or stimulate personal growth and development (Bakker, Demerouti & Verbeke, 2004). If the individual chose to participate in the research study, they had to sign a consent letter.
Those who chose to participate were then required to complete the provided questionnaires, consisting of the Biographical Questionnaire, the Job Demands-Resources Scale and the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale. The Pearson product-momentum correlation coefficients were used to specify the relationship between the variables in the study. In the case of using stepwise regression to determine whether job demands and resources predict work engagement.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 4. INTRODUCTION
- DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS
- FACTOR ANALYSIS
- PEARSON MOMENT CORRELATION
- STEPWISE REGRESSION ANALYSIS
- DISCUSSION OF RESULTS
- CHAPTER SUMMARY
This means that job resources are good predictors of agency, dedication, immersion and work engagement. The results also indicate a practical and statistically significant relationship between organizational support and work engagement. Possible explanations for the practically significant correlation (medium effect) between organizational support and work engagement among educators can be understood through.
This means that job demands do not predict work engagement, and therefore the results of this study confirm previous findings. The second step of the regression analysis showed that job resources have a predictive value for work engagement. Third, the results of the stepwise regression analysis were examined and the results revealed that job resources have a predictive value for work engagement.
CONCLUSIONS, RECOMMENDATIONS AND LIMITATIONS 5.1 CONCLUSION
Conclusion regarding the specific theoretical objectives
Previous studies have consistently shown that work resources such as peer and supervisor social support, performance feedback, skill diversity, autonomy, and learning opportunities are positively related to work engagement (Bakker & Demerouti, 2007). It is assumed that they have an internal motivational role because they promote the growth, learning and development of employees, or an external motivational role because they are crucial in achieving work goals. Job demands, on the other hand, represent job characteristics that potentially cause strain in cases where they exceed the employee's adaptive abilities.
More specifically, job demands refer to those aspects of the job that require sustained physical and/or psychological effort and are therefore associated with certain physiological and/or psychological costs, such as strain and burnout (Bakker & Demerouti, 2007). Internationally, Maslach (1993) found that job demands, such as overwhelming the employee, drain energy and the employee withdraws mentally to cope with the resulting exhaustion. They suggest that the effects of high job demands can be reduced by job resources such as providing feedback, social support, and manager/supervisor guidance and support (Schaufeli & Bakker 2004).
Conclusion regarding the specific empirical objectives
This gap was specifically related to teachers in South Africa and focused on how their work engagement is affected by their work demands and resources. The main purpose was to determine the relationship between work demands and resources and work engagement among educators and whether they can be considered as precursors of work engagement. The study found that jobs play a key role in the work engagement of educators in Pietermaritzburg.
More specifically, growth opportunities and organizational support were found to have highly significant correlations with work engagement. The results of the regression analysis confirmed the findings from the correlations and concluded that job resources are predictive of work engagement. This is extremely important if the country is to find ways to increase teacher employment and realize the impact these can have on the level of job engagement of our teachers, as well as their well-being.
LIMITATIONS OF THE RESEARCH
Ultimately, it can be concluded that the study has achieved its objectives: broadening knowledge on the subject and providing insight into how the demands and resources of the teaching profession influence teacher work engagement. The sample consisted of 87% white, female, English-speaking teachers (typically over 48 years of age), which may indicate that the study's findings pertain primarily to them and may not yield the same results in, for example, a rural area, where the sample composition would be different. The schools used in the sample are all located in the center of Pietermaritzburg, which means that location constraints arise, i.e.
RECOMMENDATIONS
- Recommendation for future research
Although more research is needed in this area, it is clear from the results of this study that it is extremely important that educators have the necessary resources to do their work, more specifically they need growth opportunities and organizational support. Interventions are needed to develop task-level, social and organizational work resources seem to be a promising starting point for improvements at schools. Promoting work engagement in our schools (and all organizations) can be a liberating experience by giving choice and control to educators and other staff members, but individuals must arm themselves with the right skills and attitudes and engage in a consistent program. of personal career development.
The results of this study show that measures should be aimed both at reducing the demand for jobs and at increasing labor resources. From a theoretical perspective, it is important that research on work engagement begins to use more elaborate research designs where causality is rigorously tested (using experimental or longitudinal designs) and where predictors and outcomes of work engagement are measured objectively. In addition, it is worth focusing on the mechanisms through which work engagement leads to favorable outcomes through insight into the processes it initiates or is involved in.
CHAPTER SUMMARY
Dual processes at work in a call center: an application of the job demands-resources model. Paper presented at the sixty-seventh annual meeting of the Academy of Management, Philadelphia, PA. Job requirements, job resources and work involvement of academic staff in South African higher education institutions.
Linking organizational resources and work engagement to employee performance and customer loyalty: The mediation of service climate. The influence of work-related factors on the work engagement of the staff of the University of the Free State. Extending the job demands-resources model: The relationship between job demands and work engagement, and the moderating role of job resources.
