Examining the role of psychological capital as a mediator between perceived authentic leadership, work engagement and workplace commitment among school teachers
Abstract Teachers have an integral role to play in the education system of any community. However, in developing countries such as South Africa, teachers often face unique challenges in fulfilling their roles effectively and it is therefore essential that they can draw on various resources in order to do so. Research in positive organisational behaviour has argued that one category of resources that can be beneficial in the workplace is psychological resources, such as psychological capital (PsyCap). This study examined the role of PsyCap in equipping teachers at work. The key focus of this study was to investigate whether or not the level of authentic leadership displayed by school principals may help to foster PsyCap among teachers and whether or not increased levels of PsyCap may help to foster work engagement and workplace commitment among teachers. A descriptive research design was utilised with a cross-sectional, quantitative approach. A convenient sample of 291 primary and high school teachers were sampled from 25 government schools in Cape Town. They completed a hardcopy questionnaire which assessed their levels of PsyCap, work engagement, workplace commitment and the degree to which they perceived their principals as authentic leaders. PsyCap was significantly related to teacher work engagement and commitment to both the school and the teaching profession in that teachers with higher PsyCap tended to be more engaged and committed. No significant relationship was found between PsyCap and the degree to which teachers perceived their principal as an authentic leader. PsyCap thus did not act as a mediator between authentic leadership, work engagement and commitment. Authentic leadership did not significantly predict these two outcomes directly either. The study results suggest that PsyCap is an important resource for teachers as it is associated with higher levels of work engagement and commitment. However, while authentic leadership may be important for other reasons, it is unlikely to foster PsyCap, work engagement or commitment within teachers. It is recommended that further research explores what factors assist in developing PsyCap among school teachers in South Africa.
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