Title: Cynicism, autonomy and job satisfaction: evidence from teaching profession

Authors: Navaneethakrishnan Kengatharan

Addresses: Department of Human Resource Management, Faculty of Management Studies and Commerce, University of Jaffna, Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Abstract: Integrating the theories of conservation of resources, reasoned action and affective events, the present study examines the relationship between teacher cynicism, teacher autonomy and teacher job satisfaction. Data were garnered with a self-reported questionnaire from 703 teachers working in state schools, Sri Lanka. The data were analysed with AMOS and SmartPLS. The results disclose a positive relationship between cognitive cynicism and affective cynicism, and the study further confirms a mediating relationship between cognitive cynicism and teacher job satisfaction through affective cynicism. The study made another notable finding that the behavioural cynicism mediates the relationship between cognitive cynicism and teacher job satisfaction. In addition, the results reveal a moderating effect of teacher autonomy of the relationship between affective cynicism and teacher job satisfaction. Remarkably, the present study contributes to the frontiers of extant literature and proffers many useful practical implications.

Keywords: cognitive cynicism; affective cynicism; behavioural cynicism; teacher autonomy; teacher job satisfaction; conservation of resources theory; partial least squares based structural equation modelling; theory of reasoned action; affective events theory; self-determination theory.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMIE.2020.109688

International Journal of Management in Education, 2020 Vol.14 No.5, pp.471 - 493

Received: 18 Jul 2019
Accepted: 06 Sep 2019
Published online: 21 Sep 2020 *

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