Operating Under Uncertainty: Analyzing the Determinants of Teachers' Decisions to Take Initiative or Resist Changes

• In Event: 33.079 - Roundtable Session 12
  In Roundtable Session: 33.079-1 - Diverse Lenses of Engagement: Teachers, Students, Parents

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine whether teachers' decisions to take personal initiative or resist to changes are influenced by their perceptions of uncertainty, organizational support, and psychological safety in schools. A structural equation modeling was employed for a random sample of 319 teachers. Findings demonstrated that there was an indirect relationship between teachers' perceived uncertainty and their resistance to change, which was mediated by teachers' perceived organizational support and psychological safety. Perceived organizational support appeared to be the strongest variable, which posed both direct and indirect effects on teachers’ decisions to resist change or take initiative. Implications for policy and research were discussed.
4a. Perceived uncertainty, perceived organizational support, psychological safety, personal initiative, resistance to change

Authors

• Ibrahim Duyar, University of Arkansas at Little Rock

• Turker Kurt, University of Wisconsin-Madison