The Influence of Distance in Schools on Teachers’ Trust in Management, Commitment, and Citizenship Behavior

• In Event: Educators on the Front Lines: Complex Conceptualizations of Teacher Quality

Abstract

In light of recent developments in Dutch schools for senior secondary vocational education this study aimed to examine the relationship between perceived distance of teachers to the school’s management and its consequences for teachers’ affective organizational commitment (AOC) and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). Trust was hypothesized to mediate these relationships. The data was collected though a questionnaire returned by 877 teachers and analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results show that psychological distance has a negative effect on trust as well as on AOC and OCB. Trust only partly influences teachers’ AOC and OCB. Structural distance to the supervisor does not seem to influence teachers’ AOC or OCB. In addition, openness and accuracy of communication was found to decrease distance.

Author

• Maren Thomsen, University of Amsterdam