Relationships among school climate, teacher efficacy, optimism, sleep quality and work engagement

Abstract

The study examined longitudinal relationships among school climate, teacher efficacy, optimism, sleep quality and work engagement. On the basis of Conservation of Resources (COR) theory and Job Demand-Resources (JD-R) model, it was hypothesized that school climate, teacher efficacy, optimism and sleep quality were positively associated with work engagement. The present study was conducted among 141 Hong Kong secondary school teachers, who received the same set of self-report questionnaire over a four-month time interval. Results of cross-lagged panel analysis yield non-significant cross-lagged relationships among the variables. However, results of multiple linear regression analysis identified teacher efficacy and optimism as significant predictors of teachers’ work engagement. The findings provide partial support to the generalization of JD-R model to the Hong Kong teaching profession that teacher efficacy and optimism were found to be profession-specific personal resources that are positively associated with teachers’ work engagement.