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The Psychological contract in education : D9BDB28C-8913-41A5-89CF…
The Psychological contract in education
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Key challenges
difference in expectations from employers and employees (issue)
how do you discuss the difference
maybe mention differences between staff
substitute teachers
casual teachers
Substitute teachers are employed to replace permanent teachers who are unavailable for the day or the lesson. However, both casual and substitute teachers are required to provide students with educationally appropriate activities (NSW Department of Education, 2019).
Cultural differences and beliefs
Academic/qualification levels
whos opinion is more important
should the employer meet the employees psych contract or should the employee meet the employers?
is the persons perspective rational
what happens when there is a breach in psychological contract?
A breach in the psychological contract occurs when one party of the employment relationship believes that another party have failed to fulfill promised obligations (Conway & Briner, 2009)
breaches by an employer are believed to have a strong impact on employees attitudes and behaviours
The type of contract can also influence how employees percieve and react to violations. Jamil, et. al's (2013) study found that there is a smaller possibility for feelings of violation to evolve into burn out for employees involved in relational psychological contracts in comparison to those involved in transactional contracts. This suggests that relational contracts that are subjective and relationship focused provide larger benifits to the organisation in comparison to transactional contracts, as they reduce the liklihood of employee burnout.
Breaches in the psychological contract have been shown to negatively impact employees in a number of different ways. Perceived breaches of the psychological contract lead to reductions in trust, organizational commitment, turnover intentions, organizational citizenship behavior, in-role performance and job satisfaction (Zhao, Wayne, Glibkowski & Bravo, 2007).
Beaches can also impact the emotional well being of employees. In a study conducted by Jamil, Raja and Darr (2013) it was found that perceived psychological contract breaches are positively related to employees experiencing emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion, known as burnout. This can be seen in the education industry as Cantisano, Domínguez & García (2007) determined that teacher burnout is a direct consequence of breach of psychological contract.
Employees being 'burnt out' can have serious implications on not only their mental and physical state but also their overall performance, work ethic, and job satisfaction. This results in difficulties for organisations such as decline in quality of work, high absenteeism and large staff turnover.
try find stats for teacher absenteeism or turnover due to psych contract breach
A study conducted on 200 secondary school teachers found a direct link between psychological contract breach and job dissatisfaction. It was found that fulfillment of promises and obligations by both teachers and their organisation would result in increased job satisfaction (Demirkasımoğlu, 2014).
The most dominant psychological contract of school teachers is relational, however there is a difference in the prevalence of relational psychological contracts between public and private schools. Private schools run as a business so part-time and short term contracts are more common, this creates a more economical and less guaranteed employee relationships resulting in a greater presence of transnational contracts (Demirkasımoğlu, 2014). As previously mentioned this can be a detriment to organisations as violations of the PC are more likely to evolve into burnout.
One major challenge that organisations face is creating structures and support for determining, negotiating and fulfilling a psychological contract IN TEACHING (underlying issue)
who is involved
Employers: schools
employees: teachers
the state: not so relevant because there is no physical contract
who expects what
what do teachers expect?
Teachers expect that the organisation will support them in their work (Dollansky, 2013)
Teachers starting out in the field develop expectations through their own experiences as students, their practice student and intern experiences and from what others have told them about the field. (Dollansky, 2013). They have preconceived assumptions about what the organisation will provide for them to support their work, and what they will give back to the organisation which includes administration, colleagues, parents and students
they will have their own classroom
there will be oppertunities for promotions or a further career in the school if they effectively contribute to the business
expect perks with promotion/experience, for example if head of department then you would expect to have your own parking space
The study found out that the teachers mostly derive their psychological contract from the treatment of employees by the school, from coworkers and supervisors in the organization, during recruitment in the organization, from formal compensation and benefits in the school and from behaviour of co-workers and supervisors.
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/c99e/f5bb440cfbf1a941918f48d2529c27eec936.pdf
what does the employer expect from the employee?
Putting in extra hours before and after work
Sacrifice personal time to complete school work (marking)
To volunteer in school activities and small activities such as lunch duty
To be of knowledge of the students home-life to an extent
To have rapport with students
To lead by example to students
To supply own stationary materials
https://search-proquest-com.elibrary.jcu.edu.au/docview/1749657149?pq-origsite=summon
Definition of the psychological contract
The psychological contract is a mutual, implicit contract between an organisation and an employee. It can be defined in relation to the promises both parties believe were made to each other prior to employment (George, 2009).
what affects peoples psychological contract expectations
culture differences
Individuals internalise the cultural values they grow up with, creating different connotations for a relationship with the employer. These are divided into categories based on status inequality/equality and individual/collectivist values across nation-wide cultures. For example, China values collectivist, whereas as Canada values individualist. (Thomas & Fitzsimmons & Ravlin & Au & Ekelund & Barzantny, 2010)
religion
Employees with religious beliefs are more likely to expect job stability and a caring work environment in their psychological contract. Prefer socioemotional (relational??) over transactional.(Ntalianis & Darr, 2005).
environment
The higher the seniority of the teachers, the more they are shaped into their work-environment. However, Sezgin (2006) reported that seniority amongst the teachers was not a significant variable which shaped how teachers fit within their school environment.
qualifications
Employees who have obtained higher educational degrees expect much more (Demirkasimoglu, 2014)
why is it important
the psychological contract is important as it sets the unspoken standards that people in the workplace believe should be in place (Guest & Conway, 2002).
The psychological contract is not a legitimate contract as there is no physical or legally binding agreement rather an implied set of expectations.
different types of psychological contracts
Traditionally there are two different types of psychological contracts, transactional and relational. Psychological contracts can be characterized as one of these two types according to their time-frame and tangibility. A transactonal psychological contract involves short term employment where performance requires mutual obligations to be specified and unambiguous, it has predominantly an economic focus.
For example...
. A relational psychological contract however is defined by long term employment where the mutual obligations are more ambiguous, social/emotional in nature and can be open ended.
eg
. (Janssens, Sels & Van Den Brande, 2003)
relevance of the psych contract on the employment relationship
affects on others
students
The affects of a psychological contract on teacher’s in the education system do not only affect the teachers themselves but post a detrimental affect on the students as well. If teacher’s expectations of the psychological contract are not met, this can affect the level of teaching being performed and therefore, flow onto affecting the student’s ability to learn.
parents
affects on the individual
A study conducted by Dollansky (2013) found that if the psychological contract is fulfilled by both teachers and the organisation then beginning teachers are morel likely to demonstrate personal and professional growth.
influences on pay and job security in the employment contract
find a point on how it influences employers specifc to schools
references
George, C. (2009). The psychological contract (pp. 3-4). Maidenhead, Berkshire: McGraw Hill Open University
Dollansky, T. (2013). The importance of the beginning teachers’ psychological contract: a pathway toward flourishing in schools. International Journal Of Leadership In Education, 17(4), 442-461. doi: 10.1080/13603124.2013.82501
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/c99e/f5bb440cfbf1a941918f48d2529c27eec936.pdf
Conway, N., & Briner, R. (2009). Understanding psychological contracts at work (p. 64). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1060456.pdf
Ntalianis, F., & Darr, W. (2005). THE INFLUENCE OF RELIGIOSITY AND WORK STATUS ON PSYCHOLOGICAL CONTRACTS. International Journal Of Organizational Analysis, 13(1), 89-102. doi: 10.1108/eb028999
https://dergipark.org.tr/download/article-file/59877
Thomas, D. & Fitzsimmons, S. & Ravlin, E. & Au, K. & Ekelund, B. & Barzantny, C. (2010). Psychological Contracts across Cultures. Organization Studies. 31. 1437-1458. doi: 10.1177/0170840610380811.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13603124.2013.825012
Janssens, M., Sels, L., & Van Den Brande, I. (2003). Multiple Types of Psychological Contracts: A Six-cluster Solution. Human Relations, 56(11), 1349-1378. doi: 10.1177/00187267035611004
Jamil, A., Raja, U., & Darr, W. (2013). Psychological Contract Types as Moderator in the Breach-Violation and Violation-Burnout Relationships. The Journal Of Psychology, 147(5), 491-515. doi: 10.1080/00223980.2012.717552
Zhao, H., Wayne, S., Glibowski, B., & Bravo, J. (2007) The Impact of Psychological Contract Breach on Work-related Outcomes: A Meta-analysis. Personnel Psychology, 60(3), 647-680. doi: 10.1111/j.1744-6570.2007.00087.x
Guest, D., & Conway, N. (2002). Communicating the psychological contract: an employer perspective. Human Resource Management Journal, 12(2), 22-38. doi: 10.1111/j.1748-8583.2002.tb00062.x
Cantisano, G., Domínguez, J., & García, J. (2007). Social Comparison and Perceived Breach of Psychological Contract: Their Effects on Burnout in a Multigroup Analysis. The Spanish Journal Of Psychology, 10(1), 122-130. doi: 10.1017/s1138741600006387
Demirkasımoğlu, N. (2014). Teachers’ Psychological Contract Perceptions and Person-Environment Fit Levels. Eurasian Journal Of Educational Research, (56), 1-24. doi: 10.14689/ejer.2014.56.1
Sherman, U., & Morley, M. (2015). On the Formation of the Psychological Contract. Group & Organization Management, 40(2), 160-192. doi: 10.1177/1059601115574944
References
Demirkasımoğlu, N. (2014). Teachers’ Psychological Contract Perceptions and Person-Environment Fit Levels. Eurasian Journal Of Educational Research, (56), 1-24. doi: 10.14689/ejer.2014.56.1
Demirkasımoğlu, N. (2014). Teachers’ Psychological Contract Perceptions and Person-Environment Fit Levels. Eurasian Journal Of Educational Research, (56), 1-24. doi: 10.14689/ejer.2014.56.1
Dollansky, T. (2013). The importance of the beginning teachers’ psychological contract: a pathway toward flourishing in schools. International Journal Of Leadership In Education, 17(4), 442-461. doi: 10.1080/13603124.2013.825012
Huberman, A. (2000). Understanding and preventing teacher burnout: a sourcebook of international research and practice. Choice Reviews Online, 37(05), 37-2908-37-2908. doi: 10.5860/choice.37-2908
Inam Ul Haq. (2011). Psychological contract and job outcomes: mediating role of affective commitment. African Journal Of Business Management, 5(19). doi: 10.5897/ajbm10.1617
Recommendations
It is important to develop a HR strategy to openly talk about and negotiate the psychological contract in schools. If shared expectancies will be negotiated between teachers and administrators, positive psychological contracts will be more common. A well-designed orientation process for new coming teachers will make the compliance process easier (Demirkasımoğlu, 2014).
It is important to ensure the psychological contract is not breached by organisational staff, this can be done by looking at the established expectations and putting stategies in place to ensure these specific things are met in order to avoid percieved breaches. this will provide benifits to not only the teaching staff but also the organisation in general
its important to establish relational psychological contracts with teachers as these prevent feelings of breaches and violations. This can be done by ensuring feelings of job security and creating interpersonal relationships with teachers to shift their view of their obligations and employment relationship from purely transactional to a subjective relationship focused one.
