The relationship between perceived organizational support, self-efficacy and professional self-esteem levels of pre-school teachers

Professional self-esteem is an important factor that determines both the professional efforts and achievements of teachers and their personal and professional satisfaction. This study examines the relationships between professional self-esteem, perceived organizational support, and self-efficacy beliefs of preschool teachers. The study was carried out with 183 (two males, 181 females) preschool teachers working in public schools affiliated to the Ministry of National Education in the central districts of Eskişehir. The data were collected in the spring term of 2018-2019 academic year with the "Arıcak Professional Self-Esteem Scale", "Perceived Organizational Support Scale" and "Self-Efficacy Scale". The data were analyzed via independent samples t-test, correlation, and regression analysis. Results showed that professional self-esteem does not differ according to the type of institution where teachers work. In addition, it was revealed that a positive meaningful relationship between professional self-esteem, organizational support, and self-efficacy. On the other hand, there is no significant relationship between professional self-esteem and professional experience. Finally, perceived organizational support and self-efficacy were the significant predictors of professional self-esteem. Moreover, results showed that perceived organizational support is the most powerful predictor of professional self-esteem. The results were discussed in the context of empirical and theoretical studies on preschool teachers.