The role of work alienation, job satisfaction and socioeconomic factors in physical education and sports teachers'tendency towards alternative job sources

The purpose of this study is to examine the role of alienation from work, job satisfaction, and socio-economic factors in physical education and sports teachers' inclination toward alternative job sources. The research, conducted using a descriptive survey model, includes physical education and sports teachers working in public and private institutions in the provinces of Sakarya, Kocaeli, Düzce, and Bolu. Data were collected using a personal information form created by the researcher, Elma's (2003) "Alienation from Work Scale for Primary School Teachers," Keser and Bilir's (2019) adapted "Job Satisfaction Scale," and a "Scale for Inclination Toward Alternative Job Sources" developed by the researchers. Descriptive and inferential statistics, including t-tests, ANOVA, correlations, and mediation model analyses, were used to analyze the data. The research findings indicate that physical education teachers working in private schools experience higher levels of work alienation, lower job satisfaction, and a greater inclination toward alternative job sources. Teachers who perceive their economic situation as low and believe that the profession does not meet economic expectations exhibit significantly higher levels of inclination toward alternative job sources and work alienation, along with lower job satisfaction. Furthermore, age and the number of children inversely affect the inclination toward alternative job sources, while higher job satisfaction reduces work alienation. The study also reveals that economic expectations play a mediating role in the relationship between job satisfaction, work alienation, and physical education teachers' inclination toward alternative job sources. Based on these results, it is recommended that relevant institutions and stakeholders take into consideration the socio-economic factors that determine the effect of job satisfaction and work alienation on turning to alternative job sources.