Examination of relationship between teachers' psychological capital and autonomy levels

The purpose of the study is to examine the level of the relationship between teachers' psychological capital and autonomy levels according to teachers' perceptions. In this research, correlational survey model, one of the quantitative research methods, was used. The sample of the study consists of 425 teachers working in 77 official kindergartens, primary schools, secondary schools and high schools in Istanbul Çekmeköy district in the 2023-2024 academic year. Participants were selected by convenience sampling, one of the non-probability method types. Information Form, "Positive Psychological Capital Scale" developed by Töstan and Özgan (2014) and "Teacher Autonomy Scale" developed by Çolak and Altınkurt (2017) were used to collect the data. The collected data were analyzed with regression test, Pearson correlation test, ANOVA test and t test under the assumption of normality using the SPSS 29.0 package program. While analyzing the data related to teacher autonomy, which is the dependent variable of the study, and teacher autonomy, which is the independent variable, both the significant differences between the two variables and the significant differences according to the demographic characteristics of the participants (gender, educational status, professional seniority, type of school graduated from, educational status, type of faculty graduated from, and private sector experience) were examined. Significant difference was not found between the independent variable psychological capital and any demographic characteristics. However, it was found that confidence, which is one of the sub-dimensions of psychological capital, differed significantly according to gender, self-efficacy and extraversion differed significantly according to the type of school, psychological resilience and extraversion differed significantly according to educational status. It was found that the type of school where the teacher was employed, which was one of the demographic characteristics, had an effect on teacher autonomy. A significant difference was found between professional communication, which is one of the sub-dimensions of teacher autonomy, and professional seniority of teachers, and between teaching process and curriculum and the type of school they work in. There was a high positive relationship between psychological capital and teacher autonomy. It was found that teachers' psychological capital had a high level effect on teacher autonomy.