The effect of preschool teachers' perceptions of organizational justice on their job satisfaction and attitudes towards the profession

This study was designed using the relational survey model, one of the quantitative research methods, with the aim of determining the effect of preschool teachers' perceptions of organizational justice on their job satisfaction and attitudes towards the profession. The population of the study consists of preschool teachers working in public and private kindergartens affiliated with the Ministry of National Education in the districts of Kepez, Muratpaşa, Konyaaltı, Döşemealtı, and Aksu in Antalya, Turkey. The sample group comprises preschool teachers working in public and private kindergartens in these five central districts of Antalya during the 2023-2024 academic year. Schools included in the sample were selected through convenience sampling, while teachers were chosen using random cluster sampling. The study group includes a total of 363 preschool teachers, 272 of whom work in public kindergartens and 91 in private kindergartens. Data for the research were collected using the Personal Information Form, the Organizational Justice Scale adapted into Turkish by Polat (2007), the Minnesota Job Satisfaction Scale developed by Weiss, Davis, England, and Lofquist (1967) and adapted into Turkish by Baycan (1982, pp. 72–73), and the Attitude Scale Towards the Teaching Profession adapted for teachers by Demir (2016). The data were analyzed using SPSS 27, with a 95% confidence level. Descriptive statistics were used for data analysis. Independent samples t-test was applied to compare the arithmetic means of two groups, and ANOVA was used to determine differences among more than two groups. Post-hoc tests, including LSD and Scheffe multiple comparison tests, were employed to identify which groups differed. Correlation analysis was used to determine relationships between scale scores, and regression analysis was conducted to identify the effect of the independent variable on the dependent variables. A significance level of p < .05 was used as the basis for statistical evaluations. According to the findings of the study, it was concluded that preschool teachers have very high perceptions of organizational justice, and high levels of job satisfaction and attitudes towards the profession. When considering the type of school in which preschool teachers are employed, those working in public kindergartens were found to have higher perceptions of organizational justice, job satisfaction, and professional attitudes compared to those working in private kindergartens. Analyses based on the seniority of the preschool teachers revealed a significant difference only in their perceptions of organizational justice. According to teachers' views, there is a positive and significant relationship between organizational justice, job satisfaction, and attitudes towards the profession. Regression analysis showed that organizational justice significantly predicts job satisfaction, that organizational justice significantly predicts attitudes towards the profession, and that job satisfaction also significantly predicts attitudes towards the profession. Keywords: preschool, organizational justice, job satisfaction, attitude towards the profession