Investigation of the relationship between emotional labor behaviors displayed by preschool teachers and the levels of alienation from the profession

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of the sub-dimensions of the emotional labor behavior displayed by pre-school teachers on the sub-dimensions of work alienation. This is descriptive study using the relational screening model, and the study sample comprises of 317 pre-school teachers working at independent public kindergartens, kindergartens that are part of a public elementary school, and private preschool educational institutions in Turkey. Data on the quantitative dimension of the study were obtained via the "Demographic Information Form", "Emotional Labor Scale", and "Work Alienation Scale", delivered to participants in paper form and also electronically via the Google Forms platform. Data analysis was done using the SPSS 21 and AMOS package programs. Totals obtained from demographic data and sub-sets of the scales were analyzed using structural equation modeling, independent samples T-test, and one-way analysis of variance. The analysis showed that the deep acting behavior of the pre-school teachers who participated in the study positively and significantly affected weakness, meaninglessness, isolation, and work alienation, while sincere behaviors significantly negatively and significantly affected weakness, meaninglessness, isolation, and work alienation. It was seen that there is no correlation between the superficial acting behaviors of the teachers who participated in the study and weakness, meaninglessness, isolation, and work alienation. The level of superficial acting by preschool teachers differed significantly by the variables of age and school type. It was concluded that the pre-school teachers at or above the age of 41 and the teachers working at private pre-school education institutions displayed superficial behaviors to a greater extent. In addition to these results, it was determined that teachers with a work experience of 16 years or more and pre-school teachers working at kindergartens that are part of a public elementary school have feelings of meaninglessness at a higher level.