The mediating effect of organizational justice on the relationship between school principals' servant leadership behaviors and teachers' emotional labor behaviors

The aim of this study is to determine whether teachers' perceptions of organizational justice have a mediating role in the relationship between school principals' servant leadership behaviors and teachers' emotional labor behaviors. In this context, the research was carried out with the relational survey model. The study group of the research consisted of 513 teachers working in primary, secondary and high schools in the central district of Bartın province. In the study, data were collected with Servant Leadership Scale, Emotional Labor Scale and Organizational Justice Scale. The data in the research were carried out using SPSS and MPlus softwares. In the study, it was concluded that the school principals' servant leadership behaviors were very high, teachers' emotional labor behaviors were high, and teachers' organizational justice perceptions were at a very high level, according to the opinions of the teachers. A significant difference was found in teachers' perceptions of servant leadership according to the variables of working time at school and working time with the school principal. Significant differences were found in emotional labor behaviors according to gender, age, professional seniority, working time at school, working time with the school principal and school type. Significant differences were found in the perception of organizational justice according to the variables of working time at school, working time with the school principal and school type. Positive, low-level between servant leadership behaviors and teachers' emotional labor behaviors; positive, high level between servant leadership behaviors and teachers' perceptions of organizational justice. It was concluded that there are positive and low-level significant relationships between teachers' perceptions of organizational justice and emotional labor behaviors. In addition, school principals' servant leadership behaviors affect teachers' emotional labor behaviors and organizational justice perceptions significantly and positively. It was concluded that teachers' perception of organizational justice also affects emotional labor behaviors at a significant and positive level. It was concluded that organizational justice perception has an indirect effect on the relationship between school principals' servant leadership behaviors and teachers' emotional labor behaviors.