The level of organizational power resources used by school administrators to predict secondary school teachers' passion for work

The aim of this study is to examine the extent to which organizational power sources used by school administrators predict middle school teachers' work engagement levels. The research was conducted using the relational survey model, one of the quantitative research methods. The study group consists of 312 teachers working in public middle schools during the 2019-2020 academic year. Data were collected through the "Organizational Power Sources Scale" and the "Work Engagement Scale." According to the findings, teachers reported that their administrators most frequently used legitimate power and expert power, while relying least on coercive power. It was observed that behaviors based on legitimate power, such as adherence to rules and informing teachers, were prominent, whereas the use of coercion and pressure as power strategies was found to be quite low. Teachers' work engagement levels were generally found to be high. In particular, perceiving their work as meaningful and feeling proud of what they do received the highest scores, while happiness during intensive workloads, working long hours, and difficulty in taking breaks received the lowest averages. Regression analysis results revealed that the organizational power sources used by school administrators significantly predicted teachers' work engagement. Especially the dimensions of legitimate power and expert power were found to have a positive impact on enhancing teachers' engagement. The findings indicate that the way school administrators use power is a critical determinant of teacher motivation and job satisfaction.