新冠疫情期間危機領導、心理社會安全氛圍、死亡意識對教師工作投入的影響：教師責任感的調節作用

Impact of Crisis Leadership, Psychosocial Safety Climate, and Death Awareness on Teachers’ Work Engagement During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Moderating Effect of Teachers’ Responsibility

本研究旨在驗證新冠疫情期間危機領導對教師工作投入的關係模式，並以心理社會安全氛圍、死亡意識為中介變項，建構危機領導對教師工作投入間的多重中介效果模式。同時以責任感為調節變項，檢視心理社會安全氛圍和死亡意識與教師工作投入間的調節效果。本研究依據衛生福利部疾病管制署公布各縣市累積確認人數超過700名以上，排序前三名的臺北市、新北市及桃園市等地區的公私立國、高中教師為研究對象，依據教育部統計處公布109學年度臺北市、新北市與桃園市的公私立國、高中名冊，按不同學校規模所占之比例，進行隨機抽樣，扣除填答不完整問卷後，共692位教師參與，問卷有效回收率為69.2%。研究結果發現：一、心理社會安全氛圍對危機領導與教師工作投入之間的關係具有重要的中介作用；二、死亡焦慮可透過校長的危機領導來降低，卻無法在危機領導與教師工作投入之間的關係有其中介作用；三、通過死亡反思的中介作用，中上程度的教師責任感對危機領導與教師工作投入之間的關係才具有重要的調節中介作用。本研究根據研究結果建議：一、校長應重視心理社會安全氛圍的營造，並兼具教師身體、心理健康層面的保護；二、教師責任感對於疫情期間心理社會安全氛圍、死亡反思的悖論思維可作為未來發展危機領導理論之啟示。

Purpose

The COVID-19 pandemic presented unprecedented challenges to global education systems, necessitating an abrupt transition from traditional in-person instruction to online learning modalities, often with insufficient preparation. In such circumstances, school administrators were compelled to assume the role of crisis leaders, demonstrating empathy, decisiveness, and support. Although crisis leadership has emerged as a critical factor positively influencing teachers’ work engagement, there remains limited empirical research examining this relationship within the context of a global crisis such as COVID-19.

This study investigates two potential psychological mediators in this relationship: psychosocial safety climate (PSC) and death awareness. PSC refers to organizational environments that prioritize employees’ psychological well-being, while death awareness encompasses both death anxiety and death reflection, which may influence individuals’ motivation and work engagement. Additionally, this research examines teachers’ responsibility as a potential moderator that may strengthen or attenuate these relationships.

Specifically, this study aims to examine: 1. The impact of crisis leadership on teachers’ work engagement; 2. The mediating roles of PSC and death awareness (both death anxiety and death reflection) in this relationship; and 3. The moderating effect of teachers’ responsibility on these mediation pathways.

Literature Review

Crisis Leadership and Work Engagement

Unlike crisis management, which primarily focuses on operational aspects, crisis leadership encompasses broader dimensions including vision development and uncertainty management. Crisis leadership transcends mere decision-making and resource allocation processes. Previous research has established that effective crisis leadership significantly enhances teachers’ work engagement, particularly during challenging circumstances when motivation and commitment are susceptible to diminishment.

Psychosocial Safety Climate as a Mediator

PSC constitutes the shared perceptions of an organization’s policies, practices, procedures, and systems aimed at maintaining organizational members’ psychological well-being. As an organizational-level resource, PSC is substantially influenced by leadership attitudes and practices, making it a crucial component in enhancing organizational members’ work engagement, particularly during periods of crisis.

Death Awareness: Death Anxiety vs. Death Reflection

The COVID-19 pandemic heightened organizational members’ death awareness, which comprises two distinct but related psychological states: death anxiety and death reflection. Death anxiety represents an emotional state characterized by fear of mortality, while death reflection involves a cognitive process of contemplating life’s meaning in relation to mortality. These states interact and differentially influence work behavior–high death anxiety may reduce work engagement, whereas death reflection can potentially enhance it. Leadership plays a pivotal role in mitigating death anxiety and fostering positive work engagement during crises.

The Moderating Role of Teachers’ Responsibility

Previous research indicates that continuous exposure to negative COVID-19 news increased workplace anxiety, subsequently diminishing motivation. However, a robust sense of responsibility enables individuals to derive meaning and purpose from their work, thereby enhancing their engagement. Despite this understanding, limited research has explored whether teachers’ responsibility mitigates the negative effects of poor PSC and heightened death awareness during crisis situations.

Research Methodology

Participants and Data Collection

A structured questionnaire survey was administered among public and private high school teachers in northern Taiwan. Through random sampling methodology, 692 valid responses were collected for analysis.

Measures

The research utilized validated instruments:

1. Crisis Leadership Scale (27-item scale, adapted from Alarcon, 2021); 2. PSC Scale (12-item PSC-12 scale, adapted from Hall et al., 2010); 3. Death Awareness Scale (18-item scale measuring both death anxiety and death reflection, adapted from Jacobsen and Beehr, 2022); 4. Teachers’ Responsibility Scale (13-item scale, adapted from Lauermann and Karabenick, 2013); 5. Work Engagement Scale (9-item UWES-9 scale, adapted from Schaufeli et al., 2006)

Data Analysis

1. Descriptive Statistics and Correlation Analysis: The mean and standard deviation of each variable were computed, and relationships between variables were examined using Pearson correlation analysis.

2. Integrated Mediation and Moderation Model Analysis: The Second-stage Moderation Model was employed to examine the relationship between crisis leadership and teachers’ work engagement, incorporating PSC and death awareness as mediating variables, with teachers’ responsibility as a moderator.

Research Findings

Statistical analyses revealed the following key findings:

1. Crisis leadership significantly enhances teachers’ work engagement, confirming that effective leadership is crucial in sustaining teacher motivation during crisis situations.

2. PSC partially mediates the relationship between crisis leadership and work engagement, indicating that a positive and supportive school climate serves as a mechanism through which leadership influences teacher motivation.

3. Although crisis leadership reduces death anxiety, death anxiety does not serve as a significant mediator, suggesting that while crisis leadership alleviates existential fears, these fears do not significantly contribute to teachers’ work engagement.

4. Death reflection serves as a significant mediator, implying that teachers who engage in meaningful reflections on mortality may develop a deeper sense of purpose, positively affecting their work engagement.

5. Teachers’ responsibility moderates the mediating effect of death reflection on work engagement, with a stronger effect observed among teachers with a greater sense of responsibility. This suggests that highly responsible teachers are more likely to translate existential contemplation into positive engagement.

Discussion and Recommendations

Theoretical Implications

This study examines the complex relationships between crisis leadership, PSC, death awareness (encompassing both death anxiety and death reflection), teacher work engagement, and teacher responsibility. Empirical results confirm the mediating roles of PSC and death reflection, as well as the moderated mediation effect of teacher responsibility, contributing to the theoretical understanding of crisis leadership in educational contexts.

Practical Recommendations for School Principals

Based on these findings, the following recommendations are proposed for school leaders:

1. School leaders should prioritize the PSC. The emphasis and implementation of safety measures by leaders influence the safety behaviors adopted by teachers within school environments, which ensures their health and well-being. Future recommendations emphasize that, in addition to behavioral safety, psychological protection should be incorporated into the concept of workplace safety.

2. The role of responsibility in crisis adaptation. The paradox of responsibility is highlighted, questioning whether teachers with a strong sense of responsibility can maintain work engagement despite a poor PSC and heightened death reflection. Understanding this paradox is crucial for refining crisis leadership theories in the post-pandemic era.

Limitations and Future Research Directions

As a cross-sectional study, this research cannot establish causality, and the reliance on self-reported data may introduce subjectivity. Future studies should employ longitudinal research designs to track the dynamic evolution of crisis leadership, safety climate, and teacher engagement over time. Additionally, qualitative interviews could provide deeper insights into teachers’ real-life experiences and coping strategies during crises.