Teachers’ Policy Perception and Professional Satisfaction: Examining the Moderating Role of Core Self-Evaluation

Abstract

The present study examined the relationship between teachers’ perceptions of educational policy and their professional satisfaction, with particular emphasis on the moderating role of core self-evaluation (CSE). A quantitative, descriptive-correlational research design was adopted. The sample comprised 100 teachers from secondary and higher secondary schools affiliated with the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education (WBCHSE), including 50 secondary and 50 higher secondary school teachers. Data were collected using the Teachers’ Policy Perception Scale, Core Self-Evaluation Scale, and Professional Satisfaction Scale. The instruments demonstrated satisfactory to high internal consistency, with Cronbach’s alpha coefficients of .89, .86, and .91, respectively. Content validity was established through expert judgement. The findings indicated that teachers demonstrated relatively favourable perceptions of educational policy (M = 78.46, SD = 9.21), positive core self-evaluations (M = 72.84, SD = 8.56), and generally favourable professional satisfaction (M = 69.72, SD = 7.94). Teachers’ policy perception was positively and significantly associated with professional satisfaction (r = .580, p < .001), indicating that more favourable perceptions of educational policy were related to greater professional satisfaction. Core self-evaluation was also significantly related to policy perception (r = .620, p < .001) and professional satisfaction (r = .450, p < .001). Regression analysis showed that policy perception explained 33.6% of the variance in professional satisfaction (R² = .336, p < .001). Furthermore, the interaction between policy perception and CSE was statistically significant (β = .191, t = 2.620, p = .010), contributing an additional 3.6% explained variance (ΔR² = .036, p = .017). The conditional effects demonstrated that the influence of policy perception on professional satisfaction increased from B = .278 at low CSE to B = .437 at mean CSE and B = .596 at high CSE. The findings establish that core self-evaluation significantly strengthens the positive relationship between teachers’ policy perceptions and professional satisfaction, highlighting the importance of both supportive educational policies and teachers’ psychological resources in promoting professional well-being.