The Relationship Between Teacher Self-Efficacy, Work Engagement and Job Demands/Resources in Academic Librarians Who Provide Instruction

Abstract

Work engagement (WE) is an important construct that has been shown to have a positive impact on a wide range of job-related outcomes including enthusiasm, motivation, commitment, and both physical and mental health. Research has suggested that personal resources like self-efficacy as well as job specific demands and resources can impact WE; however, very little research has taken place among academic librarians. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between WE and teacher self-efficacy (TSE) among academic librarians who teach and then explore perceptions of job demands and resources among a subset of participants with either very high or very low WE.

This study used a mixed-methods research design. In the first phase, academic librarians who teach at large research-intensive universities were surveyed to determine levels of WE and TSE, and those results analyzed to determine the relationship between the two concepts. Average WE scores were ranked to generate lists of those with very high and very low levels of WE. For the second phase, purposeful sampling was used to invite a diverse group from the high and low lists for interviews. Thirteen interviews were held and transcripts of the interviews were analyzed to develop codes and themes related to job demands and resources.

This study found a significant positive relationship between TSE and WE. Participants from both the high and low WE groups identified many of the same job demands and resources. The main differences were that high WE participants offered solutions to the demand of lack of time and saw library and campus administrators as a resource.

Establishing a significant positive relationship between TSE and WE suggests that interventions that are successful in improving TSE may also improve WE. The finding that high WE participants engaged in crafting solutions to at least one excessive demand suggests that interventions to improve job crafting skills may help improve WE. Future research could quantitatively examine the impact of interventions intended to improve job crafting among academic librarians.