The mediating role of psychological contract violation in the relationship between job desperation and organizational silence: A study on teachers
Abstract
In recent years, increasing competition, heavy workloads, and administrative pressures in the education sector have placed significant strain on the psychological and professional well-being of teachers, often resulting in silence. Understanding the challenges teachers face is critical not only to protecting their well-being but also to securing students' academic outcomes and ensuring their sustainable performance. This study investigates the effect of job desperation on organizational silence among private school teachers and examines the mediating role of psychological contract violation. Data were collected from 330 teachers using a cross-sectional survey design, and the research model was tested through Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results reveal that job desperation significantly and positively predicts organizational silence. Teachers who experience a sense of uncontrollability, inadequacy, or insufficient support tend to refrain from expressing their concerns, adopting silence as a strategic self-protective response. Furthermore, job desperation significantly increases the perception of psychological contract violation, while partly mediating the relationship between despair and silence. In conclusion, this study expands the research field on organizational silence by presenting job hopelessness as a novel psychological predictor. It combines Resource Conservation Theory with Cognitive Appraisal and Coping Theory to explain the relationship between hopelessness and silence. By defining psychological contract violation as a mediating cognitive-emotional process, it clarifies how internal psychological states manifest as apparent detached behaviors.
Keywords
References
- Abramson, L. Y., Seligman, M. E. and Teasdale, J. D. (1978). Learned helplessness in humans: Critique and reformulation. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 87(1), 49-74. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/0021-843X.87.1.49
- Argon, T. and Ekinci, S. (2017). Teacher views on organizational support and psychological contract violation. Journal of Education and Practice, 8(2), 44-55.
- Arifin, H.M. (2014). The influence of competence, motivation, and organizational culture to high school teacher job satisfaction and performance. International Education Studies, 8(1), 38-45. http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/ies.v8n1p38
- Ashford, S. J., Lee, C. and Bobko, P. (1989). Content, causes, and consequences of job insecurity: A theory-based measure and substantive test. Academy of Management Journal, 32(4), 803-829. https://doi.org/10.2307/256569
- Ashraf, Z., Jaffri, A. M., Sharif, M. T. and Khan, M. A. (2012). Increasing employee organizational commitment by correlating goal setting, employee engagement and optimism at workplace. European Journal of Business and Management, 4(2), 71-77.
- Aykanat, Z. (2014) Psikolojik sözleşmenin ihlali algısında örgütsel adaletin etkisi ve etik liderin aracı değişken olarak rolü: Kalkınma ajanslarında uygulama. (Yayımlanmamış Doktora Tezi). Atatürk Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü, Erzurum.
- Bingölbalı, N. (2018). Özel okullarda eğitim alanında yaşanan problemler ve çözüm önerileri (Yüksek lisans tezi). İstanbul Gelişim Üniversitesi, Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü, İstanbul.
- Burns, M. O. and Seligman, M. E. (1989). Explanatory style across the life span: Evidence for stability over 52 years. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 56(3), 471-477. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/0022-3514.56.3.471
Details
Primary Language
English
Subjects
Strategy, Management and Organisational Behaviour (Other)
Journal Section
Research Article
Authors
Tugay Öney
*
0000-0003-2883-5889
Türkiye
Publication Date
June 25, 2026
Submission Date
January 12, 2026
Acceptance Date
March 21, 2026
Published in Issue
Year 2026 Volume: 12 Number: 2