Teachers’ Social Loafing Behaviors According to Perceptions of School Principals

Year 2025, Volume: 9 Issue: 2, 287 - 312

Ömer Önder Kılıçarslan , Ali Ünal

https://doi.org/10.54535/rep.1723932

Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine teachers’ social loafing behaviors from the perspectives of school principals. Using a phenomenological qualitative design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 principals in Turkey’s Central Anatolia Region, and the data were analyzed through content analysis. The findings reveal that social loafing is primarily linked to organizational and managerial factors—such as role ambiguity, lack of supervision, low motivation, and unfair task distribution—rather than individual weaknesses. The inability to monitor individual contributions in group-based tasks facilitates loafing, while the absence of timely administrative intervention allows it to become normalized within schools. As a result, social loafing erodes trust, undermines teamwork, reduces motivation, and negatively affects the school climate. The study outlines strategies to reduce or prevent social loafing—including clarifying roles, ensuring task visibility, reducing group size, and strengthening supervision. It also provides directions for future research with larger, more diverse samples and methods.

Keywords

School principal , Social loafing , Teacher

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