Exploring the effects of job crafting on subjective well-being amongst South African high school teachers

Abstract: Job crafting refers to the process of shaping one’s job characteristics to bring about greater satisfaction, engagement, and meaningfulness. Teachers need to craft their work continuously to effectively deal with the highly complex and demanding nature of their work. The study’s aim was to investigate the relationship between job crafting and subjective well-being amongst South African high school teachers, where subjective well-being comprised psychological meaningfulness and work engagement. The potential mediating effect that psychological meaningfulness had on the relationship between job crafting and work engagement amongst teachers was further explored. Using random sampling, a quantitative, cross-sectional survey design was used and administered to a sample of South African teachers situated in the Gauteng province (N = 251). The Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-9 item), the Psychological Meaningfulness Scale (PMS), and the Job Crafting Scale (JCS) were employed. Structural equation modelling was utilised to assess the interrelationships between the main research constructs. In addition, standardised regression was used to test the mediating role of psychological meaningfulness. Results confirmed a positive relationship between job crafting, psychological meaningfulness, and work engagement. Furthermore, psychological meaningfulness mediated the relationship between job crafting and work engagement. The study’s findings highlight the necessity for teachers to engage in job crafting behaviours. Limitations and recommendations for future research are presented. Keywords: Job crafting, teachers, subjective well-being, work engagement, psychological meaningfulness, South Africa.M.Com. (Industrial Psychology