Validation of a Model of the Effect of Organizational Justice on Teachers’ Job Satisfaction: The Mediating Roles of Perceived Competence and Responsibility

Marzieh  Akbarnejad Mashhadi; Kiumars Niaz Azari; Taraneh  Enayati

doi:10.61838/tmg7gf80

Authors

Marzieh Akbarnejad Mashhadi Department of Educational Sciences, Sar.C., Islamic Azad University, Sari, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8047-2213
Kiumars Niaz Azari Department of Educational Sciences, Sar.C., Islamic Azad University, Sari, Iran https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0438-5089
Taraneh Enayati Department of Educational Sciences, Sar.C., Islamic Azad University, Sari, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4642-6464

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.61838/tmg7gf80

Keywords:

Organizational Justice, Job Satisfaction, Perceived Competence, Responsibility, Teachers, Structural Equation Modeling

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to validate a structural model explaining the effect of organizational justice on teachers’ job satisfaction through the mediating roles of perceived competence and responsibility.

Methods and Materials: The study used a quantitative, cross-sectional, explanatory-correlational design. The statistical population comprised 18,000 teachers employed in the Mashhad education system during the 2025–2026 academic year. Using Cochran’s formula, 376 teachers were selected through proportionate stratified random sampling. Data were collected using a 28-item researcher-developed Teachers’ Job Satisfaction Questionnaire, the Niehoff and Moorman Organizational Justice Questionnaire, Harter’s Perceived Competence Scale, and Gough’s Responsibility Scale. Construct validity was assessed through confirmatory factor analysis, convergent validity, and discriminant validity. Reliability was examined using Cronbach’s alpha and composite reliability. Data were analyzed with SPSS version 24 and SmartPLS version 3.8 using one-sample t tests and partial least squares structural equation modeling.

Findings: Confirmatory factor analysis supported four dimensions of teachers’ job satisfaction: social, personal, professional, and organizational, ranked respectively by standardized coefficients of 0.847, 0.805, 0.548, and 0.480. One-sample t tests showed that job satisfaction, organizational justice, perceived competence, responsibility, and their dimensions were significantly above their theoretical midpoints (p < .001). Organizational justice positively predicted perceived competence, responsibility, and job satisfaction. Perceived competence and responsibility also positively predicted job satisfaction and mediated the relationship between organizational justice and job satisfaction. The model explained 89.7% of the variance in job satisfaction, 19.6% in perceived competence, and 28.9% in responsibility. Predictive relevance values were positive, and the goodness-of-fit index was 0.439, indicating strong overall model fit.

Conclusion: Organizational justice enhances teachers’ job satisfaction both directly and indirectly by strengthening their perceived competence and responsibility, with perceived competence exerting the strongest effect; therefore, fair managerial practices, professional empowerment, and supportive school environments are essential for improving teachers’ occupational satisfaction.

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