Influences of empowerment dimensions in an educational context : an empirical investigation amongst Maltese teachers

Abstract

The need for more decentralised and teacher-focused managerial school systems in Malta has long been felt. Although there have been attempts in the literature to address this issue within the Maltese context, empirical research in this area of empowerment has been relatively less frequent. This study investigated the relative influences of four empowerment dimensions on salient work-related outcome behaviours, namely intrinsic motivation, job satisfaction; intention to turnover, commitment and job frustration amongst a sample of 120 Maltese teachers in state schools. Multiple regression analyses were performed on the data and showed that job involvement contributed highly on nearly all outcome behaviours while decision latitude, when compared to the remaining three empowerment dimensions, hardly contributed significantly. Practical implications and limitations of the study are also included.