INVESTIGATING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN JOB CRAFTING AND WORK ENGAGEMENT LEVELS OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS

Abstract

Job crafting refers to the deliberate and proactive adjustment of one's own job responsibilities in order to enhance job satisfaction, personal development, and positive interpersonal connections in the workplace. Work engagement is the persistent commitment, excitement, and active participation of an employee in their profession. Job crafting has been consistently associated with favorable outcomes such as increased job satisfaction, enhanced productivity, and heightened work engagement. The objective of this thesis is to thoroughly investigate the correlation between job crafting and work engagement levels among English teachers in the Çukurova region in Türkiye. The study involved a total of 132 English teachers and employed a mixed research methodology that integrated qualitative and quantitative approaches. At the beginning, the study conducted surveys to gather demographic information, the Job Skills scale (Tims et al., 2012), and the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) (Schaufeli et al., 2002). Subsequently, the researcher administered a semi-structured interview comprising of seven questions to a group of 10 teachers. The study's findings indicated that the individuals exhibited higher levels of job crafting behaviors and work engagement. The study revealed stronger correlations between job crafting and demographic characteristics, whereas weaker correlations were observed between the work engagement scale and other variables. Nevertheless, a strong correlation was found between job crafting and dedication. The qualitative results of the study provided additional support for these findings, indicating that teachers demonstrate a continuous drive to enhance their job crafting behavior and exhibit a strong level of engagement to their work.