Mediating Effect of Teachers’ Job Satisfaction on the Link between Principal Path Goal Leadership Behaviors’ and Teachers Job Motivation in Government Secondary Schools in Wollega Zones, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia

Abstract

The Study examined the mediate role of teachers’ job satisfaction in the relationship between school principals' path-goal leadership behavior and teachers’ job motivation in government secondary schools across the wollega zones of the Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia. A quantitative research design was employed. Utilizing stratified proportional sampling, 26 government secondary schools were selected. From these schools, teachers were selected using random sampling techniques.  Data were collected using questionnaires. The collected data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) via AMOS software. The structural model demonstrated a robust fit to the data (CMIN/df=1.506, GFI=0.924, CFI=0.953, TLI=0.949, and RMSEA=0.046). The path goal analysis revealed that principal path goal leadership behavior exerted a significant positive, direct effect on both teachers' job motivation (β=0.300, p<0.05) and job satisfaction (β=0.149, P<0.05). Conversely, teachers' job satisfaction has a significant negative direct relationship with job motivation (β=-0.183, p<0.05). Crucially, bootstrap resampling (5000 samples) confirmed that job satisfaction acts as a statistically significant inconsistent mediator (β=0.027, 95% BC CL:0.020   to 0.140) between leadership behavior and job motivation. Because the direct effect (β=0.300) and indirect effect (β=-o.o27) possess opposing signs, the total effect of leadership behavior on motivation was suppressed to β=0.273. These finding, implies while a principal path goal leadership behavior serves as a powerful catalyst to boost both motivation and satisfaction. Independently, the resulting job satisfaction structurally overturns the leadership behaviors’ overall impact on work motivation. Secondary school principals should carefully recognize how specific leadership actions simultaneously drive these two related but distinct psychological constructs in the school environment.