Emotional Functioning as a Mediator Between Teacher Motivation and Job Engagement Among Public Secondary School Teachers

This study examined the mediating effect of emotional functioning on the relationship between teacher motivation and job engagement among public secondary school teachers in the Division of Sarangani, Philippines. Using a quantitative descriptive-correlational research design, data were gathered from 126 permanent public secondary school teachers through total enumeration sampling. Adapted and validated survey questionnaires were utilized to measure teacher motivation, emotional functioning, and job engagement. Statistical tools employed included mean, standard deviation, Pearson Product-Moment Correlation, and mediation analysis using JASP software. Findings revealed that teacher motivation was high (M = 3.89, SD = 0.36), indicating that teachers were highly motivated in terms of personal efficacy, interest, effort, teaching efficacy, and outcome efficacy. Emotional functioning was also found to be high (M = 3.93, SD = 0.37), showing strong emotional awareness, emotional management, and interpersonal relations among teachers. Likewise, job engagement obtained a high level (M = 3.88, SD = 0.33), demonstrating teachers’ active physical, emotional, and cognitive involvement in their professional responsibilities. Correlation analysis showed that teacher motivation had a significant positive relationship with job engagement (r = .29, p = .002) and emotional functioning (r = .24, p = .011). Emotional functioning also showed a significant moderate positive relationship with job engagement (r = .40, p < .001). Mediation analysis revealed that emotional functioning partially mediated the relationship between teacher motivation and job engagement, with a significant indirect effect (β = 0.083, p = .020) and direct effect (β = 0.205, p = .013). The findings emphasize the importance of emotional functioning as a psychological mechanism that strengthens teachers’ engagement in their work.