Employee engagement of special needs teachers in Windhoek, Namibia: The moderating role of job crafting

Abstract

Orientation: Learners with disabilities can acquire from special education schools the basic knowledge and skills to enable participation in various economic and social activities. The engagement of special needs teachers is pivotal in this regard.

Research purpose: To identify the work factors that are most salient in accounting for variance in the engagement of special needs teachers in Windhoek, Namibia. To test the effects of job crafting on the relationship between identified work factors and employee engagement.

Motivation for the study: The employee engagement of special needs teachers is necessary for the enhancement of learning for persons with disabilities. If special needs teachers are not engaged, the result is a compromised delivery of quality education, which in turn adversely impacts learners with special needs.

Research approach/design and method: A quantitative research approach utilising a survey data collection technique was utilised. Correlation analysis and partial least squares were used to test the main effects on data collected from 89 special needs teachers in Windhoek, Namibia.

Main findings: Co-worker support significantly and positively impacts employee engagement. More so, job crafting has a significant moderating effect on the relationships between co-worker support and employee engagement, as well as work autonomy and employee engagement.

Practical/managerial implications: Recommendations are made on ways in which co-worker support can be enhanced and how job crafting can be conceptualised in a special education learning environment setting.

Contribution/value-add: The findings highlights co-worker support as a key variable for enhancing the employee engagement of special needs teachers.