How can human values influence work engagement among teachers? an exploratory study

Human values provide essential insights into how personal characteristics can help build a more positive work environment within an educational context, impacting variables such as organizational commitment and satisfaction with university life. However, it is still unknown to what extent values can help to influence the teachers’ level of work engagement. That is, whether specific values can lead people to present a higher motivation at work. Therefore, we conducted one study (N = 345; Mage = 36.45, SDage = 10.33) to assess teachers’ associations between human values and work engagement. We used the Basic Values Survey and the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale. To evaluate the data, we checked the associations between the variables using Pearson’s correlations and whether human values could significantly predict work engagement using hierarchical regressions. Our results showed that all values significantly correlate to the work engagement dimensions. However, only interactive values (e.g., affectivity, belonging, support), characterized by the motivation to develop and maintain relationships with others, significantly predicted work engagement. Such findings highlight the importance of an environment that allows the development and maintenance of relationships between teachers and their peers and students, favoring a more excellent state of mind towards their work and enhancing their motivation to do their job. We are confident that our research brings novelty to the literature on work engagement, providing the first assessment of human values’ impact on teachers’ motivation towards work.