Labor As The Mediator for the Structural Relationship Between Emotional job Demands and Teaching Satisfaction and Performance: the Moderator Role Of Emotional Intelligence

AbstractIntroduction: The aim of the present study was to test the structural model of emotional job demands, teaching satisfaction and the performance of teachers with the mediatory role of emotional labor and the moderator role of emotional intelligence.Method: The participants were 432 (227 first set and 205 second set) teachers of Qazvin which were chosen through stratified random sampling. All of them completed the emotional labor and teaching satisfaction questionnaire of Yin and the performance questionnaire of Paterson. Data were tested through the modeling of structural equations. Findings showed that the measurement model for the emotional labor is valid with three markers of surface action, deep action and natural expression of emotion.Results: Teachers’ understanding of emotional job demands had a direct structural effect on the application of emotional labor strategies by the teachers (GA= -0.28, t = -3.02, P<0.01). Teachers’ understanding of emotional job demands had an indirect effect on the teaching satisfaction through the strategies of emotional labor (Sobel test =3.43, p<0.001). Also, teachers’ understanding of emotional job demands had an indirect effect on teachers’ performance with the mediator role of emotional labor strategies (Sobel test= 3.14, p<0.001). The application of the emotional labor strategies had a direct effect on the teaching satisfaction (BE= -1.09, t= -19.01, P< 0.001) and teachers’ performance (BE= -1.17, t= -5.08, P<0.01). Teaching satisfaction had a direct effect on teachers’ performance (BE= -0.39, t=2.38, P<0.01).Conclusion: Emotional intelligence significantly moderated the structural relationship between teachers’ understanding of emotional job demands, the use of emotional labor strategies, teaching satisfaction and performance. This is while, in this model the measurement of emotional labor did not play a moderator role. Emotional job demands and emotional labor strategies were effective antecedents for performance and teaching satisfaction of teachers, especially teachers with high emotional intelligence. Job satisfaction and performance of the teachers should be studied considering the individual factors such as the emotional job demands, emotional labor strategies and the role that emotional intelligence plays.