Organisational antecedents of teachers’ perceived time capacity to energise effort: A Norwegian study

Abstract

Time capacity is defined here as the individual teacher’s perceived time for professional development (e.g., the capacity to develop and renew oneself as a teacher). The pressure of paperwork on the individual teacher should not be so demanding that it goes beyond the teacher’s time for professional development. The purpose of this paper is to explore factors influencing teachers’ individual time capacity at schools that report to external accountability systems. The methodology involved was a cross-sectional survey of 243 teachers from 11 schools in a Norwegian municipality. Structural equation analysis indicates that clear leadership and teacher-principal trustships influence teachers’ perceived time capacity mainly as mediated effects via social exchange. Implications for school practice and directions for future research are discussed.

Key Words:

• capacity
• leadership
• teachers’ work
• teachers’ experiences