Perception management and emotional commitment: lessons from post-earthquake schools.

Area of Science:

• Organizational Psychology
• Educational Management
• Disaster Recovery

Background:

• Perception management by school administrators influences teacher motivation, job satisfaction, and organizational citizenship.
• Emotional commitment is a key organizational outcome positively affected by perception management.
• This study focuses on post-earthquake educational settings in Türkiye, examining the impact of perception management on teacher commitment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between school administrators' perception management practices (corporate image, identity, reputation) and teachers' emotional commitment.
• To analyze the mediating roles of corporate image and corporate reputation in this relationship.
• To understand these dynamics in schools affected by the February 6 earthquakes.

Main Methods:

• Quantitative study utilizing Structural Equation Modeling (SEM).
• Stratified sampling method with 337 teachers from Elazığ, Adıyaman, and Malatya.
• Validated scales for Corporate Image, Identity, Reputation, and Emotional Commitment were used.

Main Results:

• Corporate identity positively impacts both corporate image and corporate reputation.
• Corporate image and corporate reputation significantly enhance teachers' emotional commitment.
• The effect of corporate identity on emotional commitment is fully mediated by corporate image and reputation.

Conclusions:

• In post-earthquake schools, corporate identity must translate into tangible image and reputation efforts to foster teacher commitment.
• Perception management is vital for rebuilding organizational cohesion and teacher engagement after disasters.
• Effective communication of identity, image, and reputation is essential for enhancing emotional commitment in crisis-affected educational institutions.