Zest for Work in Physical Education and Sport Teachers’ Perceptions of Success
Istanbul Aydın University, Faculty of Sport Sciences, İstanbul, Turkey
Abstract
The aim of the study is to determine the effect of zest for work on physical education teachers' perceptions of success and examine it together with some demographic variables. The study is a descriptive study using relational screening design. The sample of the study consists of 402 physical education teachers, 38% (n: 151) female and 62% (n: 251) male, employed within the Ministry of National Education in Ankara and it was selected by stratified sampling method. The "Perception of Success Scale" and the "Zest for Work Scale" developed by Erdoğan (2013) were used to measure physical education teachers' perceptions of success and their zest for work levels, respectively. Analysis of the data was conducted via SPSS 21 package program. Significance level was taken as p<.05. According to the results of the study, physical education teachers' zest for work levels significantly predicted their perceptions of success. There was a positive and significant relationship between physical education teachers' perceptions of success and their zest for work levels. It was found a positive and significant relationship between physical education teachers' perceptions of success and their ages. Physical education teachers' perceptions of success and their zest for work levels showed a significant difference in favor of female teachers according to the variable of gender. There was no significant difference between physical education teachers' zest for work levels and their ages and the level of institution. It was found no significant difference between physical education teachers' perceptions of success and the level of institution.
Keywords: Physical education teacher, Perception of success, Zest for work, Teacher, Physical education, Education
Physical education teachers are responsible for the cognitive, affective and psycho-motor developments of their students (Thomas and Coral, 1982; Tamer and Pulur, 2001; Yetim, 2005) . There is a vital link between physical development and mental, social and emotional development. The investment made for children's physical health can also be considered as an investment for their mental, social and emotional developments ((Thomas and Coral, 1982; Ozakpınar, 1987; Yetim, 2005) . It is aimed to raise healthy individuals by gaining a lifelong sports habit to children in physical education courses (Günışık, 1973; Ozmen, 1999; Kale and Ersen, 2003) . Besides, Demirhan (2003) emphasizes that the basic functions and goals of physical education is to provide mental development and emotional balance, to socialize the individual by providing more productivity, to gain the individual the ability to solve the problems to be encountered in life, to make the individual adapted to nature, to make the individual realize himself, and to gain the individual body culture, and to provide social integration around the ideals. In this context, physical education teachers are among the most important parts of the education system. Thus, it is important for physical education teachers to maintain their profession happily and successfully in terms of the development and success of their students. In this context, the variables that will enable the physical education teachers to carry out their professions happily and successfully must be well known. In recent years, in the studies of education, it has been shown that teachers' positive attitudes are associated with their achievements (Erdoğan, 2013; Sezgin and Erdogan, 2015; Karaçam, 2016; Karaçam et al., 2017) . Therefore, the perception of success and zest for work, which are among the variables of positive psychology, were emphasized in the present study.
The term "success" varies significantly depending on what is understood from this concept (Demirtaş and Çınar, 2004). However, it is clear what is understood from the term "successful teacher" (Sezgin and Erdogan, 2015). According to Seker et al. (2005) teachers with competencies such as mastery in the field, personality traits, teaching, classroom management, planning, evaluation, technological awareness, communication, and guidance are thought to be desirable and successful teachers. On the other hand, for a physical education teacher, it is considered that a successful teacher should have a fit body, the competence to do the necessary academic orientations and a stable psychological state (Thomas and Coral, 1982; Martens, 1998; Tamer and Pulur, 2001; Demirhan, 2003) . Concerns about the future of education are directly related to those who prefer to be engaged in the field of education. In this context, it is important to know the factors that affect teachers' perceptions of success positively or adversely (Bresnahan, 1997).
The term "pleasure" derived from positive psychology is a concept that has recently been introduced into educational sciences. For all professions, the idea of pleasure can be associated with the job. Pleasure foresees the job satisfaction and the life satisfaction (Hoy and Tarter, 2011). Job satisfaction is defined as a pleasant or positive emotional state resulting from an individual's job or work experiences (Lent and Brown, 2006). Life satisfaction can be mentioned as a general feeling of well-being (Lent et al., 2011). The characteristic that distinguishes the concept of zest for work from job satisfaction is vitality. Vitality is related to certain positive feelings like happiness, interest, and enthusiasm. Vitality is differed from happiness and feeling good in terms of a high level of activation or energy (Weinstein and Ryan, 2009). According to Josephson and Vingård (2007) the concept of zest for work derives from the concept of pleasure of life and means the level of enthusiasm and satisfaction from the current working condition. The concept of zest for work can be interpreted as a broader concept than job satisfaction. Besides satisfaction, it contains stronger emotions about enthusiasm and job satisfaction (Erdoğan, 2013; Sezgin and Erdogan, 2015).
When the concept of zest for work is considered, the lack of studies on zest for work in the related literature attracts attention. According to the results of a study conducted, there was a negative relationship between zest for work and job stress (Josephson and Vingård, 2007). In their studies, Erdoğan (2013) and Sezgin and Erdogan (2015) found that teachers' perceptions of success and zest for work levels were positively related to each other. In addition, Erdoğan (2013) and Sezgin and Erdogan (2015) showed that high levels of teachers' zest for work affects student achievement, and makes them feel important and followed by students in their pursuit of desired goals.
From the above studies, it can be concluded that physical education teachers’ perceptions of success and zest for work are critical. Studies reveal that the physical education teachers’ perceptions of success and zest for work levels are associated with the achievement of their students. Zest for work and perception of success will enable physical education teachers to feel important and to be followed by students in their pursuit of desired goals. For this reason, it was aimed to determine the effect of zest for work on physical education teachers' perceptions of success and the relationship with each other in terms of certain demographic variables.
2.1. Design
This study was conducted using the relational screening design. Although relational studies do not prove the existence of causality in a real sense, it is possible to make inferences about the cause-and-effect relationship by utilizing some advanced statistical techniques (Fraenkel and Wallen, 2009).
2.2. Population and Sample
The population of the study was comprised of physical education teachers who are employed in public middle schools and high schools in Ankara. The number of teachers in the population of the study is 1953 according to the data of 2016-2017 academic year. The sample was selected using a stratified sampling method. In this process, it was minded to select participants according to the ratio of the number of teachers in each district to the total number of teachers in the city center. The sample is comprised of total 402 physical education teachers 38% (n=151) female and 62% (n=251) male.
2.3. Data Collection Tools
In this study, “The Perception of Success Scale” developed by Erdoğan (2013) was utilized to measure physical education teachers’ perceptions of success, and “The Zest for Work Scale” developed by Erdoğan (2013) was utilized to measure their zest for work levels.
2.3.1. The Perception of Success Scale (PSS)
“The Perception of Success Scale” developed by Erdoğan (2013) was utilized to measure physical education teachers’ perceptions of success. The scale has 12 five-point Likert type items. According to EFA and CFA results, the variance explained for the PSS was 43.11% and Cronbach's Alpha coefficient was .85. According to EFA results, it was found that the scale items were clustered under a single factor. The results of CFA to confirm the single-factor structure of the PSS showed that the fit factor indices of the single-factor structure were acceptable. (c2/sd = 1.39, RMSEA = .05, CFI = .98, GFI = .92).
In the analyzes made for the fitness of this scale for this sample group, Cronbach's Alpha coefficient was found to be .87, while the variance explained for the PSS was 46.11%. According to the results of EFA applied to the scale, scale items were clustered in a single-factor. The CFA results for validating the single-factor structure of the PSS showed that the goodness of fit index of the model was acceptable (c2/sd = 1.38, RMSEA = .05, CFI = .95, GFI = .94).
2.3.2. The Zest for Work Scale (ZWS)
“The Zest for Work Scale” developed by Erdoğan (2013) was utilized to measure physical education teachers’ zest for work levels. The scale is comprised of 7 five-point Likert type items. There is no reverse scored item in the scale. The high score on the scale means that zest for work level is high. While the variance explained for the ZWS was 54.24%, Cronbach's Alpha coefficient was found to be .89. The EFA results showed that the items were clustered under a single factor. The results of CFA was found as c2/sd = 2.12, RMSEA = .081, CFI = .97, GFI = .94.
In the analyzes made for the fitness of this scale for this sample group, Cronbach's Alpha coefficient was found to be .88, while the variance explained for the ZWS was 56.01%. According to the results of EFA applied to the scale, scale items were clustered in a single-factor. The CFA results for validating the single-factor structure of the ZWS showed that the goodness of fit index of the model was acceptable (c2/sd = 1.38, RMSEA = .05, CFI = .96, GFI = .95).
2.4. Data Analysis
In the analysis of the data, the data set was examined from the point of error, outlier value, normality and multiple correlations. The analysis of the data was performed using SPSS 21 package program. The effect of physical education teachers’ zest for work levels on their perceptions of success was determined with the help of a regression analysis. Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient was used to determine the relationship between physical education teachers' perceptions of success and zest for work levels, and their ages. The t-test was used to compare physical education teachers' perceptions of success and zest for work levels, and the variables of gender and the grade of institution where they are employed. The significance level was taken as p<.05.
Table-1. Regression Analysis Results in the Prediction of Perception of Success
| Variable | B | Standard Error B | β | t | p |
| Constant | 29.82 | 1.73 | 17.18 | .00* | |
| Zest for work | 0.79 | 0.06 | 0.54 | 12.84 | .00* |
F = 164.92, p = .000; R = .54; R2 = .29
According to the regression analysis results in the prediction of perception of success (Table 1), it can be stated that zest for work affects the perception of success positively (R = .54, p < .05). Zest for work is accounted for 29% of the variance in the perception of success.
Table-2. The Correlation Between Physical Education Teachers’ Perceptions of Success and Zest for Work Levels
| Variables | 1 | 2 |
| 1. Perception of success | 1 | .54** |
| 2. Zest for work | 1 |
** p < .01, * p < .05
According to Table 2, there is a significant positive relationship between physical education teachers’ perceptions of success and zest for work levels. Such a result can be interpreted as that physical education teachers’ zest for work levels increase as their perceptions of success are in desired levels and vice versa.
Table-3. The Correlation Between Physical Education Teachers’ Perceptions of Success and Zest for Work Levels, and Their Ages
| Variables | n | Age |
| Perception of success | 402 | .11* |
| Zest for work | 402 | -0.03 |
** p < .01, * p < .05
According to Table 3, there is a significant positive correlation between physical education teachers' perceptions of success and their ages. Such a finding can be interpreted as that teachers' perception of success is increased as they are getting older. On the other hand, it was observed that there was no significant relationship between physical education teachers' zest for work levels and their ages.
Table-4. T-Test Results on Physical Education Teachers’ Perceptions of Success and Zest for Work Levels in terms of Gender
| Variables | Female | Male | t | sd | P | ||
| (n = 151) | (n = 251) | ||||||
| X | S | X | S | ||||
| Perception of success | 52.82 | 5.27 | 51.3 | 5.91 | 2.55 | 400 | .01* |
| Zest for work | 28.15 | 3.31 | 27.34 | 4.14 | 2.03 | 400 | .03* |
* p < .05
According to Table 4, there is a significant difference between physical education teachers' perceptions of success and zest for work levels, and their gender in favor of female participants.
Table-5. T-Test Results on Physical Education Teachers’ Perceptions of Success and Zest for Work Levels in terms of The Grade of The Institution
| Variable | Middle school | High school | t | sd | P | ||
| (n = 209) | (n = 193) | ||||||
| X | S | X | S | ||||
| Perception of success | 51.83 | 5.5 | 51.9 | 5.96 | -0.23 | 400 | 0.81 |
| Zest for work | 27.92 | 3.66 | 27.34 | 4.06 | 1.51 | 400 | 0.13 |
* p < .05
According to Table 2, physical education teachers' perceptions of success and zest for work levels do not show a significant difference in terms of the grade of the institution.
In this study, it was aimed to determine the effect of zest for work on physical education teachers' perceptions of success and the relationship with each other in terms of certain demographic variables. According to the results of the study, the regression analysis result in the prediction of physical education teachers' perceptions of success showed that zest for work affects the perception of success positively. In parallel with the study, Erdoğan (2013) and Sezgin and Erdogan (2015) concluded that zest for work influence teachers' perceptions of success.
Findings of the study showed that there was a positive correlation between physical education teachers' perceptions of success and zest for work levels. Such a result can be interpreted as that physical education teachers’ zest for work levels increase as their perceptions of success are in desired levels and vice versa. In addition, Erdoğan (2013) and Sezgin and Erdogan (2015) found a significant positive relationship between teachers' perceptions of success and zest for work levels. In this respect, the study is in parallel with other studies in the literature.
The findings of the study showed that there was a positive correlation between physical education teachers' perceptions of success and their ages. Such a finding can be interpreted as that teachers' perception of success is increased as they are getting older. Moreover, Erdoğan (2013) found a significant difference between the teachers' perceptions of success and their ages. In this respect, the study is in parallel with other studies in the literature.
It was observed that there was no significant relationship between physical education teachers' zest for work levels and their ages. However, in contrast to the study, Erdoğan (2013) and Karaçam (2016) found that teachers' zest for work levels increase as they are getting older. In this context, the results of the studies in the literature and the results of this study are different. It is thought that such a difference is caused by the unique characteristics of the sample.
It was found that there was a significant difference between physical education teachers' perceptions of success and their gender in favor of female participants. In parallel with the study, Erdoğan (2013) and Karaçam (2016) found a significant difference between teachers' perceptions of success and their gender in favor of the female participants. In this respect, the study is in parallel with other studies in the literature.
It was found that there was a significant difference between physical education teachers' zest for work levels and their gender in favor of female participants. In contrast to the study, in their study, Erdoğan (2013) and Karaçam (2016) did not find a significant difference between teachers' zest for work levels and their gender. In addition, the results of the studies on the teachers' pleasure of life were found to be contrary to the present study (Josephson and Vingård, 2007; Chan, 2009; Fagerström, 2010) . In this context, the results of the studies in the literature and the results of this study are different. It is thought that such a difference is caused by the unique characteristics of the sample.
It was observed that physical education teachers' perceptions of success did not show a significant difference in terms of the grade of the institution. In parallel with this study, Karaçam (2016) found no significant difference in physical education teachers' perceptions of success according to the grade of the institution. Therefore, the study is in parallel with the other studies in the literature.
It was observed that physical education teachers' zest for work levels did not show a significant difference according to the grade of the institution. However, Karaçam (2016) found a significant difference in favor of teachers employed in middle schools in their study conducted on physical education teachers. In this respect, the results of the studies in the literature and the results of this study are different. It is thought that such a difference is caused by from the unique characteristics of the sample.
According to the results of the study, physical education teachers’ zest for work levels predict their perceptions of success significantly. A significant positive relationship was found between physical education teachers’ perceptions of success and zest for work levels. Moreover, there was a significant positive correlation between physical education teachers' perceptions of success and their ages. There was a significant difference between physical education teachers' perceptions of success and zest for work levels, and their gender in favor of female participants. On the other hand, there was no significant difference between physical education teachers’ zest for work levels and their ages and the grade of the institution. Finally, there was no significant difference between physical education teachers’ perceptions of success and the grade of the institution.
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