ROLES OF PERCEIVED ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT AND PSYCHOLOGICAL EMPOWERMENT ON TEACHER COMMITMENT AMONG PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS

Teacher commitment is a critical factor for improving educational outcomes, yet many teachers experience low engagement and job satisfaction due to challenges such as lack of support and limited empowerment. This study examined the roles of perceived organizational support and psychological empowerment on teacher commitment among primary school teachers. Two hundred and forty-nine (249) primary school teachers (Males 28 (11.23%) and Females 221 (88.77%)), with their ages ranging from 17 - 67 years (Mean age= 34.20; SD = 9.34) were drawn from nineteen Primary schools in Nsukka; using convenience sampling technique. Perceived Organizational Support Scale (POSS), Psychological Empowerment Scale (PES) and Teacher Commitment Scale (TCS) were used for data collection. Data analysis using Hierarchical Multiple Regression revealed that perceived organizational support was not associated with teacher commitment among primary school teachers (β = .07, p > .05). Psychological empowerment was positively associated with teacher commitment among primary school teachers (β = .57, p < .001). This finding underscores that teacher commitment is driven more by intrinsic factors like psychological empowerment, autonomy, and purpose, rather than by external organizational support. The implication of this study is that improving teacher commitment requires a more comprehensive approach, focusing on intrinsic factors like psychological empowerment, teacher autonomy, professional development, and a positive school culture, rather than relying solely on perceived organizational support.