Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
Associate Professor of Educational Management, Department of Educational Sciences, University of Birjand, Birjand, Iran
2
Department of Educational Sciences, Faculty of Behavioral Sciences, University of Birjand, Birjand, Iran
3
Department of Educational Sciences, Faculty of Behavioral Sciences, University of Birjand, Iran
10.22098/pbeo.2026.19146.1079
Abstract
In the contemporary era, teachers require new knowledge, skills, and attitudes for effective teaching, which is largely facilitated by innovative behavior. Various factors influence teachers' innovative behaviors; this study examines the role of job motivation in innovative behavior, mediated by job belonging, among elementary school teachers in Birjand. The research method was descriptive-correlational. The statistical population consisted of all elementary school teachers in Birjand during the academic year 1401-1402 (900 individuals). The sample size was calculated as 269 based on the Krejcie and Morgan (1970) table for a population of 900; however, 280 questionnaires were distributed to account for potential non-response, and 280 valid responses were ultimately analyzed. Sampling was conducted using a multi-stage cluster method: Birjand city was divided into three geographical zones (north, south, and center), schools were randomly selected from the official list of elementary schools in each zone (provided by the Birjand Education Department for the 1401-1402 academic year), and all teachers from the selected schools were included. The distribution of gender, teaching experience, and educational qualification across the three zones was similar to the population, with no significant differences observed (p >0/05). Data were collected using standardized questionnaires: Kanter's (1988) Innovative Behavior Questionnaire, Herzberg's (1966) Job Motivation Questionnaire, and Jalilian's (1395) Job Belonging Questionnaire. Face and content validity were confirmed by a panel of experts in educational management and educational psychology. The questionnaires of Kanter and Herzberg were adapted through a back-translation process for cultural equivalence, and their construct validity had been previously established in Iranian teacher populations. Reliability (Cronbach's alpha) in the present study was 0/92, 0/86 and 0/89 respectively. Data were analyzed using regression and path analysis at a significance level of 0/05. Results indicated that the direct initial relationship between job motivation and innovative behavior was weak and non-significant; however, in the full model with job belonging as mediator, this relationship became significant, with job belonging playing a mediating role (indirect effect = 0/20).
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