Investigating the Content of Islamic Education Community Teachers’ Psychological Contract: A Mixed Method Study

Chitsazian, Alireza; Hoseini, Mohammadreza

doi:10.30497/esi.2026.249061.2003

Investigating the Content of Islamic Education Community Teachers’ Psychological Contract: A Mixed Method Study

Document Type : Scholarly Article

Authors

¹ Assistant professor, Department of business management, financial sciences, University of Kashan, Kashan, Iran

² Master graduated in public management, Imam Sadiq University, Tehran, Iran

10.30497/esi.2026.249061.2003

Abstract

The present study aimed to analyze the content of the psychological contract of teachers in schools affiliated with the Islamic Education Society. The psychological contract, as a set of unwritten expectations and obligations between the individual and the organization, plays a fundamental role in the quality of interaction between teachers and the school institution. This study seeks to help improve understanding of the mutual relationship between schools and teachers in the Islamic cultural context by analyzing these contracts. This study was conducted with a mixed qualitative-quantitative method. A qualitative approach was used and an exploratory content analysis method was used. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with teachers, principals, vice principals, and counselors of schools in the study community at three levels of education. Participants were selected purposively and the data were analyzed and coded in several stages to extract the main themes. In the quantitative stage, the findings from the first stage were provided to them by distributing 100 questionnaires to the target community, and the findings from the first stage were examined through a sign test. Data analysis showed that the content of teachers' psychological contract includes two main dimensions: teachers' expectations from the school such as respect, managerial support, job security, organizational justice, growth opportunities, and participation in decision-making. School expectations from teachers such as adherence to Islamic values, accountability, educational quality, professional discipline, and organizational participation.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Educational Management

References

Amoah, V. S., Annor, F., & Asumeng, M. (2021). Psychological contract breach and teachers' organizational commitment: mediating roles of job embeddedness and leader-member exchange. Journal of Educational Administration, 59(5), 634-649.

Argyris, C. (1960). Understanding organizational behavior. Homewood, IL: Dorsey Press.

Ball, K., Treviño, L. K., & Sims, H. P. (2004). Just and unjust punishment: Influences on subordinate performance and citizenship. Academy of Management Journal, 47(3), 299–311.

Cavanaugh, Marcie A; Noe, Raymond A.(1999). "Antecedents and consequences of relational components of the new psychological contract". Journal of Organizational Behavior; vol 20, Nom 3. pg. 323-340.

Chubbs, D. O. (2002). "Nurses' perceptions of the impact of health care reforms, psychological contract violation, restructuring and general job satisfaction, organization commitment, and intent to stay". M.N. MQ73584, Memorial University of Newfoundland (Canada).

Dabos, G.E. and Rousseau, D.M. (2004). "Mutuality and Reciprocity in the Psychological Contracts of Employees and Employers". Journal of Applied Psychology. 89(1): 52 – 72.

Golparvar, M., Barazandeh, A., and Javadian, Z. (2012). Developing a model for predicting teachers' organizational commitment based on correlated variables: role conflict, burdensomeness, and psychological contract. A New Approach to Educational Management, 3(1), 131-144.(In Persian)

Kotter, J.P. (1973), “The psychological contract: managing the joining-up process”,CaliforniaManagement Review, Vol. 15, pp. 91-99.

Liao, C., Li, Z., & Huang, L. (2024). How does psychological contract breach affect employee silence? A moderated mediation model. SAGE Open, 14(4), 21582440241299601.

Herriot, P., Manning, W. E. G., & Kidd, J. M. (1997). The content of the psychological contract. British Journal of Management, 8(2), 151–162.

Martinez, Jose L. (2004) An examination of the relationship between perceived psychological contract violations and organizational commitment and organizational citizenship bahavior. dissertation of docroe of business administration. school of business and entrepreneurship Nova Southeastern University.

Martínez, P. (2010). Psychological contracts and organizational citizenship behavior: A study in Spanish firms. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 19(1), 91–108.

Mokhtari Dinani, M., and Nazarian Madavani, A. (2015). The relationship between perceived organizational justice, adherence to psychological contracts, and organizational citizenship behaviors of physical education teachers in the cities of Tehran province. Sports Management Studies, 7(33), 99-112. (In Persian)

Mortazavi, Saeed, Rahimnia, Fariborz, Rezaian, Ali and Chitsazian, Alireza. (2013). Understanding the content of psychological contract in faculty members (Case study: Ferdowsi University of Mashhad). Strategic Management Thought, 7(2), 99-122. doi: 10.30497/smt.2013.1703(In Persian)

Njobvu, T., & Daka, C. (2025). Psychological Contract and its Influence on Organisational Commitment and Job Satisfaction among Teachers in Zambian Public Schools. International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, 9(3s), 3345-3357.

Parzefall, Marjo-Riitta & Hakanen, Jari. (2010). "Psychological contract and its motivational and health-enhancing properties". Journal of Managerial Psychology, Vol25, no1. pp 4:21.

Sparrow, P. R. (1996). Transitions in the psychological contract: Some evidence from the UK. In R. S. Schuler & S. E. Jackson (Eds.), Human resource management in Europe. pp. 111–132.

Robinson, S. L. & Rousseau, D. M. (1994). "Violating the psychological contract: Not the exception but the norm". Journal of Organizational Behavior, 15,3; pp: 245-259.

Rousseau, D. M.(1998) "The problem of the psychological contract considered". Journal of Organizational Behavior, Vol 19(Spec), pp: 665-671.

Rousseau, D. M. (1989). Psychological and implied contracts in organizations. Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal, 2(2), 121–139.

Tekleab, A. G.(2003). "The role of realistic job previews and organizational socialization on newcomers' psychological contract development". Ph.D. 3112503,University of Maryland, College Park.

Wilkens, U. & Nermerich, D.(2011). "Love it, change it, or leave it"-Understanding Highly-skilled Flexible Workers' Job Satisfaction from a Psychological Contract Perspective". Management Revue, vol22, 65-82.