Is Teachers’ Perfectionism Associated With Their job Adaptation?

Abstract

The aims of this study were to develop Teachers’ Specific Perfectionism Assessment Scale (TSPAS) and School Job Adaptation Scale (SJAS) and to examine the relationship between teachers’ perfectionism and their job adaptation. The subjects of 412 school teachers (elementary and middle) were asked to answer a questionnaire composed of socio-demographic questions, teachers’ perfectionism questions and school job adaptation questions. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses and reliability analyses were conducted to develop TSPAS and SJAS. Multiple regression analyses were employed to examine the relationships between TSPAS and SJAS. The results yielded a 6-factor model for TSPAS and a 1-facotr model for TSPAS. The structural validity and Cronbach’s alpha reliability of each scale were statistically acceptable. Some of the sub-scales of TSPAS had positive and the others negative association with SJAS. The results above suggest that teachers with a high degree of perfectionism have a high risk of maladaptation. This implies that appropriate psychological interventions to mitigate their perfectionism can help teachers to better adapt in their workplace and prevent their burnout.