Against the backdrop of the continued advancement of rural
revitalization and educational modernization, the work engagement of
rural primary school teachers not only relates to their individual career
development but also directly affects the qual...
Against the backdrop of the continued advancement of rural
revitalization and educational modernization, the work engagement of
rural primary school teachers not only relates to their individual career
development but also directly affects the quality of rural basic
education and educational equity between urban and rural areas. Based
on the Job Demands–Resources (JD–R) model, this study investigates
the effect of organizational justice on work engagement among rural
primary school teachers in China, and further examines the mediating
role of organizational identification and the moderating role of
perceived organizational support, aiming to reveal the underlying
mechanism of teachers’ work engagement.
This study adopts a questionnaire survey method for data collection.
Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, difference analysis,
correlation analysis, multiple regression analysis, structural equation
modeling (SEM), and hierarchical regression analysis. The results are as
follows. First, rural primary school teachers reported a moderately high
level
of work engagement, organizational justice, organizational
identification, and perceived organizational support. Specifically, within
work engagement, vigor and absorption were relatively high, while
dedication was relatively lower. Regarding organizational justice,
procedural justice was relatively high, whereas informational justice was
relatively low. For perceived organizational support, job support was
relatively strong, while value recognition was comparatively weak.
Second, demographic variables showed significant differences in work
engagement and organizational justice. In particular, employment status
(formal vs. non-formal employment) was a key variable influencing
both constructs, with formally employed teachers reporting significantly
higher levels overall than non-formally employed teachers. In addition,
gender, teaching experience, and grade level taught showed partial
differences across certain dimensions. Third, regression analysis
indicated that perceived organizational support did not have a
significant direct effect on work engagement; however, it exhibited a
significant moderating effect in interaction models, suggesting that it
enhances work engagement primarily by strengthening the effects of
other organizational resources. Fourth, structural equation modeling
results showed that organizational justice had significant positive effects
on both work engagement and organizational identification, and
organizational identification also had a significant positive effect on
work engagement. Fifth, organizational identification was found to
partially mediate the relationship between organizational justice and
work engagement. Sixth, perceived organizational support exerted
significant positive moderating effects on both the “organizational
justice
→ work engagement” path and the “organizational
identification → work engagement” path.
Overall, the findings suggest that improving rural primary school
teachers’ work engagement does not rely solely on individual effort
but is jointly shaped by organizational systems, perceptions of fairness,
psychological
identification,
and supportive work environments.
Organizational justice serves as a key organizational resource that
enhances work engagement both directly and indirectly through
psychological mechanisms. Meanwhile, perceived organizational support
further strengthens these effects. Accordingly, rural schools should
optimize resource allocation and decision-making procedures, improve
transparency in information communication, enhance teachers’
organizational belonging and value recognition, and strengthen job
support, emotional care, and career development support systems, so as
to continuously improve teachers’ work engagement.