The Influence of Psychosocial Factors on the Job Performance of Primary Teachers

Abstract

This study aims to examine the influence of psychosocial factors — family environment, school culture, and community support — on the job performance of primary school teachers in the Anuradhapura District, Sri Lanka. The study sought to (1) examine the impact of the family environment on the job performance of primary teachers, (2) investigate the impact of school culture on their job performance, (3) examine the impact of the school community on teachers' job performance, and (4) analyze the interrelationships among these three factors. Of the 32 schools in the Rambewa Division, 8 schools were selected using purposive sampling and simple random sampling. Data were obtained from 90 teachers, 40 parents, and 8 principals through a questionnaire administered to teachers and parents and interviews conducted with principals, and were analyzed using a mixed-methods approach. Self-Determination Theory and Psychosocial Development Theory served as the theoretical basis for the study, with quantitative data analyzed using SPSS software and qualitative data analyzed through thematic analysis. The Cronbach's alpha value testing the reliability of the teacher questionnaire was 0.560. The objective analysis confirmed that family support provides limited support for teachers' performance (M = 1.9827, SD = 0.5244). The school environment provides a high level of support for teachers' performance (M = 3.5444, SD = 0.12268). School community support for teachers' performance was also found to be limited (M = 1.9667, SD = 0.06961), indicating that the school community provides less support for teachers' performance. Furthermore, Pearson correlation analysis revealed no statistically significant correlations among the factors: the correlation between family support and community support was r = .097, between family support and school environment was r = .027, and between school environment and community support was r = .056. Based on these findings, the study recommends developing teacher–family counselling and support programs, appointing administratively skilled principals and expanding digital administration tools to sustain the strongly supportive school environment, and modernizing communication with parents alongside targeted community-engagement strategies — particularly in rural schools — to strengthen the otherwise limited family and community support for teacher performance.