A two-wave longitudinal mediation study of the relationships between organizational ostracism, future anxiety, and work engagement among teachers

Abstract Teachers’ work engagement plays an important role in terms of students receiving a healthy education and the sustainability of educational processes. However, most of the studies on work engagement have been conducted using cross-sectional designs. The fact that the long-term effects of tea...

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Main Authors: Bertan Akyol, Sinan Okur, Cemal İyem
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-08-01
Series:Scientific Reports
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-12922-7
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author Bertan Akyol
Sinan Okur
Cemal İyem
author_facet Bertan Akyol
Sinan Okur
Cemal İyem
author_sort Bertan Akyol
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Teachers’ work engagement plays an important role in terms of students receiving a healthy education and the sustainability of educational processes. However, most of the studies on work engagement have been conducted using cross-sectional designs. The fact that the long-term effects of teachers’ work engagement, which is a fundamental element of education, have not been examined creates a significant gap in the literature. This study aimed to examine the longitudinal relationship between organizational ostracism, future anxiety, and work engagement in teachers. The longitudinal mediating role of future anxiety in the relationship between organizational ostracism and work engagement was examined with a two-wave cross-lagged panel model in a Turkish sample (N = 387). The results revealed that future anxiety played a partial longitudinal mediating role in the relationship between organizational ostracism and work engagement. The findings proved that teachers who experienced organizational ostracism felt anxiety about the future in the long term, and this decreased work engagement. Understanding the long-term dynamics of teachers’ work engagement in the context of organizational ostracism and future anxiety enhances conceptual and practical understanding of this issue.
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spelling doaj-art-8b899cf562f74e45bdafae64783a8f9f2025-08-20T03:43:26ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-08-0115111010.1038/s41598-025-12922-7A two-wave longitudinal mediation study of the relationships between organizational ostracism, future anxiety, and work engagement among teachersBertan Akyol0Sinan Okur1Cemal İyem2Department of Educational Administration, Faculty of Education, Aydın Adnan Menderes UniversityDepartment of Educational Sciences, National Defense University, Turkish Air Force AcademyDepartment of Human Resources Management, Faculty of Business Administration, Aydın Adnan Menderes UniversityAbstract Teachers’ work engagement plays an important role in terms of students receiving a healthy education and the sustainability of educational processes. However, most of the studies on work engagement have been conducted using cross-sectional designs. The fact that the long-term effects of teachers’ work engagement, which is a fundamental element of education, have not been examined creates a significant gap in the literature. This study aimed to examine the longitudinal relationship between organizational ostracism, future anxiety, and work engagement in teachers. The longitudinal mediating role of future anxiety in the relationship between organizational ostracism and work engagement was examined with a two-wave cross-lagged panel model in a Turkish sample (N = 387). The results revealed that future anxiety played a partial longitudinal mediating role in the relationship between organizational ostracism and work engagement. The findings proved that teachers who experienced organizational ostracism felt anxiety about the future in the long term, and this decreased work engagement. Understanding the long-term dynamics of teachers’ work engagement in the context of organizational ostracism and future anxiety enhances conceptual and practical understanding of this issue.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-12922-7Organizational ostracismFuture anxietyWork engagementLongitudinal mediation
spellingShingle Bertan Akyol
Sinan Okur
Cemal İyem
A two-wave longitudinal mediation study of the relationships between organizational ostracism, future anxiety, and work engagement among teachers
Scientific Reports
Organizational ostracism
Future anxiety
Work engagement
Longitudinal mediation
title A two-wave longitudinal mediation study of the relationships between organizational ostracism, future anxiety, and work engagement among teachers
title_full A two-wave longitudinal mediation study of the relationships between organizational ostracism, future anxiety, and work engagement among teachers
title_fullStr A two-wave longitudinal mediation study of the relationships between organizational ostracism, future anxiety, and work engagement among teachers
title_full_unstemmed A two-wave longitudinal mediation study of the relationships between organizational ostracism, future anxiety, and work engagement among teachers
title_short A two-wave longitudinal mediation study of the relationships between organizational ostracism, future anxiety, and work engagement among teachers
title_sort two wave longitudinal mediation study of the relationships between organizational ostracism future anxiety and work engagement among teachers
topic Organizational ostracism
Future anxiety
Work engagement
Longitudinal mediation
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-12922-7
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