Predicting the Job Performance of Physical Education Faculty Members in Practical Courses Based on Psychological Well-Being Components

Introduction

Human resources are one of the important factors for creating transformation and survival of the organization and reaching the desired goals and missions. According to Rahaman, although the progress of technology and science has created tremendous changes in the internal environment of organizations, despite this, human resources in organizations are still considered their most important capital (Zavvar et al., 2021). Educational organizations are the fundamental factor of development and progress of society in the present age. Hence, successful countries are those that have successful educational organizations.  Universities fulfill their missions and goals in line with excellence and lead the educated class of society. Since the success of educational organizations depends on the performance of its employees and faculty members are the most important organizational resources in these types of organizations, so they should be the focus of attention (Aebdi et al., 2022). Teaching has long been recognized as one of the most demanding and stressful jobs with high levels of stress, burnout and low professional well-being (Benevene et al., 2020; Mercer, 2023) and faculty members are considered as the most valuable, costly and vital elements of the university, whose feelings and needs should be at the top of research and educational programs (Li, 2021). The future of any country depends on the standard of the educational system of that country, and the educational system relies on the quality of university faculty members. The teaching profession in higher education is very challenging, where a high level of performance is required (Tunio et al., 2021).

Job performance is one of the most important criteria in industrial and organizational psychology, and its importance is completely clear for both individuals and organizations, in other words, all major activities in industrial and organizational psychology are to improve the professional performance of professionals. Job performance is an important factor in the development and promotion of organizational goals and it is knowledge that measures how to achieve the goals of an organization or institution (Namvar & Beheshti, 2015). Job performance can be defined as individual behavior that creates value for the organization and is visible and contributes to the organization's goals. In a definition, job performance means the extent to which an employee meets the expectations of the overall organizational performance (López-Cabarcos et al., 2022). Job performance is a term that refers to the quality of an employee's work (Irawati et al., 2023). And the quality and quantity of performance of organizations, especially higher education institutions, depends on the quality of the performance of each person in the organization (Rastgar et al., 2018).

Faculty members are specialists who are responsible for teaching and spreading science and knowledge in the university, and the quality and development of knowledge depends to a large extent on the performance of these members. The presence of professors with proper performance in universities as one of the pillars of education in educating students and promoting the health of society has a vital role, which in turn plays a role in preventing the emergence of a sick and unproductive society in the future (Rastgar et al., 2018). The more the faculty members provide their services with better quality and quantity, the more accelerated the development and progress of the country will be. Various researches confirm that faculty members of universities and higher education centers have different levels of productivity and performance, and this difference can be influenced by individual and environmental characteristics (Saberfarzam & Reshadatjoo, 2019).

Because the job performance of employees has a fundamental and vital role to achieve the goals of organizations, therefore, both from a theoretical and a practical perspective, understanding the factors that affect the job performance of employees is considered a very important research topic. In simpler words, it can be said that by identifying the factors that are influential and related to job performance, a better understanding of the true nature of performance can be achieved and then the field of prediction, measurement and finally the field of change of this important structure can be expanded (Mirzaie & Golparvar, 2019). The approach of positive psychology has proposed a new paradigm in the field of management and leadership, which emphasizes the strengths and positive aspects of work and employees. In this approach, special emphasis is placed on outstanding performance and identifying, developing and benefiting from individual and organizational talents and positive capacities (Namvar & Beheshti, 2015). .In recent years, a group of mental health researchers, inspired by positive psychology, have chosen a different theoretical and research approach to explain and study this concept. They consider mental health as equivalent to positive psychological functioning and have conceptualized the term psychological well-being in that format (Rahimi & Kazemzadeh, 2019).

Psychological well-being in the 21st century is the most decisive aspect that affects the quality of a person's life. Its concept was derived from the belief that health is more than freedom from physical illness (Muqodas ET AL., 2020). Psychological well-being is defined as a multidimensional psychological state with positive functioning, satisfaction, and the absence of mental illness (Sharma et al., 2022). Psychological well-being refers to a person's subjective experience of positive psychological states, such as pleasure, life fulfillment, and a sense of purpose. It is a holistic theory that encompasses various aspects of a person's mental and emotional health, including positive relationships, personal growth and development, positive self-esteem and self-acceptance, and a sense of responsibility in life. Simply put, psychological well-being is feeling good about yourself and life, having satisfying relationships and a sense of purpose, and feeling capable of managing life's challenges. It is a multifaceted construct that goes beyond the absence of mental illness and encompasses an overall sense of happiness, contentment, and satisfaction in one's life. Psychological well-being is a vital aspect of a person's overall health and happiness. It refers to a state of mind in which a person experiences positive emotions, positive psychological functioning, and a sense of meaning and purpose in life. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) defines psychological well-being as: "a state of mind in which a person can develop his or her potential, work productively and creatively, and cope with the normal stresses of life" (Dhanabhakyam & Sarath, 2023).

Psychological well-being has different dimensions, including self-acceptance, purposefulness in life, personal growth, having positive relationships with others, mastering the environment, and autonomy. Personal growth refers to the continuous process of growing and improving oneself (Ryff, 1989). This can include learning new skills, discovering new interests, and building new relationships (Lucas et al., 1996). Autonomy refers to the ability to make decisions and act in a self-determined manner (Ryff, 1989). Individuals who perceive a high level of autonomy are able to pursue their goals and interests, which can lead to improved well-being (Waterman, 1993). Positive interpersonal relationships with loved ones, friends, and romantic interests are critical to mental health (Frederick & Loewenstein, 1999). These connections provide people with emotional support, a sense of community, and support for happiness and well-being (Peterson & Seligman, 2004). An essential component of well-being is having a sense of purpose in life, or a reason for living, because it gives people a sense of direction and meaning (Argyle, 1999). If people have a specific goal, they feel more satisfied and happy (Sheldon & King, 2001). Environmental mastery refers to a person's ability to choose or create suitable environments with his/her psychological conditions, and self-acceptance emphasizes self-acceptance and past life (Garcia at al., 2014).

The characteristics and psychological states of people can affect the job performance of people. Psychological well-being can be considered according to its functional results on job performance in this field, which has been considered by researchers in different fields. Kundi et al. (2020) conducted a study with the aim of investigating the mediating role of emotional commitment between psychological well-being and job performance, considering the moderating role of job insecurity on psychological well-being and emotional commitment; Also, Aquino et al. (2020) investigated the effect of psychological well-being of employees on their duties and performance in public and private sector organizations, and Ahmed and Malik (2019) conducted a study with the aim of investigating the effect of psychological well-being on teachers' performance. Arshi and Nik-Nejadi (2020) examined job performance based on employees' psychological well-being; Also, Eskanderpour and Zalali (2017) paid attention to the relationship between psychological well-being and the job performance of Payam Noor University employees in Ardebil province, and Kavoosi et al. (2014) investigated the relationship between psychological well-being and the job performance of nurses. The results showed the positive relationship between psychological well-being and job performance, which shows that sufficient mental health of human capital is important for maintaining and superior performance.

Today, the science of psychology casts a shadow on all fields of behavioral sciences and it is used to improve human performance in all fields, including sports, education and employment (Ghasemnejad, 2011). One of the important fields that have been looked at less with a psychological approach is teaching in practical courses in physical education and sports sciences, which is considered one of the areas of activity of faculty members in the field of physical education in universities. The field of physical education is one of the university fields where students are required to take specialized sports practical courses in addition to theoretical courses (Moslehi & Davari, 2022). Physical education teachers who teach practical courses in various fields in the university should teach students the skills of the desired sports field.  In this type of course, variables such as the place of teaching and teaching processes are different from theory courses, so that the effective participation of the teacher in the implementation of skills and evaluation of students is necessary so that the results can be observed in the performance of students.  Improving the quality of teaching cannot be separated from improving the quality of teaching staff and in relation to practical courses in the field of physical education, the quality of teachers who act as sports coaches is of interest (Tahki et al., 2020). The psychological well-being of physical education teachers determines their ability to perform their duties as professional teachers. Therefore, physical education teachers should not only master the methodology, content, evaluation and goals, but also have the psychological ability to improve the emotional and motivational aspects of students. The quality of a physical education teacher is determined by his ability to manage himself and the environment and Based on this, it shows that the psychological factor is important for teacher in teaching practical courses (Baez et al., 2016; Woods & Lynn, 2014). Considering the importance of physical education practical courses for the career and academic success of physical education students and the direct influence of teachers in this field, there is a need for targeted studies in relation to the variables that can affect the occupational performance of physical education teachers.  As the research results show, psychological characteristics can affect job performance, but although teaching practical courses is different from teaching theoretical courses in many ways, so that for the success of teaching, different skills and characteristics are needed for professors, but the research background shows that no research has been done in the field of psychological well-being of physical education teachers and its relationship with job performance; Therefore, considering the importance and unique characteristics of the practical courses of physical education, in this research, the prediction of the job performance of physical education faculty members in teaching practical courses based on psychological well-being components was considered.

Research Methods

The current research is descriptive and is considered a type of correlational study in which psychological well-being variables are considered as predictive variables and job performance as a control variable. The statistical population in the present study consists of faculty members of physical education. Morgan's table was used to estimate the sample size, which were estimated 384 statistical samples by considering the unlimited statistical population. In this research, sample people were selected using available sampling method.

To measure psychological well-being, Ryff's psychological well-being questionnaire (1998) was used. This questionnaire has 84 the question and all 14 questions fall into a specific subcategory, and there are 6 subcategories in total, which include: self-acceptance, purposefulness in life, personal growth, having a positive relationship with others, mastering the environment, and autonomy. In order to measure the job performance of faculty members in teaching practical courses in the field of physical education, the components and evaluation indicators of physical education teachers (Salimi & Moslehi, 2016) were used.  The validity of these questionnaires were checked and confirmed by experts and their reliability through Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Regarding both questionnaires, the overall reliability of the questionnaires was estimated to be higher than 85%, which shows the overall coherence of the questionnaires. Finally, the physical education teachers' job performance assessment questionnaire in practical courses including 33 components was approved. Participants answered the questions of the research on a 5-point scale. 

Regression tests are used when the researcher intends to examine the effects of variables as predictor variables on the dependent variable. In the stepwise regression method, variables are entered step by step to determine which predictor variable can better predict the control variable; therefore, according to the objectives of the research, Stepwise regression was used to determine the possibility of predicting the job performance of faculty members through psychological well-being components. SPSS 22 software was used for data analysis.

Findings

The demographic information of the sample is described in order to know the nature of the statistical samples from which the research data was extracted. The demographic information of the statistical sample in the present study can be seen in Table 1.

Table 1- Description of the statistical sample

Before analyzing the data, the normality of the data was checked using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, the results of which are presented in Table 2.

Table 2- Data normality test results

Descriptive information of research variables and Pearson correlation test results between psychological well-being components and job performance are presented in table 3.

Table 3- Descriptive information of research variables and Pearson correlation test results

Correlation intensity at a significance level of 0.001

As the results of table 3 show, all components of psychological capital have a positive and significant relationship with the professional performance of physical education professors in teaching practical courses.

In order to investigate the extent to which psychological well-being can predict professors' job performance, first, the independence of errors was examined through Durbin-Watson's test.

Table 4- Checking the independence of errors by Durbin-Watson test

The Durbin-Watson statistic of the variables of this research was obtained between 1.5 and 2.5, which indicates the appropriate independence of the research variables. Stepwise regression analysis was used to predict faulty members' job performance by psychological well-being, the results of which are presented in Table 5 to Table 7.

Table 5- Model Summary

Table 6- Linear regression analysis of variance

Table 7- Coefficients test results from stepwise regression analysis

As the results of the stepwise regression show, only 4 components of psychological well-being, including environmental mastery, positive relationships with others, personal growth, and self-acceptance, are capable of predicting the job performance of faculty members in teaching practical courses.

Discussion

For a long time, scientists and researchers have adopted a positive approach to human resource management, and psychological well-being is one of the areas of interest in this sector. People with high levels of psychological well-being usually show higher levels of self-esteem and emotional intelligence, which improves a person's professional and personal performance (Neisi et al., 2011). In the current research, the prediction of the job performance of physical education faculty members in teaching practical courses based on the psychological well-being components was considered as one of the proposed subjects in positive psychology. Based on the results of the stepwise regression, the four components of mastering the environment, positive relationship with others, personal growth and self-acceptance as components of the psychological well-being of physical education faculty members, which can predict the job performance of them in teaching practical courses. In this regard, as the research results of Kundi et al. (2020), Wright et al. (2007) and Alvi (2017) show, psychological well-being of employees increases job performance. In the current study, positive relationships with others were introduced as one of the predictors of professors' job performance in teaching practical physical education courses. Ryff (1989) defined positive relationships with others as warm and trusting interpersonal relationships and strong feelings of empathy and affection (Christopher, 1999). It is widely accepted that social relationships and contacts are an important part of people's lives. People are primarily social beings who seek contact with other people as well as strong emotional relationships. Social relationships have been essential in the development of our species, and their role in human survival is widely documented and generally accepted. Of course, social relations affect people at different levels and in different ways. Over the past decade, many research findings have highlighted the fact that social relationships are closely related to longevity, physical health, career success, and well-being (Holt Lunstad & Smith, 2012; Keyes, 2007). People who are more socially active and experience more supportive and empowering relationships have better mental health, higher levels of subjective happiness, and lower disease and mortality rates. People score high on well-being when they have warm and satisfying relationships trust others, care about others' well-being. They are capable of empathy, tenderness, emotional closeness and mutual experience of human relations. On the contrary, a person who has few close and reliable relationships, has difficulty being open, warm and interested in others, is isolated and frustrated with his relationships and is unwilling to compromise (Mertika et al., 2020). As Carmeli (2009) results show, interpersonal relationships between colleagues in turn lead to increased job performance. In teaching practical courses, high-quality training requires continuous communication between the instructor and the student to teach sports techniques and skills, fix problems and improve the technique, and encourage students to improve their skills. Effective education depends on the correct use of communication skills (Ghadami et al., 2007) and creating positive relationships is one of your most important skills in this field; In this case, facing the positive interactions created in the student-teacher relationship, the students are motivated and willing to improve their skills.

Environmental mastery was identified as one of the components of psychological well-being affecting the job performance of faculty member in teaching practical sports courses. Environmental mastery is related to the ability to manage the environment and the ability to choose and create suitable contexts for one's needs (Opree et al., 2018). People who have good environmental mastery create a surrounding environment to satisfy their needs and desires (Vázquez et al., 2009). Mastery of the environment presupposes a particular view of the world in cultures that see the world as part of the larger natural order, harmony and adaptation to one's environment is promoted. For example, in Bali, surrendering to the will of the gods is seen as an appropriate response to hardship and life in general. Although Americans are encouraged to pursue goals of their own choosing by trying to control or master their environment, many non-Western cultures support adaptation to the social order (Christopher, 1999). The results of Yılmaz (2022) showed that environmental control has a positive and significant effect on employee performance. People who have good environmental mastery create a surrounding environment to satisfy their needs and desire that according to Maslow's pyramid, by satisfying the needs and desires at any level, a person can go to a higher level, and this can bring a person to the stage of self-actualization, which can improve the quality level and performance of professors.

Ryff (1989) defined personal growth as the continuous goal of developing one's potential, growing and expanding as a person. In the models of humanistic, human growth is understood as a basic condition for solving psychological problems, a way for human communication and adaptation. From the point of view of the behavioral process, personal growth requires the development of social psychological competence, which means the development of a person for the environment around him. Such personal growth is expressed in solving specific problems, mastering social and psychological skills and techniques, and interpersonal communication (Timasheva, 2018). As the results of Kavoosi et al.'s research (2014) on the relationship between psychological well-being and job performance of nurses showed that only two variables of personal growth and purposefulness of life were included in the regression equation, so that personal growth explains 8% of the variance of job performance. Also, the research results of Yılmaz (2022) showed that personal growth has a positive and significant effect on the performance of employees. Today, the programs for the growth and development of academic staff members are considered among the new strategies in order to preserve and improve the knowledge and performance of faculty members, which have been used by most of the countries in the last few decades. It has been done in order to improve the academic ability of the faculty members to perform their professional duties in various fields of education, research and management-executive activities create a suitable platform for creating transformation in the educational system (Anbari & Zarinfar, 2013). The personal growth of the professors in the specialized field can improve the capabilities and skills of the individual for teaching, which can ultimately bring the quality of the faculty members’ performance in teaching.

Self-acceptance appears as a central feature of positive psychological functioning and is simply self-recognition. It is the recognition that everything about you is a fact. It is the realization within yourself that this whole you is a reality, whether you like the different aspects of yourself or not (Bernard et al., 2013). In this regard, the research results of Shanmugam & Ganapathi (2019) showed that self-acceptance has a positive and significant effect on the performance of employees. Also, environmental mastering, self-acceptance, purpose in life and positive communication with others have a positive and significant effect on the job performance of employees. In teaching practical courses in a quality and professional way, it is necessary for faculty members to have the capabilities and skills of the sports field and to be able to implement them as a professional model for students, which requires self-confidence, which can be derived from a positive attitude towards oneself.

Conclusion

Based on the results of the present research, the psychological well-being of physical education faculty members can affect their job performance; therefore, according to this, considering the indicators of selection and evaluation of them by considering the components of psychological well-being can lead to the improvement of the quality of education in practical courses. Due to the fact that psychological well-being components can be affected by variables such as gender, it is suggested to conduct researches considering control variables.

Acknowledgments

We are also grateful to everyone who helped us in conducting this research.

Conflicts of Interest

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Funding

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.