The Role of Intrinsic and Prosocial Motivation, Perceived Organizational Support and Job Autonomy in Strengthening the Work Engagement of University Teachers

The research aims to investigate the connection between intrinsic and prosocial motivation and job involvement, as well as to confirm the role of perceived organizational support and job autonomy in this connection. Data was acquired through a questionnaire-based survey in the period from October to November 2022. The respondents were university teachers (268) from Slovak universities and colleges. The PLS-SEM method was used for the analysis of paths between variables and the analysis of direct and indirect effects using SmartPLS 3.3 software. The findings point to a positive association between the intrinsic and prosocial motivation of university teachers and their work engagement. A more prominent role is played by internal motivation, which however is currently less felt by teachers. Engaged university teachers are one of the key prerequisites for the transformation of higher education towards quality and sustainability