Government Commitment: A Critical Cog into Teachers’ Psychological Contract for Organizational Commitment and Job Satisfaction

This study examined Government commitment as a crucial factor in teacher psychological contract, driving organizational commitment and job satisfaction in Zambian public schools. A quantitative approach with a cross-sectional descriptive survey of 278 respondents selected through stratified random sampling was undertaken. Data was analyzed by Pearson’s Product-Moment Correlation Analysis. The results showed strong associations between psychological contract and job satisfaction (r =.584, p <.001); psychological contract and government commitment (r =.682, p <.001) and psychological contract and organisational commitment (r =.639, p <.001). Ultimately, psychological contract was negatively impacted by the low level of government commitment, which eventually affected both organisational commitment and job satisfaction of the teachers. The study outcome suggests that low levels of government commitment negatively impact teachers’ psychological contract resulting in low job satisfaction and organisational commitment. This further highlights the critical role of institutional trust and integrity in policy implementation with regards to psychological contract of employees.