An analysis of organizational commitment, civil society perceptions, and union attitudes of teachers in Türkiye

Teachers’ unions are among the strongest non-governmental organizations in Türkiye, as in many countries. This study examined teachers’ organizational commitment to unions, their attitudes towards unions as civil society organizations, and their expectations from these unions. This mixed-method study was conducted with 304 teachers. In the study, three different scales were employed, followed by semi-structured interviews. Results showed that teachers want to establish union relationships based on professional interests. They found teachers’ unions inadequate, and male teachers tended to display higher normative commitment and interest in unions than female teachers. Additionally, administrators exhibited greater organizational commitment and interest in unions than teachers. Emotional commitment was solely linked to professional seniority. It was observed that unions were not perceived as civil society organizations in Türkiye, and teacher union members held more negative opinions about civil society organizations in general. It is recommended that the factors influencing different union preferences and loyalty relationships with various unions in Türkiye be examined through in-depth qualitative interviews, and education unions conduct member profile studies.