Role Stressors, Job Stress, and Organizational Commitment in China’ s Education Sector: The Moderating Effect of Job Insecurity
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Universiti Malaysia Sarawak
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This study examines the relationships among role stressors, job stress, and organizational commitment among contract-based Chinese university lecturers in Jiangsu Province. Given the rapid transformation of China's higher education sector, lecturers face substantial pressures stemming from unclear expectations (role ambiguity), conflicting demands (role conflict), and overwhelming workloads (role overload). This study investigates how these stressors contribute to job stress and affect organizational commitment, which comprises affective, normative, and continuance dimensions. Additionally, job insecurity is examined as a moderating variable to understand its role in intensifying or mitigating the relationship between role stressors and job stress. The research adopts a quantitative methodology, utilizing structured questionnaires to gather data from contract lecturers across Jiangsu Province. WarpPLS 8.0 was used to assess the research model for PLS-SEM analysis, and the findings revealed that all the proposed hypotheses were supported. The findings indicate a significant positive relationship between role stressors and job stress, suggesting that role ambiguity, role conflict, and role overload contribute to heightened job stress. Furthermore, job stress is found to have a positive effect on organizational commitment, diminishing lecturers’ emotional attachment, sense of duty, and continued allegiance to their institutions. The moderating analysis reveals that job insecurity exacerbates the impact of role stressors on job stress, particularly in environments characterized by contract renewal uncertainty. Lecturers experiencing job insecurity demonstrate greater stress sensitivity, further eroding their organizational commitment. This study contributes to the theoretical understanding of workplace stress and organizational commitment by integrating Social Exchange Theory and Role Theory. Practically, it underscores the need for higher education v institutions to address role ambiguity, workload pressures, and job insecurity through supportive policies, stress management initiatives, and clear role definitions. Implementing these strategies can enhance lecturers' well-being, reduce stress, and foster greater organizational commitment, ultimately ensuring a more stable and productive academic workforce.