Examining the Relationship between Job Stress and Career Aspirations with the Mediating Role of Management Styles among Employees of the Department of Education

This study investigates the relationship between job stress and career aspirations with the mediating role of management styles among employees of the Department of Education in Bojnurd City. Based on the research topic and objectives, this study is applied in terms of purpose and descriptive-survey in nature, employing a correlational research design. The statistical population consisted of all employees of the General Department of Education in Bojnurd City, with a total number of 321 individuals. According to Morgan’s table, a sample size of 175 participants was estimated. The participants were selected using stratified random sampling based on gender. To measure job stress, the Osipow and Spokane (1987) Job Stress Questionnaire was used; career aspirations were assessed using the questionnaire developed by Bigliardi et al. (2005); and management styles were measured using Dehghani (2004) questionnaire based on a Likert scale. The content validity of the questionnaires was examined, and the reliability of the instruments was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. The obtained Cronbach’s alpha values for job stress (0.792), career aspirations (0.795), and management styles (0.698) indicated that the research instruments had acceptable reliability. The data collected through these questionnaires were analyzed using SPSS Version 23 and SmartPLS 2 software through structural equation modeling, confirmatory factor analysis, and the Mann–Whitney U test. The findings indicated that there was a significant relationship between job stress and career aspirations, and management styles were able to play a mediating role in this relationship. Furthermore, the results showed that autocratic, benevolent, and participative management styles could mediate the relationship between job stress and career aspirations.