Suriyanto Suriyanto, Patisina, Rahmi Lubis

Perceived Organizational Support and Lecturer Professionalism: The Mediating Role of Job Satisfaction

Introduction

Perceived organizational support and lecturer professionalism: the mediating role of job satisfaction. Explore how Perceived Organizational Support impacts lecturer professionalism in higher education. Job satisfaction fully mediates this, showing POS enhances professionalism through positive work experiences.

Abstract

Lecturer professionalism is a crucial determinant of higher education quality, particularly in institutional contexts with limited structural support. This study examines the influence of Perceived Organizational Support (POS) on lecturer professionalism, with job satisfaction tested as a mediating variable. Employing a quantitative explanatory design, the study involved 293 certified lecturers under the coordination of KOPERTAIS Region IX, North Sumatra. Data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS 3.0. The results revealed that POS had no direct and significant effect on lecturer professionalism (β = 0.130; p = 0.082), but significantly affected job satisfaction (β = 0.728; p = 0.000). Job satisfaction, in turn, exerted a significant positive effect on lecturer professionalism (β = 0.474; p = 0.000) and fully mediated the relationship between POS and professionalism (β = 0.345; p = 0.000). These findings suggest that perceptions of organizational support enhance lecturer professionalism only when translated into positive work experiences that foster psychological and affective job satisfaction. The study underscores the practical importance of adopting relational and humanistic approaches in academic human resource management to strengthen and sustain lecturer professionalism.

Review

The study titled "Perceived Organizational Support and Lecturer Professionalism: The Mediating Role of Job Satisfaction" addresses a highly pertinent issue in higher education, especially in institutional contexts facing structural limitations. The authors clearly articulate their objective to investigate the intricate relationship between Perceived Organizational Support (POS), lecturer professionalism, and the mediating role of job satisfaction. The quantitative explanatory design, coupled with the use of Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) on a substantial sample of 293 certified lecturers, indicates a robust methodological approach capable of disentangling complex relationships. The focus on certified lecturers under a specific regional coordination (KOPERTAIS Region IX, North Sumatra) also provides a valuable and specific context for the findings. The findings present a nuanced and significant contribution to the literature. Crucially, the study reveals that POS does not directly influence lecturer professionalism, challenging assumptions that direct organizational support automatically translates into enhanced professional conduct. Instead, the results strongly underscore job satisfaction as a critical and full mediator. The significant positive effects of POS on job satisfaction (β = 0.728) and subsequently job satisfaction on professionalism (β = 0.474) highlight that organizational support must first translate into positive psychological and affective work experiences for lecturers to manifest improved professionalism. This full mediation suggests a vital intermediate psychological process, emphasizing that the *perception* of support is impactful primarily when it fosters a sense of contentment and engagement with one's work. While offering valuable insights, the study's scope, as presented in the abstract, implies potential limitations. The regional specificity of the sample (KOPERTAIS Region IX, North Sumatra) could affect the generalizability of the findings to broader or different higher education systems. Furthermore, while the explanatory design and PLS-SEM are appropriate for modeling relationships, the abstract does not explicitly state whether the data collection was cross-sectional, which would typically imply limitations in inferring causality despite the strong mediation effect. Future research could explore the specific dimensions of job satisfaction that are most salient in mediating this relationship, perhaps employing qualitative methods to gain a deeper understanding of lecturers' experiences. Longitudinal studies could also provide stronger evidence for the causal pathways identified. Nevertheless, this study provides a solid empirical foundation, offering practical implications for academic human resource management to cultivate professionalism through humanistic and relational strategies that prioritize lecturer well-being and satisfaction.

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