Abusive Supervision and Age as Predictors of Counterproductive Work Behaviour among School Teachers in Owerri

Abstract

This study delves into the examination of abusive supervision and age as factors predictive of counterproductive work behaviour within the realm of Catholic School Teachers in Owerri, Imo State. A total of two hundred and twenty-four participants, comprising 92 males and 132 females, were chosen from four Catholic Schools in Imo State, employing a convenience sampling technique. The participants' ages ranged from 25 to 57, with a mean age of 38.38 and a standard deviation of 8.58. The study was guided by six hypotheses. Data collection relied on two instruments: the Abusive Supervision Scale developed by Tapper (2000) and the Counterproductive Work Behaviour Checklist developed by Spector et al. (2006). The research design employed was a cross-sectional survey design, and data analysis was conducted through hierarchical multiple regression and standard linear regression. The findings of this study illuminated that younger school teachers who confront a higher degree of abusive supervision tend to exhibit a greater inclination towards engaging in counterproductive work behaviour. In particular, all four dimensions of abusive supervision – production deviance, sabotage, theft, and withdrawal behaviour – were identified as significant positive predictors of counterproductive work behaviour. In light of these findings, the study recommends that school administrators focus on establishing both formal and informal channels of communication to furnish social support to their subordinates. Furthermore, fostering a school culture that significantly mitigates the occurrence of abusive supervision is encouraged, ultimately contributing to a more productive and harmonious work environment for Catholic school teachers in Owerri, Imo State.