Time‐lagged effects of student misbehavior on teacher counterproductive work behaviors: The role of negative affect and regulatory focus

Abstract

Student misbehavior is a significant occupational stressor for educators, with numerous emotional consequences threatening their mental well‐being. However, research to date has failed to study the behavioral consequences of student misbehavior among teachers, as such stressors may lead to counterproductive workplace behaviors (CWB) that could decline teachers' performance and school functioning. The current study builds on the stressor–emotion model and frustration‐aggression theory to fill this major gap in the literature. The proposed research model examines the association between student misbehavior and teacher CWB through two indirect pathways. It was hypothesized that job‐related negative affect would mediate the relationship between student misbehavior and CWB, and regulatory prevention focus would moderate the path from student misbehavior to CWB. Data collected from a sample of 330 teachers at two time points revealed that student misbehavior was directly associated with CWB and was indirectly associated with CWB through job‐related negative affect. Additionally, the regulatory prevention focus moderated the relationship between student misbehavior and CWB. The findings of the study help clarify the processes underlying the stressor‐behavior link, as well as the boundary conditions of these processes, which could provide a framework for schools to guide policies and practices regarding supporting educators in their interpretation and response to classroom misbehavior.