Research Article - (2023) Volume 16, Issue 104
Received: Sep 04, 2023, Manuscript No. jisr-23-112217; Editor assigned: Sep 06, 2023, Pre QC No. jisr-23-112217; Reviewed: Sep 19, 2023, QC No. jisr-23-112217; Revised: Sep 25, 2023, Manuscript No. jisr-23-112217; Published: Sep 30, 2023
İş güvencesizliği, bireylerin iş yaşamında önem arz eden ve bireyleri etkileyen bir unsurdur. Tüm çalışma grupları için güvencesiz çalışma son derece önemli bir unsur olup bu çalışmada araştırma görevlilerinin iş güvencesizliği algısı ele alınmıştır. Araştırma görevlilerinin çalışma yaşamındaki iş güvencesizliği algısının, duygusal tükenme ve yabancılaşma ile ilişkili olabileceği düşünülmüştür. Bu doğrultuda, araştırmada, araştırma görevlilerinin yaşadıkları iş güvencesizliğinin, duygusal tükenme ve yabancılaşma ile arasındaki ilişkiye bakılmıştır. Ayrıca, araştırma görevlilerinin yaşamış oldukları iş güvencesizliği algısının duygusal tükenme üzerindeki etkisine ilişkin, yabancılaşmanın aracı ve düzenleyici rol oynayıp oynamadığı da çalışma kapsamında incelenmiştir. Araştırma görevlilerinin yaşadığı iş güvencesizliği, duygusal tükenme ve yabancılaşma durumlarının demografik özelliklere göre farklılaşıp farklılaşmadığının ortaya konması da araştırmanın bir diğer amacını oluşturmaktadır. Bu amaç doğrultusunda 387 araştırma görevlisinin dahil edildiği araştırmada hipotezlerin testi için; korelasyon, regresyon analizleri, t testi ve ANOVA analizlerinden faydalanılmıştır. Araştırma sonuçları; iş güvencesizliği, duygusal tükenme ve yabancılaşma arasında anlamlı bir ilişki bulunduğunu ortaya koymuştur. Yapılan regresyon analizi sonucunda, iş güvencesizliğinin duygusal tükenme üzerindeki etkisinde yabancılaşmanın herhangi bir düzenleyici rolünün olmadığı; fakat iş güvencesizliğinin duygusal tükenme üzerindeki etkisinde yabancılaşmanın tam aracılık etkisine sahip olduğu saptanmıştır. Araştırma görevlilerinin iş güvencesizliği algısı; medeni durum, yaş, eğitim düzeyi, kadro türüna göre anlamlı bir farklılık göstermiştir. Araştırma görevlilerinin duygusal tükenme düzeylerinin yalnızca çalışılan süreye göre farklılaştığı görülmüştür. Araştırma görevlilerinin yabancılaşma düzeylerinin ise, demografik özelliklere göre farklılaşmadığı araştırma kapsamında ortaya konmuştur.
Job insecurity is a significant factor in the business life of individuals and affects them. Precarious working is an extremely important factor for all occupational groups and the perception of job insecurity experienced by research assistants is discussed in this study. It was considered that the perception of job insecurity faced by research assistants in work life might be related to emotional exhaustion and alienation. In this respect, the relationship between job insecurity, emotional exhaustion and alienation experienced by research assistants was examined in the study. In addition, whether alienation plays a mediating and moderator role in the emotional exhaustion effect of the perception of job insecurity experienced by research assistants was examined within the scope of the study. Another purpose of the research is to reveal whether the experiences of the research assistants, job insecurity, emotional exhaustion and alienation differ according to their demographic characteristics. To this end, correlation, regression analysis, t-test and ANOVA analysis were used to test the hypotheses of the study in which 387 research assistants were involved. The findings revealed that there is a significant relationship between job insecurity, emotional exhaustion and alienation. According to the results of the regression analysis, it was determined that alienation has no moderator role in the effect of job insecurity on emotional exhaustion while it has a full mediating effect on the effect of job insecurity on emotional exhaustion. The perception of job insecurity experienced by research assistants showed a significant difference according to marital status, age, level of education, and staff type. It was observed that the emotional exhaustion levels experienced by research assistants differed only according to the years of work. It was revealed within the scope of the study that the alienation levels of research assistants do not differ according to demographic characteristics.
Anahtar Kelimeler: İş güvencesizliği, Yabancılaşma, Tükenmişlik, Duygusal Tükenme, Araştırma Görevlileri
Giriş
Recruitment of research assistants to universities in Turkey is made pursuant to two articles in Law 2547. According to Article 33/a of Law No. 2547, “Research assistants are teaching assistants who assist in research, examination and experiments in higher education institutions and perform other related duties given by authorized bodies. They are appointed to the positions of research assistants for a maximum of three years upon the recommendation of the heads of the relevant departments or art majors and the approval of the rector, upon the positive opinion of the Head of the Department, the Dean, and the director of the institute, college or conservatory; at the end of the appointment period, their duties automatically end. They may be reappointed in the same manner.”
Research assistants working within the scope of 33/a can be reappointed at the end of the appointment period and can continue their civil service as research assistant doctors even if a post is not available at the end of their doctorate.
When we look at Article 50/d of Law No. 2547, a new form of employment for research assistants is seen. According to Article 50/d of Law 2547, “Graduate students can benefit from the scholarships that may be allocated to them as well as being appointed to the staff of research assistants for one year at a time”. According to this article, research assistants are not civil servants, but students with scholarships. The duties of research assistants end at the end of their doctorate. Research assistants working within the scope of 50/d remain unemployed at the end of their doctorate and experience job insecurity throughout the process.
The concept of job insecurity can be explained as “perceiving a threat regarding the current situation of the individual in the workplace”. Job insecurity is an issue that concerns employees, employers, unions and society in work life. It has been discussed extensively from economic, legal and psychological aspects in the related literature. This concept, which has been handled by a wide variety of disciplines until today, has become an undeniable factor for institutions and businesses in terms of its effects on individuals’ attitudes, health and behaviors. In addition to being an extremely significant factor in the lives of individuals, job insecurity can also cause certain problems. This study focuses on exhaustion and alienation, which are two consequences of job insecurity.
The concept of exhaustion, the first factor thought to be related to job insecurity, was defined as "the feeling of failure, the feeling of fatigue, loss of energy experienced by the individual". The concept of exhaustion is examined in three dimensions as personal accomplishment, emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. In the current study, emotional exhaustion, one of the exhaustion dimensions, is handled. Emotional exhaustion is defined as “the state of disharmony that occurs in the individual with the decrease in the physical and emotional resources of the individual” and is the most reported dimension among the burnout dimensions. Exhaustion is an issue that is given great importance and emphasized by researchers as it has effects on both individual and organizational levels.
The concept of alienation, which is another factor thought to be related to job security, emerges as a result of the distinction between the individual's spiritual and physical existence, according to Hegel's philosophy. The alienated individual distances himself from his environment, work and self. Although alienation has been evaluated primarily on theological basis in the literature, afterwards, it was also discussed from a philosophical point of view by Hegel. The concept of alienation has also been examined in detail from economic, political, psychological, sociological and legal aspects over time. Alienation, whose consequences such as powerlessness, meaninglessness, rulelessness and alienation from society are emphasized in the literature; can also lead to individual, social, political, organizational and cultural effects. For this reason, it is a subject that is emphasized and frequently studied by researchers. Within the framework of all these concepts explained, the relationship between the perception of job insecurity experienced by research assistants and emotional exhaustion and alienation is discussed in the present study.
The study first focuses on the concepts of job insecurity, emotional exhaustion and alienation in the context of the theoretical framework. Then, the method of the research carried out and the analyzes made in the light of the data obtained as a result of the research are revealed, and finally, the research findings are discussed in the conclusion and recommendations section.
The concept of Job Insecurity
Job insecurity is a broad concept that affects all components of work life, including employees, employers, unions, and society. The concept of job insecurity is explained in detail from economic, legal and psychological aspects. In the economic literature, job insecurity is usually approached in terms of job stability. Economists use indicators such as the average length of time spent in a job and the number of employees who have been with the current employer for ten years or more to measure job insecurity (Doogan, 2005: 67).
In the legal literature, the concept of job security, which is expressed as the "protection of the right to work", is used instead of the concept of job insecurity. Job security is the restriction of the employer's right to terminate an employment contract for the protection of the employee. The concept of job security is also included in some documents belonging to international organizations such as the International Labor Organization (ILO), the United Nations, the Council of Europe and the European Union (Uyargil et al., 2015: 561). The ILO Convention No. 158 requires the existence of a valid reason for the dismissal of an employee. An employee who is dismissed on the grounds of a valid reason can go to court for the validity of the reason in question to be revealed (Koç, 2000: 2). The Labor Law No. 4857 also clearly states the requirement for "clear and definite specification of the reason for termination" and "the existence of a valid reason for the termination of the job in the written notification" (Labor Law, Article 18/1, 19/1).
In the psychology literature, it is seen that the concept of job insecurity was used in studies involving work climate inventories in the 1960s and 1970s, and the first use of the concept was "job security". The concept was initially accepted as a motivating factor, as a determinant of job satisfaction. In the 1980s, the concept of job insecurity began to be systematically examined and defined as a factor causing stress (Sverke et al., 2006: 62). Job insecurity was handled as one of the factors that motivate the employee by Greenglagh and Rosenblat (1984), who conceptually developed job insecurity and conducted extensive studies on this subject. The authors defined job insecurity as “the perceived powerlessness of the employee in maintaining the desired continuity when his/her job continuity is threatened” (Greenhalgh & Rosenblatt, 1984: 438). Job insecurity is also one of the work-related stress factors, which includes the concerns of the employees about the continuity of their employment status (Kinnuen, Mauno, Mäkikangas, Cuyper & De Witte, 2014; De Witte, 2005). While job insecurity is defined as the threat of job loss in the future and the concerns arising from this threat by De Witte (2005: 1); Heaney, Israel and House (1994: 1431) define the same concept as a potential threat to the continuity of the current job, and Jacobson and Hartley (1991: 1) refer to it as the anxiety that a person has for the future of his job. The common points of job insecurity definitions made within the scope of the psychology literature are related to the perception of events; in short, it can be expressed as a threat perception state regarding the current position of the employee in the workplace (Seçer, 2009: 308).
Types of Job Insecurity
The perception of job insecurity emerges with the effect of multiple factors. The definitions made in the relevant literature draw attention to the fact that the perception of job insecurity is handled under three approaches. These three approaches are objective and subjective job insecurity, cognitive and emotional job insecurity, and qualitative and quantitative job insecurity.
Objective and Subjective Job Insecurity
Subjective job insecurity is the perception of insecurity that includes employees' fear of losing their jobs and their internal concerns about the continuity of their jobs (De Witte & Nasval, 2003: 156). Some researchers, on the other hand, have drawn attention to the objective aspect of job insecurity. Sverke and Hellgren (2002: 37) handle the characteristics of the labor market, organizational change, uncertain future for the organization and the type of employment contract as objective determinants of job insecurity.
Cognitive and Emotional Job Insecurity
Borg and Elizur (1992: 14), who had a significant impact on the conceptualization of job insecurity, were the first researchers to address job insecurity cognitively and emotionally. The authors developed a scale to reveal cognitive and emotional job insecurity. While cognitive job insecurity points to the cognitive element of the possibility of losing the job of the employee, emotional job insecurity refers to the emotional element, which is the fear of job loss, in the scale they developed.
Qualitative and Quantitative Job Insecurity
Hellgren et al. (1999: 182) divided job insecurity into two as qualitative and quantitative job insecurity. According to the distinction made, qualitative job insecurity concerns the threats related to the perception of the potential loss of quality of job characteristics in employment, such as worsening working conditions, reduced career opportunities, and reduced wage increases. Quantitative job insecurity, on the other hand, refers to the employee's concern about the continuity of the job (Hellgren et al., 1999: 182).
The Concept of Exhaustion
When the history of the concept of exhaustion is examined, it is possible to see that it was revealed as the last of the three-stage response of the body to stress in Selye's "General Adjustment Syndrome" study. Selye (1974) defined stress as “an organism's non-specific response to any change”. Later, he added the time dimension to this definition and named it as general adaptation syndrome. General adjustment syndrome refers to the reaction stages of individuals in the presence of stress and includes all non-specific changes. Selye states that an organism responds to stress in three stages; alarm, resistance and exhaustion (Aytaç, 2009: 7). Although the concept of exhaustion was first mentioned in Selye's general adjustment syndrome and later in Greene's novel, the first definition of the concept was made in 1974 by the clinical psychologist Herbert Freudenberger, who had various studies on stress (Izgar, 2008: 129). According to this definition, burnout is “becoming exhausted by making excessive demands on energy, strength, or resources” (Freudenberger, 1974: 160). In his book “Burnout: The High Cost of High Achievement”, Freudenberger attributed the employees' failure to do their jobs as desired to working too much and described this situation as a state of emotional exhaustion (Özgen, 2007: 117).
The Dimensions of Exhaustion
Emotional Exhaustion
Emotional exhaustion is the individual dimension of exhaustion and it refers to the incompatibility state of the individual with the decrease in his physical and emotional resources (Maslach et al., 2001: 402-403). Maslach and Jackson (1981: 100) defined the dimension of emotional exhaustion as the employees feeling physiologically and mentally excessively tired, exhausted and worn out. While defining the burnout syndrome, the feeling most often experienced is expressed as emotional exhaustion. Among the three dimensions of exhaustion, the most common dimension is emotional exhaustion (Sürgevil, 2006: 43-44). Emotional exhaustion is central to the burnout syndrome. The individual, who is in an emotionally intense work tempo, forces himself and is crushed under the emotional demands of other people. Emotional exhaustion occurs as a reaction to this situation (Işıkhan, 2016: 374).
Desensitization
Desensitization is the interpersonal dimension of exhaustion and refers to the individual's unresponsiveness to his work (Maslach et al., 2001: 403). In this dimension, the individual exhibits an emotionless behavior towards other individuals around him. In addition to this, seeing individuals as objects, using a sarcastic language, classifying individuals, and thinking that you will constantly be harmed by the people around are other signs of depersonalization. According to this dimension, the individual feels inadequate for solving problems and therefore keeps his relations with people to a minimum (Maslach et al., 2001: 403). The individual experiencing depersonalization tries to create a kind of emotional buffer between him and the other people around him. He approaches the people around in a cold and indifferent way. The individual may treat the people he encounters as an object rather than a person (Yıldırım, 1996: 10).
Decrease in the Sense of Personal Success
The feeling of decrease in personal success refers to the low performance of an employee who has a profession that requires constant interaction with individuals and not feeling self-sufficient (Leiter & Maslach, 1996: 298). It is a situation that is related to the person experiencing exhaustion to see himself inadequate in business life, to think that he is unsuccessful in his job, and to be unproductive at work. In this dimension, in which the individual evaluates himself negatively in terms of being sufficient and successful (Maslach, 2003: 189), the individual begins to see the differences between his/her state when s/he starts his/her business life and his/her final state and comes to the conclusion that he has a sense of personal failure and personal inadequacy (Dinç, 2008: 16). In this dimension, the individual makes evaluations about himself and feels negative after the evaluation. He withdraws himself from people thinking that his efforts at work are ineffective, he cannot progress in his work, but on the contrary, he regresses in his work.
The Concept of Alienation
Alienation has been discussed in the world literature for several centuries. In the beginning, it entered the literature of philosophy as an abstract concept with Hegel, and then it was introduced to the field of politics and economics with Marx. The concept of alienation thus began to be included in the field of social sciences other than philosophy (Ergil, 1978; 93). The English equivalent of the concept is “alienation” and this word is derived from the root “allien” meaning “foreigner”. This word corresponds to Latin word “alieno”, French word “alena”, Spanish word “alienado” (Coşturoğlu, 1999: 77). The definition brought by the TDK to the concept of alienation is “the different understanding of the products of human and social activities under certain historical conditions and the elements that are independent of and dominate these activities” (http://www.tdk.gov.tr/).
Alienation corresponds to deviation from normal in psychiatry and the feeling of alienation that the individual feels towards himself, the society, nature and other individuals in social psychology. In the field of philosophy, alienation can be defined as not being interested in previously liked things, objects, and people that can be described as friends, and even feeling bored or disgusted (Cevizci, 1999; 906). In the framework of the discipline of sociology, alienation can be defined as the individual's loss of interest in the society he lives in, in the cultural values and social roles of that society, and seeing norms and values as meaningless, which lead the individual to feel alone and powerless (Demir and Acar, 2005: 429). From the theological perspective, alienation is related with the separation and distance of the individual from God, and the mercy, knowledge and protection of God (Williams, 2007: 45). In the political sense, alienation refers to indifference to political activities and participation in politics by moving away from the political system (Ergil, 1980: 116).
The concept was later reconsidered by Marx from an economic and social perspective. The phenomenon of alienation occurs as a natural result of production activity in modern societies. Marx (2003; 3-9); argues that individuals are alienated as a result of the separation of labor from the nature of the workforce. Individuals who are abstracted from the products of their own labor or their own production move away from their own essence and begin to perceive their production as an independent entity outside of themselves (Ergil, 1980: 35).
The Dimensions of Alienation
Powerlessness
Weakness can be used in three different senses as follows: expectations are not met, external control is high, and the time that belongs to one is spent on other things that do not belong to him. Weakness also includes the idea that a person's future is determined not by himself but by other factors (Silah, 2005: 207).
Meaninglessness
Meaninglessness is another dimension of alienation that occurs when a person cannot decide what to believe (Ergil, 1980: 77). According to the common definition brought by the disciplines of sociology and psychology, meaninglessness refers to the disappearance of the individual's connection with the truths taught to him and the fact that the individual who loses his faith does not know what to believe (Kuru, 2009: 47).
Normlesness
The term normlessness means “anomie” and “lawlessness”. The normlessness dimension of alienation refers to the state of not complying with traditional and accepted behavioral patterns or not adhering to these patterns (Cevizci, 1999: 906). The normlessness dimension of alienation was put forward by Seeman and based on Durkeim's definition of anomie. Seeman, who associates normlessness or anomie with the dimensions of powerlessness and meaninglessness (Demirer, Özbudun, 1999: 41), defined the concept of anomaly as the ineffectiveness of norms in the event that social tools lose their effect and individuals exhibiting behaviors that are not deemed appropriate by the society in order to reach their goals (Seeman, 1959: 787).
Isolation
Isolation is a type of alienation that results from the low value given by the individual to the things that are highly valued by the society (Ergil, 1980: 77). The dimension of isolation in alienation is a situation that occurs when individuals move away from the values and norms of the society, or feel lonely in social relations and think that they are excluded (Cevizci, 1999: 906). Seeman (1959: 788) defined the isolation dimension of alienation as detachment, distancing and breaking away from the “popular cultural standards of the society” in which the individual lives.
Self- Estrangement
Self-estrangement is related to the powerlessness and meaninglessness dimensions of alienation and refers to a person's negative characterization of the situation he is in (Yenicer, 2009: 143). According to Seeman (1959: 789), self- estrangement occurs when the individual convinces himself that the current situation and social conditions will worsen rather than improve. Self- estrangement corresponds to the depersonalization of the individual by moving away from his own self (West, 1988: 129). West (1988: 129) defined self-estrangement as the employee's perception of his work as an external experience and his isolation from his work over time.
Methodology
Aim and Significance of the Study
In this study, the "research assistants" working according to article 50/d of the law numbered 2547, which can be described as the precariat class, that is, a precarious class, and the "research assistants" who work within the scope of article 33/a of the law no 2547 and have job security are discussed. To become precariat means to be subjected to and go through the pressures that cause living in a precarious existence. Individuals in this situation are deprived of a secure identity or sense of development obtained through business life or lifestyle (Standing, 2014: 36). In the present study, the relationship between the perception of job insecurity, emotional exhaustion and alienation levels experienced by research assistants was examined. In this context, the moderator and mediator role of alienation was also examined. To this end, research assistants working at state universities in Istanbul were determined as the universe of the research.
Research Model and Hypotheses
In this study, the relationship between job insecurity, emotional exhaustion and alienation was examined. In addition, the moderator and mediator roles of alienation in the effect of job insecurity on emotional exhaustion were also examined. For this reason, the model was formed in a way that reveals the moderator and mediator effect. In this context, job insecurity was the independent variable and emotional exhaustion was the dependent variable while alienation was examined as both a moderator and a mediator variable. The research model formed is demonstrated in .
Job Insecurity Emotional Exhaustion Alienation
The hypotheses tested within the scope of the research are as follows:
H1: The job insecurity experienced by research assistants has an effect on their emotional exhaustion.
H2: The job insecurity experienced by research assistants has an effect on alienation.
H3: Emotional exhaustion experienced by research assistants has an effect on alienation.
H4: Alienation has a moderating role in the effect of job insecurity experienced by research assistants on emotional exhaustion.
H5: Alienation has a mediating role in the effect of job insecurity experienced by research assistants on emotional exhaustion.
H6: The perception of job insecurity experienced by research assistants differs significantly according to categorical data (gender, marital status, age, level of education, staff type, years of work).
H7: The emotional exhaustion levels experienced by research assistants differ significantly according to categorical data (gender, marital status, age, level of education, staff type, years of work).
H8: The alienation levels experienced by the research assistants differ significantly according to the categorical data (gender, marital status, age, level of education, staff type, years of work).
Assumptions and Limitations of the Study
The scope of the research is limited to state universities in Istanbul, the metropolis of Turkey, with the idea that it will have a high ability to represent the universe. The main reason for this limitation is that it is difficult to reach universities in different regions in terms of time and cost. Another limitation is that University of Health Sciences has a campus in Ankara and the Istanbul campus is still in the establishment phase, so the desired number could not be reached. In this study, the questionnaire that included the variables of job insecurity, emotional exhaustion and alienation, which are thought to be experienced by research assistants, was prepared in this context. Not including other variables is another limitation of the study.
Considering that the most effective method as the data collection tool is the survey method and that all research assistants participating in the study answered the questions sincerely and honestly are the assumptions of the study.342ww2qae
Population and Sample
The research population consists of 5,414 research assistants working at 11 different state universities in Istanbul. Accordingly, when the estimated standard deviation value was accepted as 0.5 and the deviation tolerance value was accepted as 0.05 at the 95% confidence level, and all these values were written in the sample determination formula, it was concluded that the sample should include "359" participants to represent 5,414 research assistants. 359 research assistants were determined according to the stratified sampling technique (Gürbüz, Şahin, 2017: 136). In this case, the sample of 359 participants must consist of; 20 people from Boğaziçi University, 4 people from Galatasaray University, 17 people from Istanbul Medeniyet University, 46 people from Istanbul Technical University, 72 people from Istanbul University, 52 people from Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa University, 76 people from Marmara University, 10 people from Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, 24 people from Health Sciences University, 8 people from Turkish-German University, 30 people from Yıldız Technical University. The relevant calculations are detailed in below:
In this context, data were collected from 387 research assistants working at the relevant universities. Due to the fact that University of Health Sciences also has a campus in Ankara and the Istanbul campus is still in the establishment phase, the desired number for male research assistants could not be reached.
Data Collection Tool and Method
A questionnaire form was used as the data collection tool in the study. The questionnaire was prepared in online format and the data were also collected online. The questionnaire form consists of four parts. The first part consists of expressions related to job insecurity variable, the second part consists of expressions related to emotional exhaustion, the third part consists of expressions related to alienation, and the last part consists of expressions related to demographic characteristics.
Scales Used in the Study
Three scales were used in the study. The “job insecurity scale”, which is used to measure the perception of job insecurity, consists of 8 statements, the “emotional exhaustion scale”, used to measure emotional exhaustion, consists of 9 statements, and finally, the “alienation scale” to measure the level of alienation consists of 16 statements.
Job Insecurity Scale
The first scale used in the study was the one developed to measure job insecurity perceived by Ashford, Lee and Bobko (1989), De Witte (1999), and Hellgren, Sverke, and Isaksson (1999). The scale, which was designed as 15 questions, was adapted into Turkish by Şeker (2011). The scale which was prepared in 5-point Likert-type (1= Strongly Disagree, 2= Disagree, 3= Undecided, 4= Agree, 5= Strongly Agree) to measure the perception of job insecurity consists of 9 items.
The 8th item in the scale (“I think this institution will provide me with better financial opportunities”) was removed from the scale since the research was conducted on research assistants working at state universities and the financial opportunities being better or worse was out of the question. The statements in the scale were adapted to the research assistants and were involved in the questionnaire in this way, similar to Valibayova (2018)’s study.
Emotional Exhaustion Scale
The emotional exhaustion dimension of the Maslach Burnout Inventory, which was developed by Maslach and Jackson in 1981 and adapted into Turkish by Canan Ergin in 1992, was used to measure the burnout of academic staff (Ergin, 1992). Consisting of a total of 22 statements, this scale measures burnout on three different dimensions:
• The first of these is emotional exhaustion (EE) consisting of 9 expressions
• The second is depersonalization (D) (depersonalization), which consists of 5 expressions
• The last one is the personal accomplishment (PA) sub-dimension consisting of 8 statements.
In the Maslach Burnout Inventory, only the 'Emotional Exhaustion' dimension was included in the questionnaire of the 3 dimensions. In the original questionnaire, a 7-point scale was used for each statement. However, Ergin (1992), who translated the questionnaire into Turkish, used a 5-point scale instead of a 7-point scale due to its convenience in terms of suitability and application in Turkish culture as a result of his research (1= Strongly Disagree, 2= Disagree, 3= Undecided, 4= Agree, 5= Totally Agree) (Ergin, 1992).
Alienation Scale
In the study, in order to determine the alienation levels, the scale that was developed by Mottaz (1981) and translated into Turkish and adapted by Uysaler (2010), consisting of 21 expressions and a total of three dimensions as follows: “powerlessness (7 items)”, “meaninglessness (7 items)” and “self-estrangement (7th item), and the scale, whose adaptation to Turkish was made by Özbek (2011), developed by Hirschfeld and Field (2000) were examined. Consequently, a one-dimensional 16-statement scale was developed by making use of the relevant scales and literature in terms of suitability for the study. In the scale, it was aimed to measure the alienation levels of the research assistants, and the answers given by the research assistants were evaluated as “1= Strongly disagree, 2= Disagree, 3= Neither agree nor disagree, 4= Agree, 5= Strongly agree” on a 5-point Likert type scale.
Demographic Characteristics
In the fourth and last part of the questionnaire, there are questions to determine various demographic characteristics (i.e., gender, marital status, age, education level, staff type, working time) of the research assistants.
Data Analysis
Statistical analyzes made within the scope of the study were evaluated in the SPSS 25 package program. For the "alienation" scale used in the study, initially, "factor analysis" was conducted. In order to determine the internal consistency of the scales, "reliability analysis" was performed and "Cronbach's Alpha" values were calculated. Factor and reliability analyses were also performed for the job insecurity and burnout scales. Qualitative data in the job insecurity scale were included in the SPSS analysis by reverse coding. Descriptive statistical methods were used to determine the averages of the scales used in the study. Independent “t-test” and one-way analysis of variance “ANOVA”
were performed to reveal whether the variables showed a significant difference according to demographic characteristics. Within the scope of the study, correlation analysis was used to explain the relationships between variables. In order to explain the moderator role of alienation in the effect of job insecurity on emotional exhaustion, regression analysis was conducted.
Findings
Factor and Reliability Analyses
Factor and Reliability Analysis of the Job Insecurity Scale
Factor analysis is the method used to obtain data on the construct validity of a scale in scale development and adaptation studies. It also helps to determine under how many sub-headings the items in the measurement tool can be reported and what kind of relationship exists between them (Pallant, 2017: 199). The Determinant value was found to be 0.009 for the job insecurity scale correlation matrix. Determinant of the correlation matrix should be >.00001 (Det.>10-5) to avoid multiple collinearity problems (Bursal, 2019: 184). If the correlation matrix determinant is =0, conducting factor analysis is not meaningful (Leech d., 2005; Can, 2014; Yong & Pierce, 2013). In the study to determine the suitability of the job insecurity scale, the KMO (Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin) test was performed, and the KMO value was found to be 0.840. As the KMO ratio approaches 1, the acceptability of the sample increases and this finding indicates that factor analysis can be performed on the scale (Altunışık et al., 2007). The fact that the Barlett Sphericity value is lower than 0.05 (p: 0.000), that is, the p value is significant, indicates that there is a relationship between the variables at a level that allows for factor analysis (Sipahi et al., 2008: 79). The total variance explained for the scale is 70,838%. Since the results obtained are at the desired level, it is possible to claim that the scale is suitable for performing factor analysis. When the factor analysis and scree plot graph were examined, it was determined that the factors were both small and similar after the 4th point, and the scale was two-dimensional as expected. The factor analysis performed is summarized in :
When the factor analysis results of the related scale are examined, it is seen that the factor loads consist of two factors varying between 0.620 and 0.936. While determining the structural validity of the scales, it is necessary to simultaneously determine whether the scales are consistent and there is consistency between the scale items. The most common analysis used in this context is reliability analysis (Gürbüz and Şahin, 2017: 329). The value checked at this point is the Cronbach alpha coefficient, which is found by dividing the variances of all expressions to the total variances of the scale. The Cronbach alpha value is interpreted as follows.
The Cronbach's alpha value indicating the internal consistency reliability of the job insecurity scale is 0.871. This value shows that the scale is quite reliable. All values are summarized in below:
the Exhaustion Scale
Since the determinant value obtained for the correlation matrix of the items related to the exhaustion scale is 0.003, it can be said that the existing data are suitable for factor analysis (0,003>,0001). In the current study which was conducted to determine the suitability of the exhaustion scale, the KMO value was found to be 0.909 as a result of the KMO (Kaiser-Meyer- Olkin) test. Since the Barlett Sphericity value was 0.000, it was seen that factor analysis could be done between the variables. It was determined that the scale was a single-factor one and that single factor explained 59.713% of the variance. The explained variance rate of a scale, which has a single-factor structure, is evaluated over different rates in different sources and this value is expected to be quite high. Henson and Roberts (2006) state that a value of 52% and above should be obtained in scale studies. The results obtained indicate that the scale is suitable for factor analysis. According to the factor analysis and scree plot graph, it was seen that the scale was one-dimensional and there were no overlapping questions. The factor analysis performed is summarized in below:
When the factor analysis results of the related scale in are examined, it is seen that the factor loads consist of a single factor varying between 0.499 and 0.903. In addition to the structural validity of the scale, reliability analysis was performed to determine whether the scale items were consistent. The results of the analysis are given in :
Factor and Reliability Analysis of the Alienation Scale
In the pilot study that was conducted with 160 people to determine the suitability of the alienation scale, the KMO (Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin) test was done, and the KMO value was found to be 0.925. The fact that the Barlett Sphericity value is less than 0.05 (p: 0.000) indicates that there is a relationship between the variables at a level that allows for factor analysis. The total variance explained for the scale is 53,316%. The results obtained show that the scale is suitable for factor analysis.
According to the results of the survey conducted with 387 people regarding the alienation scale, it can be said that the available data are suitable for factor analysis. (9,117 >,0001) since the determinant value obtained for the correlation matrix of the items is 9,117. According to the results of the study conducted to determine the suitability of the alienation scale, the KMO value was found to be 0.939. The fact that the Barlett Sphericity value is less than 0.05 (p:0.000) indicates that there is a relationship between the variables at a level that allows for factor analysis. The total variance explained for the scale is 49.652%. Since the explained variance value and the unexplained variance value in the scale were very close to each other, the total variance explained was accepted. The results obtained show that the scale is suitable for factor analysis. According to the factor analysis and scree plot graph, it can be said that the scale is one-dimensional. The results of the factor analysis performed are summarized in :
When the factor analysis results of the related scale are examined, it is seen that the factor loads consist of a single factor varying between 0.544 and 0.810. In addition, data on the alienation scale reliability analysis are shown in
When the tables were examined, it was concluded that the alienation scale was highly reliable for both the pilot and the actual application (α >0.80).
Descriptive Statistics for the Variables of the Study
Descriptive statistics regarding the variables of the study are summarized in below:
As seen in it can be said that the job insecurity perceptions of all participants are moderate in general and dimensions. As a result of the analysis, it was also determined that the emotional exhaustion and alienation levels of the participants were not very high and remained below the average. When the participants were evaluated separately according to their staff type, it was observed that the perceptions of job insecurity of research assistants working under 50/d were above the average, and emotional exhaustion and alienation levels were below the medium level. It was seen that the perceptions of job insecurity, emotional exhaustion and alienation levels of the research assistants working within the scope of 33/a were below the medium level.
Correlation Analysis
Correlation analysis is the analysis used to determine whether there is a relationship between two or more variables measured with equally spaced or proportional scales, and to determine whether this relationship is negative or positive and the level of the relationship is low, medium or high if there is a relationship. (Yazioglu, Erdogan, 2004). Correlation analysis was conducted to reveal the relationships between dependent, independent and moderator variables of the study. The results of the analysis are demonstrated in :
When is examined, it is seen that there is a significant relationship between general job insecurity scores and emotional exhaustion scores. Accordingly, it was observed that there was a positive and moderately strong relationship between the variables (r=.320, p<.01). While there is a weak positive relationship between quantitative job insecurity, one of the dimensions of job insecurity, and emotional exhaustion, a positive moderately strong relationship was found between qualitative job insecurity and emotional exhaustion. It was observed that there was a significant relationship between general job insecurity scores and alienation scores, and this relationship was positive and moderately strong (r=.408, p<.01). While there is a weak positive relationship between quantitative job insecurity, one of the dimensions of job insecurity, and alienation, a positive moderately strong relationship was found between qualitative job insecurity and alienation. It was observed that there was a significant relationship between emotional exhaustion scores and alienation scores, and this relationship had a strong positive relationship (r=.804, p<.01). In other words, as emotional exhaustion increases, the level of alienation of individuals will also increase.
Findings Related to Hypothesis Testing
The Effect of Job Insecurity on Emotional Exhaustion
Simple linear regression analysis was performed to examine the effect of job insecurity on emotional exhaustion. Analysis results are shown in :
When is examined, it is seen that job insecurity has a moderate and significant relationship with emotional exhaustion (R=.32, R2=.10, p<.01). Accordingly, job insecurity explains 10% of the total variance in emotional exhaustion. When the β (standardized) coefficient and t values are examined, it can be said that job insecurity is a significant predictor of emotional exhaustion. For this reason, the hypothesis "The job insecurity experienced by research assistants has an effect on their emotional exhaustion" was accepted as job insecurity has a positive and significant effect on emotional exhaustion.
The Effect of Job Insecurity on Alienation
Simple linear regression analysis was performed to examine the effect of job insecurity on alienation. Analysis results are shown in :
When is examined, it is seen that job insecurity has a moderate and significant relationship with alienation (R=.40, R2=.16, p<.01). Accordingly, it can be said that job insecurity explains 16% of the total variance in alienation. When the β (standardized) coefficient and t values are examined, it can be said that job insecurity is a significant predictor of alienation. For this reason, the hypothesis that "Job insecurity experienced by research assistants has an effect on alienation" was accepted as job insecurity has a positive and significant effect on alienation.
The Effect of Emotional Exhaustion on Alienation
Simple linear regression analysis was performed to examine the effect of emotional exhaustion on alienation. Analysis results are shown in :
When is examined, it is seen that emotional exhaustion has a high and significant relationship with alienation (R=.80, R2=.64, p<.01). Accordingly, emotional exhaustion explains 64% of the total variance in alienation. When the β (standardized) coefficient and t values are examined, it can be said that emotional exhaustion is a significant predictor of alienation. For this reason, the hypothesis "Emotional exhaustion experienced by researchers has an effect on alienation" was accepted as emotional exhaustion has a positive and significant effect on alienation.
The Moderator Role of Alienation in the Effect of Job Insecurity on Emotional Exhaustion
Alienation has a moderating role in the effect of job insecurity on emotional exhaustion, that is, in cases where the perception of alienation is high, the effect of job insecurity on emotional exhaustion will be higher. To test this hypothesis, regression analysis based on the bootstrap method was performed. It is emphasized that the Bootstrap method is more reliable than traditional methods and produces more reliable results (Hayes, 2018, Gürbüz 2019). Analyzes were made using the "PROCESS" macro developed by Hayes (2018), which is installed in statistical analysis package programs such as IBM SPSS and SAS and can run in these programs as an add-on. In the analysis, 5000 resampling options were selected with the bootstrap technique. In the moderator and mediation effect analyses made with bootstrap technique, the values in the 95% confidence interval (CI) obtained as a result of the analysis should not include the zero (0) value in order to support the research hypothesis (Mackinnon et al., as cited in Gürbüz, 2019: 66). Regression analysis results are presented in below:
Note: R=0.8036, R2=0.6458; SE: Standard Error, b: Non-standardized beta coefficients, values in parentheses [] are confidence intervals
When is examined, it is seen that all prediction variables included in the regression analysis explain approximately 64% (R2= 0.6458) of the change in emotional exhaustion. In the analysis performed to understand whether there was a moderator effect, it was observed that alienation did not have a moderator effect (b= 0.0059, 95% CI [ -0.0638, 0.0755], t=0.1652, p>0.05). Here, the p value is above 0.05 and it is seen that the values belonging to the confidence interval (CI) include zero (0). Based on these findings, it can be interpreted that the increase or decrease in the level of alienation experienced by research assistants has no effect on the effect of job insecurity on emotional exhaustion.
In order to reveal how the moderator effect is, the results of the slope analysis in the should be examined. In , three different regression statistics regarding whether the effects of job insecurity on emotional exhaustion are significant in cases where alienation, which is the moderator variable, is low (-0.8792), medium (0.000) and high (0.8792). Since alienation, the moderator variable, is centralized here:
• The low value represents the value at a distance of -1 standard deviation from the center.
• The medium value represents a value close to 0.
• The high value represents the value at +1 standard deviation distance from the center (Gürbüz, 2019).
Considering the regression results according to these three different situations;
In the case of low alienation (-0.8792), the relationship between job insecurity and emotional exhaustion was not significant (b= -0.0133, 95% CI [ -0.0905, 0.0638], t=-0.3393 p =0.7346).
In the case of moderate alienation (0.0000), the relationship between job insecurity and emotional exhaustion was insignificant (b= -0.0082, 95% CI [ -0.0814, 0.0650], t=-0.2194 p= 0.8265).
In the case of high alienation (0.8792), the relationship between job insecurity and emotional exhaustion was not significant (b= -0.0030, 95% CI [ -0.1138, 0.1077], t=-0.0537 p= 0.9572).
Based on these findings, it can be interpreted that the increase or decrease in the level of alienation experienced by research assistants has no effect on the effect of job insecurity on emotional exhaustion. The graph related to the effects of the moderator variable is given in :
In the graph in , "job insecurity" is on the X axis and "emotional exhaustion" is on the Y axis. The effects of low, medium and high values of alienation, which is the moderator variable, on job insecurity and emotional exhaustion are shown in different colors in the chart. As can be seen, in all cases where the moderator variable alienation is low, medium and high, the line is straight, that is, it is not significant. These results are also consistent with the results in the slope analysis. Therefore, the hypothesis that "Alienation has a moderator role in the effect of job insecurity experienced by research assistants on emotional exhaustion" was rejected.
The Mediating Role of Alienation in the Effect of Job Insecurity on Emotional Exhaustion
Alienation has a mediating role in the effect of job insecurity on emotional exhaustion. To test this hypothesis, regression analysis based on the bootstrap method was conducted. The results of the mediation test performed are given in the following
Note: SE: Standard Error, b: Unstandardized beta coefficients, X: Job Insecurity (Independent Variable), Y: Emotional Exhaustion (Dependent Variable), M: Alienation (Mediator Variable), a: Effect of X on M, b: Effect of M on Y, c': Direct effect of X on Y
When is examined, it is seen that job insecurity significantly and positively affects alienation (path a) (b= 0.3583, 95% CI [ 0.2778, 0.4387], t=8.7562, p< 0.001). It was observed that the b (non-standardized beta) value was significant, the p value was less than 0.001, and the value of the confidence interval (CI) did not include 0 (zero) value. Job insecurity explains approximately 16% (R2=0.1661) of the change in alienation. In addition, it is seen in the table that alienation significantly and positively affects emotional exhaustion (path b) (b= 0.9208, 95% CI [ 0,8462, 0, 9954], t= 24.2667, p< 0.001). Yet, job insecurity does not have a significant effect on emotional exhaustion (path c) (b= -0.0089, 95% CI [ 0 -.0745, 0.0567], t= -0.2667, p=0.7898). Job insecurity and alienation explain approximately 64% (R2=0.6457) of the change in emotional exhaustion. It is seen that in the absence of alienation, job insecurity has a significant positive effect on emotional exhaustion (path c) (b= 0.3210, 95% CI [ 0.2258, 0.4162], t= 6.6286, p<0.001).
In , the indirect effect value, which shows whether job insecurity has an indirect effect on emotional exhaustion, has been reported with the confidence intervals obtained with the bootstrap technique. According to the table, it is seen that the indirect effect of job insecurity on emotional exhaustion is significant, and therefore, alienation mediates the relationship between job insecurity and emotional exhaustion (b= 0.3299, 95% CI [0.2581, 0.4086]). It can be said that of two research assistants, the emotional exhaustion level of the research assistant, whose job insecurity perception is one unit higher than the other, is 0.3299 units higher. In other words, it was seen that the level of alienation of the research assistant with a high perception of job insecurity was high, and the level of emotional exhaustion of the research assistant with a high level of alienation was found to be higher.
Finally, full and partial standardized effect sizes of X on Y are given in . Accordingly, the confidence intervals in both effect sizes are significant since they do not include 0 (zero). The full standardized effect size is 0.3289, and the partial standardized effect size is 0.3289.
When interpreting the effect size:
• If it is close to K2=0.01, a low effect is mentioned.
• If it is close to K2=0.09, a medium effect is mentioned.
• If it is close to K2=0.25, it can be said that there is a high effect (Preacher & Kelley, 2011: 107).
For this reason, it has been revealed that alienation has a high mediating effect in the tested model. Thus, the hypothesis that "Alienation has a mediating role in the effect of job insecurity experienced by research assistants on emotional exhaustion" was accepted.
Findings regarding whether Job Insecurity Differs according to Demographic Characteristics
In this part of the study, the results of the analysis on whether job insecurity differs in terms of various demographic variables (i.e., gender, marital status, age, education level, staff type, working hours) are shared. In this context, "t-test" and one-way analysis of variance "ANOVA", which are parametric tests, were performed.
In order to test the hypothesis “The perception of job insecurity experienced by research assistants differs significantly according to categorical data (gender, marital status, age, education level, type of staff, duration of work)”, t-test and ANOVA analysis were performed on independent groups. According to the results of the analysis, it was seen that job insecurity did not show a significant difference according to demographic variables and gender (t387=0,771, p>.05). However, job insecurity shows a significant difference according to marital status, which is another demographic variable (t387=-2.723, p<.05), job insecurity perception of single research assistants is generally higher than that of married research assistants (3,1853>2,9042), job insecurity showed a significant difference according to age (t387=3.992, p<.05), the perceptions of job insecurity of research assistants under the age of 30 are generally higher compared to those over the age of 30 (3.2649>2.8635), job insecurity showed a significant difference according to education level (t387=2.880, p<.05), the perceptions of job insecurity of postgraduate and continuing research assistants are generally higher than those of doctoral graduate and continuing research assistants (3,3500 >3.0171), job insecurity showed a significant difference according to staff type (t387=-11.839, p<.05), research assistants working under YÖK 50/d have higher job insecurity perceptions compared to research assistants working under YÖK 33/a (3,5668>2,5338). If we need to look at between which groups this difference is observed, it has been revealed that among research assistants working less than 4 years and more than 7 years in terms of years of work, there is a significant difference between research assistants working for 4-7 years and those working for more than 7 years (p<0.05), the average of the general perception of job insecurity among the research assistants working less than 4 years is higher than the those working for more than 7 years (3,2199>2.6517), the general perception of job insecurity of research assistants working for 4-7 years is higher compared to research assistants working for 7 years or more (3,1612>2.6517). Consequently, hypothesis H6 was partially accepted.
A= Less than 4 years B= Between 4-7 years C=More than 7 years
In order to test the hypothesis “Emotional exhaustion levels experienced by research assistants differ significantly according to categorical data (gender, marital status, age, education level, staff type, working time)”, t-test and ANOVA analysis were performed on independent groups. According to the results of the analysis, it was seen that emotional exhaustion did not show a significant difference according to gender (t387=-1.460, p>.05), marital status (t387=-0.180, p>.05), age (t387=-1,224, p>.05), education level (t387=-1,134, p>.05), and staff type (t387=,805, p>.05). On the other hand, the emotional exhaustion levels experienced by the research assistants differed according to years of work (p=0.001<0.05). When examined closely, it was seen that emotional exhaustion was observed among research assistants working for 4-7 years and those working for less than 4 years. Moreover, it was determined that the emotional exhaustion levels of research assistants working for 4-7 years were higher than those working for less than 4 years (2.7902>2.3467). Therefore, the H7 hypothesis was partially accepted.
To test the hypothesis “The alienation levels experienced by the sresearch assistants differ significantly according to the categorical data (gender, marital status, age, education level, type of staff, duration of work)”, t-test and ANOVA analysis were performed on independent groups. According to the analysis results, it was observed that alienation did not show a significant difference according to gender (t387=-0.671, p>.05), marital status (t387=-0.468, p>.05), age (t387=-.571, p>.05), education level (t387=-1.067, p>.05), staff type (t387=-1.202, p>.05) and years of work (F387=2,190, p>.05). Thus, the H8 hypothesis was rejected. The results of the hypotheses are summarized in below:
Insecurity is a factor that seriously affects all sectors at the global level. Research assistants, who are appointed in academia pursuant to Article 50/d of Law No. 2547 and work within this scope, are among the groups most affected by insecurity, which affects not only private sector personnel but also public sector personnel. There are differences in how academic staff are appointed in universities. Research assistants appointed according to article 50/d and article 33/a of the Law are discussed within the scope of this study. The process works differently for the two groups. It is unclear whether the research assistants appointed according to Article 50/d will continue at the university after their tenure ends at the end of their doctorate. While they can continue their academic life with a new post-doctoral cadre, they are faced with the possibility of losing their jobs after their tenure ends if a cadre is not available. The difficult process experienced by this group, which is referred to as the unemployed with a doctorate in the literature, affects their entire lives.
In this empirical study, the relationship between the perception of job insecurity experienced by research assistants and emotional exhaustion and alienation was examined. Within the scope of the study, data were collected from research assistants working at state universities in Istanbul, Turkey's largest metropolitan city, and significant conclusions were reached in line with the collected data. Job insecurity is a two-dimensional concept according to the literature: quantitative and qualitative. While quantitative job insecurity refers to the situation of the individual regarding the continuity of the job, qualitative job insecurity is the risk dimension that arises as to whether the individual will continue to work at an individual level.
In this context, this study aimed to reveal the existence of a relationship between job insecurity, emotional exhaustion and alienation, which has not been encountered before in the literature. Another aim of the research was to determine whether alienation has a moderator or mediator effect on the effect of job insecurity on emotional exhaustion. In addition, the study tried to reveal whether demographic characteristics make a difference in terms of job insecurity, mental exhaustion and alienation variables.
In the study, the relationship between job insecurity and emotional exhaustion was examined, and as a result of the research conducted on 387 research assistants, it was seen that there was a moderately strong positive relationship between the general job insecurity perception of the research assistants and their emotional exhaustion levels. Similarly, when the relationship between job insecurity and alienation was examined, a moderately strong positive relationship was found. Finally, the relationship between emotional exhaustion and alienation was examined and it was seen that there was a strong positive relationship.
The results of the analysis conducted to reveal the moderator role of alienation in the effect of job insecurity perception of research assistants on emotional exhaustion are as follows: Job insecurity has a moderately significant effect on emotional exhaustion and alienation, and emotional exhaustion has a high degree of significant effect on alienation. Considering the moderator role of alienation in the effect of job insecurity on emotional exhaustion, it was seen that alienation did not play a moderator role. In other words, it can be said that the increase or decrease in the alienation levels experienced by the research assistants does not have any role in the effect of job insecurity on emotional exhaustion.
According to the results of the analysis conducted to reveal the mediating role of alienation in the effect of job insecurity perception of research assistants on emotional exhaustion, it was observed that alienation had a high mediating effect in the model. In other words, it was seen that the level of alienation of the research assistants with a high perception of job insecurity was high, and the level of emotional exhaustion of the research assistants with a high level of alienation was higher.
According to the results of the analysis conducted to determine whether the perception of job insecurity experienced by research assistants differs according to demographic characteristics, it was determined that job insecurity differs according to marital status, age, level of education, staff type, and years of work, but does not show a significant difference according to gender.
The results of the analysis to determine whether the emotional exhaustion experienced by the research assistants differs according to the demographic characteristics revealed that emotional exhaustion did not differ according to gender, marital status, age, level of education, and staff type, but differed according to the years of work. According to the results of the analysis conducted to determine whether the alienation levels experienced by the research assistants differ according to demographic characteristics, it was determined that alienation did not differ according to gender, marital status, age, level of education, staff type, and years of work.
The concept of job insecurity is an issue faced by academics in academic institutions as well as in every field. As can be clearly seen, the study reveals that job insecurity is related with emotional exhaustion and alienation. Considering this result, it was seen that individuals with job insecurity experienced emotional exhaustion during the process and alienation played a mediating role in this effect. This result leads to negative consequences at not only the individual but also the organizational level. In case research assistants, who have been trained in universities on the way to becoming a scientist for a long time, cannot find a cadre, all the efforts will be wasted and they will become a loss. Due to the job insecurity experienced by research assistants, problems such as decreased commitment to the institution, increased stress and tension, unfinished publications, and inability to focus on the publications may be encountered. Apart from this, the pessimism of research assistants who experience uncertainty about the future will also appear as a possible outcome. According to the staff types of research assistants, their working conditions, performances, careers and prestige differ from each other. In the current study, it was revealed that the perception of job insecurity is higher in the 50/d staff. 50/d research assistants, who have gone through a process that requires sacrifice for a long time, may experience negative situations at the beginning of their science career and even give up their careers for good if they cannot find a cadre at the end of the process.
The doctoral process is a very painful one, and it will be very difficult for research assistants to both prepare for the defense and search for a new cadre in this process. As a matter of fact, both the doctoral process and the search for a new cadre will put a heavy burden on research assistants and may cause them to become alienated from the academy and life. In this process, research assistants, who are worried about being expelled without experiencing the happiness of their doctoral defense, will find themselves in an emotional turmoil. This anxiety and fear will lead to emotional exhaustion of research assistants. In order not to waste their efforts and to make them feel more secure, at the end of their doctorate, research assistants should be allowed to find new cadre by giving them a period of six months to one year at the university where they work. No salary deductions should be made during this period. Even if the research assistants are not given a cadre at the university where they work, allowing them to find a position in the surrounding universities will be effective in reducing the negative mood and feelings they will experience. Research assistants, who are given the opportunity to find new cadre at the end of the doctorate, will be able to breathe after the painful doctoral process and do more extensive search for a suitable cadre. In addition, awareness of the job insecurity experienced by research assistants can be created. With future studies, the number of publications on this issue can be increased. Another solution is to guarantee that the research assistants will continue their work life in the academic institution according to their performance at the end of the doctorate, which will help them to devote themselves to their work more by getting rid of the perception of job insecurity. The perception of job insecurity was detected in research assistants working under 33/a as well as in research assistants working under 50/d. The reason for this is that research assistants working within the scope of 33/a cannot find a cadre as an Assistant Professor and work as a Research Assistant Doctor for a long time. In this context, it is thought that providing equal conditions for all research assistants in universities and increasing the norm cadres in universities will be effective in reducing the perception of job insecurity.
In these days when precarious work is increasing day by day, job insecurity experienced by research assistants is a very important problem. The ways and methods to be followed in order to solve this problem should be immediately put on the agenda by the relevant institutions.
Etik Beyan
“The Moderator And Mediator Roles Of Alienation In The Effect Of Job Insecurity On Emotional Exhaustion: The Sample Of Research Assistants” başlıklı çalışmanın yazım sürecinde bilimsel kurallara, etik ve alıntı kurallarına uyulmuş; toplanan veriler üzerinde herhangi bir tahrifat yapılmamış ve bu çalışma herhangi başka bir akademik yayın ortamına değerlendirme için gönderilmemiştir. Gerekli olan etik kurul izinleri İstanbul Üniversitesi Etik Kurulu’nun 09/10/2020 tarih ve 54047 sayılı toplantısında alınmıştır.
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