DOI: 10.36347/sjahss.2015.v03i01.010

Pages: 56-71

This study aims to examine the effects of the teachers' trust in the school principals on the teachers' job satisfaction and to analyze the mediating role of leader-member exchange in this effect. In that context, a research has been conducted on the teachers working in middle schools in Mersin. As a research design, correlational survey design has been used. The sample group of the research consists of 291 people who have been selected by means of simple random sampling. Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire, Scale of Trust in the Manager, Scale of Multidimensional Leader-Member Exchange 12 have been used as scales. Data have been analyzed by hierarchical multiple linear regression method. Findings of this study indicate that teachers' trust in the school principals and the leader-member exchange between school principals and teachers significantly predict teachers’ job satisfaction. The results of the mediation tests show that the leader-member exchange between school principals and teachers is a partial mediator of the relationship between the teachers' trust in the school principals and teachers’ job satisfaction levels. It is concluded that that the teachers' trust in school principal directly predicts the teachers' job satisfaction and the teachers' trust in school principals indirectly predicts the teachers' job satisfaction by means of leader-member exchange. Based on the findings of the research, it is suggested that the school principals should improve their knowledge and abilities related to organizational behaviour, human relations, psychology and human resource management.