The Role of Justice in Workload Management in The Faculty Well-being in Online Education: A Mediational Analysis in Thai Higher Education
-
https://doi.org/10.14419/z317jm78
Received date: July 4, 2025
Accepted date: August 10, 2025
Published date: August 16, 2025
-
Workload Justice, Online Education Satisfaction, Employee Well-being, Higher Education, Equity Theory, Mediational Analysis -
Abstract
This study investigates the relationships between perceived justice in workload management, satisfaction with online education, and employee well-being among faculty members in Thai higher education institutions. Using Adams' Equity Theory as a framework, the research explores how perceptions of workload fairness impact faculty satisfaction with online education and overall well-being. A survey of 412 faculty members across various Thai institutions reveals that perceived justice in workload distribution is positively related to both satisfaction with online education and faculty well-being. Additionally, satisfaction with online education was found to mediate the relationship between workload justice and well-being. These findings underscore the critical role of equitable workload management in fostering faculty satisfaction and well-being, particularly in the context of online education. Practical implications for higher education institutions include the need for transparent workload allocation processes and robust support systems for faculty engaged in online teaching. The study contributes to the growing literature on faculty well-being in online education contexts, particularly in non-Western settings, and highlights the importance of addressing workload fairness to improve faculty satisfaction and overall institutional effectiveness.
-
References
- Dhawan, S., Online learning: A panacea in the time of COVID-19 crisis. Journal of educational technology systems 2020, 49 (1), 5-22.
- Thongsan, N. C.; Waring, R., Challenges in Implementing Extensive Reading in Thailand. rEFLections 2024, 31 (2), 457-477.
- Bao, W., COVID‐19 and online teaching in higher education: A case study of Peking University. Human behavior and emerging technologies 2020, 2 (2), 113-115.
- Adams, J. S., Towards an understanding of inequity. The journal of abnormal and social psychology 1963, 67 (5), 422.
- Kinman, G.; Johnson, S., Special section on well-being in academic employees. International Journal of Stress Management 2019, 26 (2), 159.
- Mbabazi, A., Well-Being among Academic Staff in Higher Education Institutions: A Review of Organization Support Theory (OST) and Job De-mand Resources Theories (JDRs). Interdisciplinary Journal of Education 2024, 7 (1), 101-115.
- Douglas, V.; Pattison, N.; Warren, K.; Karanika-Murray, M., Wellbeing in the higher education sector: A qualitative study of staff perceptions in UK universities. Journal of Workplace Behavioral Health 2024, 1-24.
- Bruno, A.; Dell’Aversana, G.; Gilardi, S., Evaluating well-being and psychosocial risks in academia: Is management the “forgotten phase”? Fron-tiers in Psychology 2024, 15, 1349589.
- Wu, Y.; Xu, X.; Xue, J.; Hu, P., A cross-group comparison study of the effect of interaction on satisfaction in online learning: The parallel mediat-ing role of academic emotions and self-regulated learning. Computers & Education 2023, 199, 104776.
- Wang, K.; Yang, B.; Wu, C.; Zheng, L., The moderation of satisfaction with working conditions in the association between workload and mental health among healthcare workers collecting test samples in the post-COVID-19 era. Frontiers in Public Health 2023, 11, 1106299.
- Yan, M.; Pourdavood, R. G., Faculty and Student Perspectives on Online Learning in Higher Education. Education Sciences 2024, 14 (8), 801.
- Sahni, S.; Verma, S.; Kaurav, R. P. S., Understanding digital transformation challenges for online learning and teaching in higher education institu-tions: a review and research framework. Benchmarking: An International Journal 2024.
- Adams, J. S., Inequity in social exchange. In Advances in experimental social psychology, Elsevier: 1965; Vol. 2, pp 267-299.
- Greenberg, J., Organizational justice: Yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Journal of management 1990, 16 (2), 399-432.
- Colquitt, J. A.; Conlon, D. E.; Wesson, M. J.; Porter, C. O.; Ng, K. Y., Justice at the millennium: a meta-analytic review of 25 years of organiza-tional justice research. Journal of applied psychology 2001, 86 (3), 425.
- Pace, F.; D’Urso, G.; Zappulla, C.; Pace, U., The relation between workload and personal well-being among university professors. Current Psy-chology 2021, 40 (7), 3417-3424.
- Sim, E.; Jeong, S., Examining the impact of inequitable work distribution on faculty job satisfaction: a hierarchical linear modeling. European Jour-nal of Training and Development 2025, ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print).
- Ezra, O.; Cohen, A.; Bronshtein, A.; Gabbay, H.; Baruth, O., Equity factors during the COVID-19 pandemic: Difficulties in emergency remote teaching (ert) through online learning. Education and Information Technologies 2021, 26 (6), 7657-7681.
- Mosquera, P.; Albuquerque, P. C.; Picoto, W. N., Is Online Teaching Challenging Faculty Well-Being? Administrative Sciences 2022, 12 (4).
- Kenny, J.; Fluck, A. E., Towards a methodology to determine standard time allocations for academic work. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management 2017, 39 (5), 503-523.
- Lackritz, J. R., Exploring burnout among university faculty: Incidence, performance, and demographic issues. Teaching and teacher education 2004, 20 (7), 713-729.
- Cayupe, J. C.; Bernedo-Moreira, D. H.; Morales-García, W. C.; Alcaraz, F. L.; Peña, K. B. C.; Saintila, J.; Flores-Paredes, A., Self-efficacy, or-ganizational commitment, workload as predictors of life satisfaction in elementary school teachers: the mediating role of job satisfaction. Frontiers in Psychology 2023, Volume 14 - 2023.
- Magnavita, N.; Chiorri, C.; Acquadro Maran, D.; Garbarino, S.; Di Prinzio, R. R.; Gasbarri, M.; Matera, C.; Cerrina, A.; Gabriele, M.; Labella, M., Organizational Justice and Health: A Survey in Hospital Workers. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2022, 19 (15).
- Kennedy, D. R.; Clapp, P.; DeLuca, J. L.; Filtz, T. M.; Kroon, L.; Lamberts, J. T.; Oliphant, C. M.; Prescott, W. A.; Ray, S. D., Enhancing Pharmacy Faculty Well-Being and Productivity While Reducing Burnout. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education 2022, 86 (5), 8764.
- Hodges, C. B.; Moore, S.; Lockee, B. B.; Trust, T.; Bond, M. A., The difference between emergency remote teaching and online learning. 2020.
- Lee, K. C.; Park, S. K.; Lebovitz, L.; Wang, Z.; Hall-Lipsy, E.; Hardy, Y. M.; Dey, S., We Must Do Better to Ensure Equity, Transparency, and Clarity in Service Workload. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education 2023, 87 (6), 100092.
- Radovan, M.; Radovan, D. M. Harmonizing Pedagogy and Technology: Insights into Teaching Approaches That Foster Sustainable Motivation and Efficiency in Blended Learning Sustainability [Online], 2024.
- Creagh, S.; Thompson, G.; Mockler, N.; Stacey, M.; Hogan, A., Workload, work intensification and time poverty for teachers and school leaders: a systematic research synthesis. Educational Review 2025, 77 (2), 661-680.
- Bolliger, D. U.; Wasilik, O., Factors influencing faculty satisfaction with online teaching and learning in higher education. Distance education 2009, 30 (1), 103-116.
- Wingo, N. P.; Ivankova, N. V.; Moss, J. A., Faculty perceptions about teaching online: Exploring the literature using the technology acceptance model as an organizing framework. Online Learning 2017, 21 (1), 15-35.
- Tynan, B.; Ryan, Y.; Lamont‐Mills, A., Examining workload models in online and blended teaching. British Journal of Educational Technology 2015, 46 (1), 5-15.
- Farber, J.; Payton, C.; Dorney, P.; Colancecco, E., Work-life balance and professional quality of life among nurse faculty during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Professional Nursing 2023, 46, 92-101.
- Gollagari, R.; Birega, T.; Mishra, S. S., Organizational justice, job satisfaction and academic rank: a moderating mediation study on employee commitment in Ethiopian public universities. African Journal of Economic and Management Studies 2024, 15 (2), 300-317.
- Lei, M.; Alam, G. M.; Hassan, A. B., Job Burnout amongst University Administrative Staff Members in China—A Perspective on Sustainable De-velopment Goals (SDGs). Sustainability 2023, 15 (11).
- Rapanta, C.; Botturi, L.; Goodyear, P.; Guàrdia, L.; Koole, M., Online university teaching during and after the Covid-19 crisis: Refocusing teach-er presence and learning activity. Postdigital science and education 2020, 2, 923-945.
- Fredericksen, E.; Pickett, A.; Shea, P.; Pelz, W.; Swan, K., Factors influencing faculty satisfaction with asynchronous teaching and learning in the SUNY learning network. 2000.
- Vera, M.; Salanova, M.; Martín, B., University faculty and work-related well-being: The importance of the triple work profile. Electronic Journal of Research in Education Psychology 2010, 8 (21), 581-602.
- Gip, H.; Guchait, P.; Paşamehmetoğlu, A.; Khoa, D. T., How organizational dehumanization impacts hospitality employees service recovery per-formance and sabotage behaviors: the role of psychological well-being and tenure. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management 2023, 35 (1), 64-91.
- Houston, D.; Meyer, L. H.; Paewai, S., Academic staff workloads and job satisfaction: Expectations and values in academe. Journal of higher edu-cation policy and management 2006, 28 (1), 17-30.
- MacIntyre, P. D.; Gregersen, T.; Mercer, S., Language teachers’ coping strategies during the Covid-19 conversion to online teaching: Correlations with stress, wellbeing and negative emotions. System 2020, 94, 102352.
- Creswell, J. W.; Creswell, J. D., Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. Sage publications: 2017.
- Bentler, P. M.; Chou, C.-P., Practical Issues in Structural Modeling. Sociological Methods & Research 1987, 16 (1), 78-117.
- Topp, C. W.; Østergaard, S. D.; Søndergaard, S.; Bech, P., The WHO-5 Well-Being Index: a systematic review of the literature. Psychotherapy and psychosomatics 2015, 84 (3), 167-176.
- Anderson, J. C.; Gerbing, D. W., Structural equation modeling in practice: A review and recommended two-step approach. Psychological Bulletin 1988, 103 (3), 411-423.
- Preacher, K. J.; Hayes, A. F., Asymptotic and resampling strategies for assessing and comparing indirect effects in multiple mediator models. Be-havior Research Methods 2008, 40 (3), 879-891.
-
Downloads
-
How to Cite
Zhang, A., Sun, C., Qian, P., Zhang, Q., & Tan, J. (2025). The Role of Justice in Workload Management in The Faculty Well-being in Online Education: A Mediational Analysis in Thai Higher Education. International Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, 14(4), 453-461. https://doi.org/10.14419/z317jm78
