This quantitative research investigated whether organizational justice mediates the relationship between teachers’ perceptions of a value-centered school culture and their organizational citizenship behaviors. The study used a relational screening model and surveyed 301 randomly selected general secondary education teachers in the two largest cities of North Cyprus, Nicosia and Kyrenia. The survey included a personal information form, a Value-Centered School Culture Scale, an Organizational Justice Scale, and an Organizational Citizenship Scale. Because the data demonstrated a normal distribution, parametric statistical tests were applied.
The central aim was to provide empirical evidence on how a school’s values-based culture relates to teachers’ perceptions of fairness and their discretionary, prosocial behaviors at work. The authors noted a gap in national and international literature: few studies examine value-centered school culture, organizational justice, and organizational citizenship together from teachers’ perspectives.
The study draws on Social Exchange Theory (SET) to explain the proposed relationships. SET posits that when employees perceive fair and respectful treatment by their organization, they are motivated to reciprocate with positive attitudes and behaviors that exceed formal role requirements. In this context, organizational justice—teachers’ perceptions of fairness in procedures, interpersonal treatment, and outcomes—signals respect and support. Those perceptions are theorized to encourage organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) such as helping colleagues, conscientiousness, and loyalty.
Values education and a values-based school culture are described as antecedents that shape moral reasoning and sensitivity to fairness. When values such as respect, responsibility, and honesty are embedded and modeled across the school community, they are expected to strengthen perceptions of justice, which in turn promote OCB.
Participants were 301 general secondary school teachers randomly selected from Nicosia and Kyrenia in North Cyprus. The instrument battery comprised four parts: a demographic/personal information form and three validated scales: the Value-Centered School Culture Scale, the Organizational Justice Scale, and the Organizational Citizenship Scale. The authors reported that the dataset followed a normal distribution and therefore used parametric procedures for analysis.
To test mediation, the study employed observed-variable path analysis examining whether organizational justice mediated the effect of value-centered school culture on organizational citizenship. Correlational analyses were used to assess pairwise associations among the three constructs.
Overall, teachers’ mean scores for value-centered school culture, organizational justice, and organizational citizenship were reported as above average. Significant positive correlations were identified between organizational justice and organizational citizenship, and between value-centered school culture and organizational citizenship. These bivariate results aligned with the theoretical expectation that a values-based environment and fairness perceptions are linked to higher levels of discretionary, organization-supportive behavior among teachers.
Observed-variable path analysis showed a significant, positive path from value-centered school culture to organizational justice, and a significant, positive path from organizational justice to organizational citizenship. In addition, value-centered school culture was directly associated with organizational citizenship. Together, these paths indicate that a values-oriented school climate affects teachers’ citizenship behaviors both directly and indirectly through enhanced perceptions of organizational justice.
These results provide empirical support for the mediating role of organizational justice: values-based cultural practices in schools appear to foster fairness perceptions that help translate values into discretionary, citizenship behaviors among teachers.
The findings suggest that school leaders and policymakers who seek to enhance teachers’ discretionary contributions—such as helping colleagues, demonstrating conscientiousness, and participating in civic aspects of school life—should consider interventions that build and sustain a value-centered school culture and ensure fair procedures and interpersonal treatment. The study underscores that organizational-level characteristics, including culture and justice, are important determinants of teachers’ work-related attitudes and behaviors.
For researchers, the joint examination of school culture, justice, and citizenship fills a noted empirical gap and highlights the usefulness of SET in educational organizational research.
The source reports that no specific datasets were generated or analysed during the current study section and indicates that all relevant data will be made available upon study completion. The article also states that the authors received no specific funding and declared no competing interests. The study is cross-sectional and based on self-reported measures, which should be considered when interpreting causal inferences. Further details on measurement properties, effect sizes, and model fit were not reported in the source summary provided here.
Taken together, the study provides evidence that a value-centered school culture is a key organizational factor associated with teachers’ perceptions of organizational justice and their organizational citizenship, operating both directly and indirectly through justice perceptions.