IJECE Published Articles

Abstract This study examined psychological empowerment and work engagement among non-teaching personnel of the Department of Education, Schools Division Office of Surigao del Norte. It described the respondents’ demographic profile, assessed perceived psychological empowerment in terms of meaning, competence, self-determination, and impact, measured work engagement in terms of vigor, dedication, and absorption, tested differences across profile groups, determined the relationship between empowerment and engagement, and examined the influence of empowerment dimensions on work engagement. A quantitative descriptive-correlational design was used with 117 non-teaching personnel from the Office of the Schools Division Superintendent, Administrative Services, School Governance and Operations Division, Curriculum and Instruction Division, and related support units. Standardized instruments adapted from Spreitzer’s Psychological Empowerment Questionnaire and Schaufeli et al.’s Work Engagement Scale were used. Data were analyzed through frequency counts, percentages, means, standard deviations, independent samples t-tests, ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and multiple linear regression. Results showed very high psychological empowerment across all dimensions, with meaning receiving the highest mean. Work engagement was also very high, with dedication as the strongest dimension. Significant differences were found for selected profile variables, particularly age, educational attainment, and years in service. Psychological empowerment was significantly and positively associated with vigor, dedication, and absorption. Regression analysis further showed that meaning, competence, and self-determination significantly predicted work engagement, while impact was not a significant predictor when other dimensions were controlled. The study concludes that empowerment is a critical organizational resource for sustaining engagement among non-teaching personnel and recommends an empowerment-focused improvement program centered on capacity building, participative governance, recognition, wellness, digital empowerment, and accountability. Keywords: Psychological Empowerment, Work Engagement, Non-Teaching Personnel, Department of Education, Social Exchange Theory, Public Sector Administration