Predictors of vocational high school principals' affective organisational commitment in Taiwan

Prior study has indicated that affective organisational commitment (AOC) is equivalent to service motivation. This study is aimed at determining the factors, which can predict vocational high school (VHS) principals' AOC. A questionnaire was sent to all 157 VHS principals in Taiwan and 112 valid responses were received. Data were analysed using stepwise multiple regression analysis (SMRA) to examine the relationships between independent variables (personal background characteristics, organisational management, leadership style and school setting characteristics) and dependent variable (AOC). The results of the study indicate that VHS principals' AOC can be explained with a linear combination of the following variables: perceived fairness, school status, school location, pay satisfaction, previous position and education level. The largest percentage (17.5%) of the variance of AOC can be explained by the variable perceived fairness. Thus, the main implication of this study is that culture of fairness at VHS should be valued by VHS stakeholders.