The mediating effect of individual regulatory focus in the relationship between career commitment and job satisfaction

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the mediating effect of regulatory focus for educational welfare specialists in the relationship between their career commitment and job satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach A total of 650 responses were used for the data analysis after removing 80 incomplete responses through general data screening procedures. The two-step approach of SEM (structural equation modeling) analysis was mainly used for testing the hypotheses. Findings As the results of this study, career commitment was statistically significant for job satisfaction. Promotion focus of the regulatory focus was shown to have a mediating effect on the relationship between career commitment and job satisfaction, while prevention focus did not. Practical implications Theoretical and practical implications are provided and further studies are recommended. Career paths for educational welfare specialists should be provided to increase their career commitment. The training and development program geared by psychological assessment could be expanded to play a major role in giving an opportunity where employees perceive the type of regulatory focus that they have and the need to adjust it according to the job situation. Originality/value This study identified the mediating role of promotion focus when educational welfare specialists’ career commitment positively influences their job satisfaction. It is meaningful to look into the internal aspect of the variables, such as individuals’ self-regulation strategy, rather than external factors, such as compensation, to increase job satisfaction.