Elaborating on the Role of Optimism and Buoyancy in Primary School Teachers’ Innovative Behavior with Flexibility as an Intermediary

The present research has aimed to study the role of optimism and buoyancy in teachers’ innovative behavior with flexibility as an intermediary. A descriptive research method of the correlational kind was used, and the statistical population consisted of 1500 primary school teachers in the city of Birjand in the school year 2018-2019, 306 of whom were selected as the sample by means of stratified sampling (based on gender and privilege) and in accordance with Morgan’s table. The optimism and flexibility questionnaire devised by Luthans (2007), the innovative behavior questionnaire devised by Kanter (1988) and Shirom's questionnaire for buoyancy (2004) were used in order to assess variables. The content validity of the questionnaires was confirmed by experts. Using Cronbach's alpha, the coefficient of reliability was shown to be 0.80 for the optimism questionnaire, 0.88 for the innovative behavior questionnaire and 0.72 for the buoyancy questionnaire. Data analysis has been done at descriptive (frequency, mean, and standard deviation) and inferential (Pearson correlation, regression and structural equation model) levels. The results showed that optimism, with a beta of 0.42, and buoyancy, with a beta of 0.61, and flexibility, with a beta of 0.50, predicted innovative behavior, and optimism with a beta of 0.39 and buoyancy with a beta of 0.42 predicted flexibility. As indicated by the findings, flexibility has the intermediary role here.