title: Relationship between career motivation and perceived spiritual leadership in health professional educators: a correlational study in Iran.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Career motivation in university educators through efficient ways and appropriate with the educational system, is considered one of the important factors affecting education of students and their competence. This study aimed to determine the relationship between career motivation and spiritual leadership among a university of medical sciences in the west, Iran.
  
  
  METHODS
  This descriptive, cross-sectional correlation study was conducted among the university educators of medical sciences in the west, Iran in 2012. All of the educators (N=230) were selected and recruited according to census method. The data were collected by two established self-completed questionnaires on spiritual leadership (SL) and career motivation. Data were analyzed statistically by parametric tests: Pearson correlation, independent student t-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The Pearson correlation test identified a significant relationship between educators' career motivation and vision, altruistic love, hope/faith, meaning/calling and membership dimensions of spiritual leadership (p<0.05). The independent t-test detected a significant relationship between the 'hope/faith' (p=0.04) and organizational commitment (p=0.004) dimensions and the gender of educators. ANOVA revealed significant differences in educators' years of work experience and their overall career motivation (p=0.003) and the dimension of 'membership' (p<0.04). A significant relationship was found in 'altruistic love' and 'Hope/faith', and the educators' academic rank place in the university (p=0.03). Also a significant relationship was found in 'vision' (p=0.03) and 'altruistic love' (p=0.002) and 'membership' (p=0.04) dimensions, and the type of faculty.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results indicate that the dimensions of existence of spiritual leadership may have a positive relationship with educators' career motivation.
authors.forename: Jamil
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sadeghifar
authors.affiliation: Health Management Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences. bahdorihealth@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Mohammadkarim
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bahadori
authors.forename: Donia
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Baldacchino
authors.forename: Mehdi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Raadabadi
authors.forename: Mehdi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jafari
mesh_terms: D002321:Career Choice; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D040441:Health Educators; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D007857:Leadership; D009042:Motivation; D029181:Spirituality; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014495:Universities