ISSN: 2222-6990
Open access
Part?time tutors form the core teaching workforce in Open and Distance Learning (ODL) institutions. However, the interplay between organizational support, work–life balance, and job satisfaction among this cohort remains under-examined. Grounded in Perceived Organizational Support (POS) theory and the work–life balance literature, this study explores how institutional support influences tutor satisfaction directly and indirectly through work–life balance. A structured survey was administered to 134 e?tutors at Open University Malaysia, a fully online university, measuring perceptions of support, work–life balance, and overall job satisfaction. Data were analyzed via Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS?SEM), assessing both measurement and structural models. Results revealed that institutional support alone did not have a significant direct effect on satisfaction (? = –0.126, p = .053). Instead, support significantly enhanced work–life balance (? = 0.428, p < .001), which in turn strongly predicted tutor satisfaction (? = 0.823, p < .001). The full mediation effect (indirect ? = 0.352, p < .001) underscores that support measures must translate into tangible balance improvements to impact satisfaction. Predictive relevance analyses (PLS predict) further confirmed the model’s robustness, with lower RMSE values and positive Q²_predict scores across all indicators. These findings highlight the critical need for ODL institutions to design targetted support strategies—such as flexible scheduling, workload management, and accessible resources—that foster sustainable work–life balance. Implications for policy, professional development, and future research on ODL workforce well?being and instructional quality are discussed.
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