A Study on the Impact of Aircraft Maintenance Mechanics’ Self-Leadership on Job Satisfaction through Competency

The purpose of this study was to analyze the structural relationship between self-leadership and job satisfaction among aircraft maintenance mechanics and to verify the mediating effect of competence. To ensure methodological rigor, this study applied PROCESS Macro 4.3 instead of the traditional Baron & Kenny three-step analysis method to verify the mediating effect. Empirical analysis based on survey data from aircraft maintenance mechanics revealed that, unlike some previous studies, the direct effect of self-leadership on job satisfaction was insignificant. However, the indirect effect mediated by competence was statistically significant, demonstrating the crucial role of competence in the relationship between self-leadership and job satisfaction. This study suggests that competence enhancement is essential for aircraft maintenance mechanics