Understanding teacher morale and job satisfaction

This article contributes to the study of teacher morale and job satisfaction. It presents, as a case study, findings of the author's research into staff morale and job satisfaction at an English Primary school. The effects on individual teachers of prevailing, context-specific circumstances and of specific events are described, highlighting the importance, as morale and job satisfaction determinants, of factors such as leadership and individuals' professionality orientations, relative perspectives and realistic expectations.     

The Effect of Employment Interview Format on Principals' Evaluations of Teachers

This study compared the effectiveness of structured and branched-format employment interviews in differentiating strong and weak teachers. In addition, the study examined the correlations between principals' ratings and teachers' self-ratings on measures of efficacy, commitment, job satisfaction, and morale. To simulate structured and branched interviews, eight experienced elementary teachers were employed to construct eight videotaped interviews. Four of these teachers were identified as strong, and four were identified as weak teachers based on formal district evaluations. Sixteen elementary principals each viewed two tapes, one representing a branched interview format and the other representing a structured format. Tapes of strong and weak teachers were randomly assigned to principals within each interview format. The principals then rated the teacher on the five scales: overall teaching ability, efficacy, commitment, satisfaction, and morale. Teachers completed a par allel questionnaire before videotaping the interviews. Analysis of the data indicated both interview methods were effective in differentiating between strong and weak teachers on ability, efficacy, commitment, job satisfaction, and morale measures. With certain cautions, this finding supports the common practice of placing great emphasis on verbal interviews to select teachers. There was not, however, a significant difference between the two interview formats; either format seems acceptable. Correlations between the principals' rating and the self-rating of the teachers were significant on the efficacy, job satisfaction, and morale measures; the correlations were not significant on the commitment measure. This finding implies that collection of specific types of survey data before the interview might increase the predictive validity of the interview process; alternatively, it might allow the process to be shortened with little loss of information.     

Implications of job rotation literature for performance improvement practitioners

Job rotations have existed as a means of developing individual knowledge and skills since the industrial revolution, and in today's dynamic global workplace, they afford organizations an opportunity to manage changing psychological work contracts and employee desires for self‐managed careers. Through the systematic mining of psychology, business, management, and educational databases, this literature review provides a summary of job rotation practices, individual and organizational benefits, likely costs associated with job rotations, and implications for practitioners. Findings indicate that while employees seek learning and marketability over job security and stability, organizations strive to maintain continuity and internal growth and development of their workforce. Job rotations can appease both individuals and organizations through enhanced knowledge and skills, facilitation of greater job satisfaction, and identification of individual strengths for optimal organizational performance. However, these benefits come at a price to the individual and the organization in the form of increased work/life conflict, potentially higher training costs, and possible lower work unit morale. Conclusions are presented on the practical implications and recommendations for implementing job rotations and integrating the practice into performance improvement models.     

A national study on midlevel leaders in higher education: The unsung professionals in the academy

A national study was conducted toexamine the quality of midlevel leaders'worklife, satisfaction, morale and theirintentions to leave. The study included 4,000midlevel leaders who were randomly selectedfrom a total national population of 11,300 fromboth public and private institutions withinfive Carnegie classifications (e.g.,Doctoral/research-extensives and intensives,Baccalaureate generals and Liberal arts) acrossthe United States. Three separate mailingsyielded 2,000 responses for a 50 percent returnrate and 1966 useable surveys. Midlevel leadersare defined as academic or non-academic supportpersonnel within the structure of highereducation organizations (e.g., directors andcoordinators of admissions, institutionalresearch, registrars, computing and technology,human resources, alumni affairs, studentaffairs, placement and counseling services,financial aid, development and planned giving).This national study proposes: (1) to examinethose demographic characteristics and worklifeissues that may have an impact on theperceptions of midlevel leaders' morale,satisfaction and intent to leave; and (2) todemonstrate the role satisfaction and moralehas on midlevel leaders' intentions to stay orleave their current position or career. Thefindings indicate that individual perceptionsof midlevel leaders' professional andinstitutional worklife are powerful variablesthat have an impact on their satisfaction,morale, and turnover intentions.     

Sources of Job Satisfaction in Science Secondary School Teachers in Chile

The paper aims to augment the limited literature on teacher job satisfaction in developing countries, specifically in Chile. The nature of job satisfaction in Chilean secondary science teachers is investigated and causes of satisfaction and dissatisfaction identified. Teachers mentioned most often their satisfaction with interactions with students, relationships held within the school and opportunities to contribute to the development of society, future generations or the individual. Sources of dissatisfaction are poor salary, excessive workload, student characteristics, resources and infrastructure. Associations between teachers' characteristics (age, gender, experience), the type of school administration and job satisfaction are also made and suggestions on how to address the issues of teacher satisfaction and dissatisfaction are discussed.     

Over-education: What influence does the workplace have?

The wage and job satisfaction impacts for over-educated workers have been well-documented; yet little attention has been paid to the consequences for firms. In this paper we examine over-education from the perspective of the workplace. Using linked employer–employee data for the United Kingdom, we derive the standard worker-level penalties on wages and job satisfaction. We then show how over-education rates across workplaces adversely influence workplace pay and workplace labor relations. For individual workers who may be at-risk of over-education, we also distinguish between workforce composition effects and workplace labor practices, such as hiring. The effect of over-education on job satisfaction is particularly strong and its effects are evident at the workplace level. Our results suggest that investigations of over-education at the level of the firm are a promising area of inquiry.     

Academics job satisfaction and job stress across countries in the changing academic environments

This study examined job satisfaction and job stress across 19 higher education systems. We classified the 19 countries according to their job satisfaction and job stress and applied regression analysis to test whether new public management has impacts on either or both job satisfaction and job stress. According to this study, strong market driven countries are in the high stress group and European countries are in the high satisfaction group. The classification implies that market oriented managerial reforms are the main source of academic stress while the high social reputation of academics in their society and academic autonomy are the source of job satisfaction. Our regression analysis also shows that the new public management which is measured by the performance-based management in this study is the main source of academic job stress. In addition, this study highlighted the higher education systems that are classified as the high satisfaction and high stress group. These countries represent the conflicting nature of current academic society—on the one hand they are satisfied, but on the other they are highly stressful.     

沈阳市浑南新区教师工作满意度调查

为了解沈阳市浑南新区教师工作满意度及影响因素,给学校和教育行政管理部门制定干预策略提供理论依据,采用明尼苏达工作满意量表（MSQ）、工作内容问卷（JCQ）、付出一回报失衡问卷（ERI）、工作倦怠量表（MBI—GS）以及抑郁量表（CES—D）对626名教师进行问卷调查,得出浑南新区教师总体工作满意度得分为69．6±10．9,其中52．2％的教师对目前的工作比较满意,而有47.8％的教师对工作感到不太满意。从而认为沈阳市浑南新区教师工作满意度水平较低;职业紧张和职业倦怠对教师工作满意度的影响较大,离职意愿和抑郁症状对其也有一定影响。     

Impact of job satisfaction and burnout on attitudes towards strike action among employees of a Nigerian university

The Nigerian tertiary educational system has been ravaged by incessant strike action, which appears to defy all attempts to find solutions. This paper reports on a study that examines the impact of job satisfaction and burnout on attitudes towards strike actions among employees of a Nigerian university. A total of 576 employees participated in the study, 263 men and 313 women, with a mean age of 38.49 years. The Attitude to Strike Scale, Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire-Short Form, and Teacher’s Burnout Scale were used to collect data. Findings showed that employees with low job satisfaction and high burnout reported significantly a more positive attitude towards strike action than those with higher job satisfaction and lower burnout. It was suggested that governments and administrators of Nigerian tertiary institutions should device strategies to improve workers’ job satisfaction and reduce burnout as ways of reducing the workers’ likelihood to embark on strike actions.     

Departmental morale as a function of the perceived performance of department heads

The object of this paper is to analyze some of the factors underlying differing levels of morale in university departments. Morale is conceived to be primarily a product of perceived department-head performance, although it is also suggested that environmental and satisfaction variables may be important. Morale is seen as a potential symptomatic attribute which might be used in diagnosing organizational difficulties. The authors did indeed find, using multiple discriminant analysis on departmentally aggregated data, that the perceived performance of department heads was more important in predicting levels of morale. In addition, department size was also found to be useful. The conclusions drawn were that morale could be used as a symptom of departmental (or organizational) well being and that such data could be useful to those managing department heads both in the selection of department heads and in their ongoing supervision.The authors were designated by Western Kentucky University to supervise the collection and analysis of the data described. The data were used with the permission of the Office of the President, Western Kentucky University.     

农村幼儿园组织气氛与教师工作满意度的关系

以农村幼儿教师为被试,采用问卷调查的方式考察了农村幼儿园组织气氛与幼儿教师工作满意度的关系。研究表明,农村幼儿园的组织气氛比较积极,教师对同事行为、亲密行为及园长的支持行为等积极气氛的知觉高于对园长的限制行为和教师的疏离行为等消极气氛的知觉。幼儿教师的工作满意度总体上处于中等偏高水平,教师对＂工作本身＂满意度最高,对＂工作报酬＂满意度最低。幼儿园组织气氛与教师工作满意度相关显著,园长的支持行为和教师的同事行为可以很好地预测幼儿教师的工作满意度。     

Teacher morale: More complex than we think?

The literature suggests that teacher morale is at an all time low in Australia (Hicks 2003, Smyth 2001) with teachers feeling undervalued, frustrated, unappreciated and demoralized (Smyth 2001; Senate Employment, Education and Training References Committee (SEETRC) 1998). In this paper the author utilizes the data gathered in a recent study into teaching excellence awards (Mackenzie 2004) as the medium to explore and discuss the issue of teacher morale and to provide some tentative suggestions for improving morale as proposed by the study participants. If we accept a reciprocal relationship between teacher morale and student learning (Ramsey 2000, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) 2000), students in some schools may not be getting the best possible value from teachers affected by low morale. Participants in the Mackenzie (2004) study agreed that morale was generally lower than in previous times, although many suggested that morale was positive in their own schools. This suggests that morale may be more complex than has been previously understood, with three levels of morale operating concurrently for teachers, a concept which is explored in this paper.     

Teacher Acceptance of Administrative Action

Democratic administrative leadership has long been hypothesized to result in high worker morale. Within the context of the elementary school, the principal is the chief administrator and the teachers occupy the major adult work roles. Data from 568 teachers in 52 elementary schools, classified as to administrative atmosphere, indicates that the principal’s compliance with specific work-related norms held by the teacher is more important to teacher satisfaction than is the degree of democratic behavior which he exhibits. Some explanations for this phenomenon are suggested.     

Job satisfaction among academic staff: An international perspective

This study examined aspects of academics'satisfaction with theirjob across the eight nations (Australia, Germany, Hong Kong, Israel, Mexico,Sweden, UK, USA). Interesting patterns emerged across countries reflectingdifferences in the international academic climate. The study also exploredpatterns of job satisfaction and dissatisfaction more closely for theAustralian data, and examined the impact of context elements, includingworking climate and atmosphere, on general levels of job satisfaction.Results indicated that factors related to the environment in which academicswork, including university atmosphere, morale, sense of community, andrelationships with colleagues, are the greatest predictors of jobsatisfaction. Implications for university management and governing bodiesare discussed.     

工作压力与高职教师工作满意度:心理资本的调节作用

心理资本是影响高职教师工作满意度的重要因素.既有文献认为工作压力应与心理资本相匹配,但对"如何匹配"研究较少.对高职教师工作分析认为,乐观、自信、希望、坚韧等心理资本要素对工作压力与工作满意度具有一定的调节作用.     

INFLUENCE OF ASCRIBED AND ACHIEVED SOCIAL STATUSES,VALUES, AND REWARDS ON JOB SATISFACTION AMONG COMMUNITY COLLEGE FACULTY

Research on job satisfaction among community college faculty has been largely atheoretical. The present study examined the contribution of four sets of factors to explaining faculty job satisfaction in the community college. According to Kalleberg's (1977) theory of job satisfaction, employee's affective reactions to their jobs are largely determined by ascribed social statuses, achieved social statuses, job values, and job rewards. A random sample was drawn of 371 full‐time faculty from a multi‐campus community college district located in a metropolitan area in the Southwest. Nonresponses and partial responses resulted in an effective sample size of 261. A correlation analysis revealed that institutional age and physical safety job value were significantly, inversely related to job satisfaction and that all job rewards were significantly, positively related to job satisfaction. A simultaneous multiple regression analysis indicated that institutional age was a significant, inverse predictor of job satisfaction and that chronological age, and the good supervision and work itself job rewards were significant, positive predictors of job satisfaction. Of the variation in job satisfaction scores accounted for by all predictors, approximately 5% may be attributed to ascribed and achieved social statuses and to job values, and 48% to job rewards. For faculty in the district we surveyed, the keys to promoting job satisfaction would be to enhance the satisfying aspects of the work itself and good supervision. Programs which afford faculty who are less than satisfied with their jobs opportunities to be “origins” rather than “pawns” may be beneficial.     

A teacher competence development programme for supporting students’ reflection skills

The Teachers of Promise study has followed the work histories of 57 primary and secondary teachers who had been identified at the beginning of their third year of teaching as having the potential to make a significant contribution to the profession. Using data from surveys and interviews, this paper reports on what sustained or inhibited their initial commitment to and enthusiasm for ‘making a difference’, six years later, both in the classroom and in broader school leadership roles. Satisfaction with their day-to-day experiences in their schools was a particularly strong driver of teachers’ career decisions over time. Thirty-four teachers responded to survey items that were used to identify three different groups of teachers: a group of 10 primary school teachers with the highest levels of job satisfaction who were ‘fulfilling their promise’; a group of 21 primary and secondary teachers who were ‘persevering and coping’; and three teachers who were ‘detached and disengaged’. The group with the highest levels of job satisfaction taught in primary schools where they felt respected and valued, and supported to develop their teaching and leadership expertise. School leadership practices and school cultures in the other two groups diminished teachers’ overall job satisfaction and contribution to collective knowledge building in their schools. Almost all of the teachers had retained their commitment to students, to their current schools and to teaching as a career, including those with lower levels of satisfaction. Although these teachers reported ‘collegial’ relationships with their peers, individualistic school cultures, most often in secondary schools, impacted on their opportunities to learn with and from their colleagues. Few secondary school teachers felt appreciated, and included in school decision-making or had found it possible to combine high standards of classroom teaching with management responsibilities. The study indicates that while most promising teachers were still satisfied with teaching after nine years, relatively few were in schools where they were able to make the impact that had been predicted for them early in their careers.     

A causal model of faculty turnover intentions

A causal model is proposed and estimated to assess the relative influence of individual attributes, institutional characteristics, contextual-work environment variables, and multiple measures of job satisfaction on the intentions of faculty to leave their current institutions. Special attention is given to similarities and differences among variables in the model for tenured and untenured faculty. Regardless of tenure status, younger faculty, those at institutions that have experienced decline and that have more autocratic forms of governance, and those that have lower levels of organizational and career satisfaction are more likely to leave their institutions. Being a male, spending more time on research, and having a stronger record of scholarly productivity are positive influences on the intentions of tenured faculty to leave their institution, while salary satisfaction is an influential variable only for nontenured faculty. The research and policy implications of these findings are discussed. Source of data: Carnegie Surveys of Undergraduates and Faculty. Copyright 1985, The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, 1985.     

The effects of principals’ humor on teachers’ job satisfaction

Traditionally, education has been perceived as a most serious and disciplined undertaking. Schools have become so obsessed with discipline, standardized test scores, proper objectives, competence, and proficiency that they have turned into rather grim places. All too often teachers and students will say that school and learning are not enjoyable. This study was designed to investigate school principals’ overall frequency of humor use as perceived by teachers, and the relationship of principals’ humor use to teachers’ job satisfaction. This study also analyzed how teacher job satisfaction was influenced by principals’ frequency of humor use in different groups. Results of this study support the idea that principals who share humor in the workplace have teachers with higher job satisfaction than those principals who share very little or no humor in the workplace.     

农村初中体育教师工作满意度与幸福感调查与分析——以河南省南阳市为例

对河南省南阳市67名农村初中体育教师进行问卷和访谈调查,发现其工作满意度和幸福感状况为：得分总体不高;女体育教师得分显著或非常显著低于男体育教师;二者随着年龄增加而提高,但不同年龄段之间差异显著或极其显著;中学二级教师的分值最低;本科学历教师得分极其显著或显著低于大专及以下教师．由此建议同工同酬与倾斜性支持并用,着重提升女体育教师的工作满意度和幸福感;全面关照与特别关注相结合,提升不同年龄段教师的工作满意度和幸福感;专业发展和心理引导相结合,提升初级职称和高学历教师工作满意度和幸福感;营造和谐校园文化,为体育教师工作满意度和幸福感提升搭建平台．