Factors Predicting Teacher Job Satisfaction in a Post-Conflict Society: A Survey of Elementary Schools in Jaghori District, Afghanistan

This study examined the factors predicting job satisfaction among primary school teachers in Jaghori District, Afghanistan. The study used quantitative method to examine the extent to which extrinsic factors, intrinsic factors, and stress predict job satisfaction among primary school teachers in Jaghori District, Afghanistan, and whether teaching experience and gender moderate these relationships. Survey data were collected from 300 male primary school teachers using an adapted 43-item Job Satisfaction Survey. Multiple linear regression and moderation analysis were employed.
Results revealed that overall job satisfaction was low (M = 2.80/5). Compensation (β = 0.287, p < .001), work-life balance (β = 0.265, p < .001), job security (β = 0.245, p < .001), work environment (β = 0.229, p = .001), and recognition (β = 0.194, p = .001) were the strongest predictors, with extrinsic factors dominating intrinsic factors. Stress was a significant negative predictor (β = -0.185, p = .001). Societal perception of teaching was not significant (p = .063). Teaching experience moderated the compensation-satisfaction (β = 0.127, p = .042) and stress-satisfaction (β = -0.143, p = .038) relationships, with experienced teachers showing stronger effects in both directions. These findings challenge Herzberg's conventional hierarchy in post-conflict contexts, demonstrating that extrinsic factors assume predictive dominance when basic needs and systemic reliability are compromised. The study recommends transparent compensation systems, mandatory workload limits with stress reduction programs, and experience-differentiated retention strategies.

Teacher job satisfaction; Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory; Post-conflict education; Work-life balance; Job security; Teacher stress

1. Aiken, L. S., & West, S. G. (1991). Multiple regression: Testing and interpreting interactions. Sage Publications. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412985107 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Brislin, R. W. (1980). Translation and content analysis of oral and written material. In H. C. Triandis & J. W. Berry (Eds.), Handbook of cross-cultural psychology (Vol. 2, pp. 389-444). Allyn & Bacon. [Library catalog record: https://search.worldcat.org/title/6422843] [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203771587 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Connolly, P. (2007). Quantitative data analysis in education: A critical introduction using SPSS. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203946985 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). Sage Publications. https://doi.org/10.7748/nr.12.1.82.s2 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. Etikan, I., Musa, S. A., & Alkassim, R. S. (2016). Comparison of convenience sampling and purposive sampling. American Journal of Theoretical and Applied Statistics, 5(1), 1-4. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajtas.20160501.11 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Field, A. (2018). Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS statistics (5th ed.). Sage Publications. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781526419521 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Gundlach, H., & Slemp, G. R. (2022). Higher salaries might attract teachers but pay isn't one of the top 10 reasons for leaving. The University of Melbourne. https://findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au/news/40328-higher-salaries-might-attract-teachers-but-pay-isn't-one-of-the-top-10-reasons-for-leaving [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2019). Multivariate data analysis (8th ed.). Cengage. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119409137.ch7 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. Hayes, A. F. (2018). Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach (2nd ed.). Guilford Press. https://doi.org/10.1111/jedm.12050 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. Herzberg, F., Mausner, B., & Snyderman, B. B. (1959). The motivation to work (2nd ed.). John Wiley & Sons. [Library catalog record: https://search.worldcat.org/title/2149260] [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. IBM Corp. (2019). IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows (Version 26.0) [Computer software]. IBM Corp. https://www.ibm.com/products/spss-statistics [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. Kiagu, E. J., & Kingi, P. M. (2025). Influence of administrative practices on teachers' job satisfaction in public secondary schools in Isinya Sub-County, Kenya. Cradle of Knowledge: African Journal of Educational and Social Science Research, 13(2). https://www.ajol.info/index.php/ajessr/article/view/314087 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

14. Locke, E. A. (1976). The nature and causes of job satisfaction. In M. D. Dunnette (Ed.), Handbook of industrial and organizational psychology (pp. 1297-1343). Rand McNally. [Library catalog record: https://search.worldcat.org/title/2291060] [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

15. Noori, A. Q., Said, H., Orfan, S. N., & Mohd Anis, S. N. (2024). The influence of school climate on high school teachers' job satisfaction in a conflict-affected country. International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education (IJERE), 13(1), 321. https://doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v13i1.22890 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

16. Nunnally, J. C., & Bernstein, I. H. (1994). Psychometric theory (3rd ed.). McGraw-Hill. https://doi.org/10.1177/014662169501900308 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

17. Oriaka, S., Eryenyu, C., & Atibuni, D. Z. (2025). School-based support supervision as a predictor of teacher job satisfaction in secondary schools in Bukedea District, Uganda. Journal of Research Innovation and Implications in Education, 9(3). https://www.ajol.info/index.php/jriie/article/view/318139 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

18. Oriaka, S., Eryenyu, C., & Atibuni, D. Z. (2025). School-based support supervision as a predictor of teacher job satisfaction in secondary schools in Bukedea District, Uganda. Journal of Research Innovation and Implications in Education, 9(3). https://www.ajol.info/index.php/jriie/article/view/318139 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

19. Pham, L. T. T. (2025). Lecturers' job satisfaction as a driver for sustaining English medium instruction programs in Vietnamese higher education. Journal of Teacher Education for Sustainability, 27(1), 57-76. https://doi.org/10.2478/jtes-2025-0004 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

20. Spector, P. E. (1985). Measurement of human service staff satisfaction: Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey. American Journal of Community Psychology, 13(6), 693-713. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00929796 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

21. Tabachnick, B. G., & Fidell, L. S. (2019). Using multivariate statistics (7th ed.). Pearson. https://doi.org/10.1080/00273171.2014.954659 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

22. Teklu, A. (2025). The integrity paradox: Procedural over personal virtue in predicting teacher job satisfaction in post-conflict Tigray. Mekelle University Online Journals. https://doi.org/10.71624/pkedgs31 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

23. Teklu, A., Gebre-eyesus, M. T., Abreha, B. K., & Kahsay, G. A. (2025). Ethical leadership and teacher job satisfaction in post-conflict Tigray: The primacy of moral relationship. Mekelle University Online Journals. https://doi.org/10.71624/xnkc5145 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

24. Weiss, D. J., Dawis, R. V., England, G. W., & Lofquist, L. H. (1967). Manual for the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire. Minnesota Studies in Vocational Rehabilitation, University of Minnesota. https://doi.org/10.1037/t05184-000 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

25. Zhou, J., Chen, Q., Zhang, Y., Li, X., & Wang, W. (2025). The relationship between job stress, resilience, emotional intelligence, and job satisfaction among college teachers. Scientific Reports, 15, 20390. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-08692-x [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

• The Indirect Effect of Liquidity and Activity on Company Value with Profitability as an Intervening Variable
• Effect of Financial Skills, Knowledge, and Attitude on The Financial Behaviour of Clergy
• A Decade of Review: Trends in Budget Execution and Financial Performance of Development Projects in Tanzania (2014/15-2023/24)
• The Influence of Pre-Project Planning on the Budget Absorption Rate of Public Funded Infrastructure Projects in Kenya a Comparative Case Study of Narok, Migori, and Kisii County Government Projects
• Assessment of Factors Influencing Digital Transformation in Hotels’ Facility Management in Abuja Metropolis, Nigeria