An Economic and Psychological Analysis of Job Satisfaction of School Teachers (Special Reference to Balangoda Education Zone)

An Economic and Psychological Analysis of Job Satisfaction of School Teachers (Special Reference to Balangoda Education Zone)

Dr. Asha Nimali Fernando¹ & Samadhhi Abhishsheka Karunarathna^2
1Senior Lecturer, Department of Philosophy and Psychology, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka
²Research Assistant, Department of Economics, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka

Received: 01 March 2023; Revised: 16 March 2023; Accepted: 21 March 2023; Published: 22 April 2023

ABSTRACT

High job satisfaction is a hallmark of a well-managed organization and is primarily a result of effective behavior management. Similarly, job satisfaction is essential due to reasons such as: increasing the productivity of the organization, being able to retain quality and expert talented employees, creating new discoveries, creating a positive work environment, and the growth and reputation of the organization. The aim of this research is to evaluate, measure and assess the level of job satisfaction of schoolteachers in government schools.  The quality enhancement of education is depending on the teachers and their performances in teaching. Behind their work, the satisfaction of their career is a must. This study is an attempt to investigate the level of job satisfaction. The methodology of this research will be a mixed method.  A sample of 270 teachers from 17 Education Division government schools in Balangoda, Imbulpe, Weligepola, Balangoda Education Zone, Rathnapura District, Sabaragamuwa Province were selected. The sample was selected through probability random sampling. A questionnaire and interviews were used to collect data. The analysis reveals that considering the overall job satisfaction of male and female teachers, it was found to be at a lower level. That is, it was found that 68.95% of the sample is not satisfied with their job. Also, only a small percentage of 31.05% of the sample was found to be satisfied with their job. It was clear that due to the negative impact of these factors, teachers are under mental pressure and stress, thereby creating various psychosocial problems. Accordingly, it is important for officials involved in the field of education to have a good understanding of the factors that affect teachers’ job satisfaction when considered as a whole. This is because teachers’ job satisfaction increases by identifying factors that positively affect teachers’ job satisfaction and focusing on developing them. This increases the service effectiveness and efficiency of teachers.

Key words: Teaching, job satisfaction, effectiveness, motivation.

INTRODUCTION

It is vital to study about the job satisfaction of an employee working in a particular organization. This is because, when employees are satisfied with their work, productivity increases. Further, when an employee does not get the desired satisfaction from the job, the employees become dissatisfied, so they do not devote themselves to the best of their abilities (Subaideen and Irshad, 2021). In many cases, one of the reasons for the deterioration of an organization is low job satisfaction. Due to this, work slows down, employees are absent and, in some cases, employees may even leave the organization. On the other hand, high job satisfaction is desirable to management because it tends to be associated with positive outcomes that are highly necessary for managers. High job satisfaction is a hallmark of a well-managed organization and is primarily a result of effective behavior management. Similarly, job satisfaction is essential due to reasons such as: increasing the productivity of the organization, being able to retain quality and expert talented employees, creating new discoveries, creating a positive work environment, and the growth and reputation of the organization. Especially when discussing about the development of a country, the education sector of that country is given a higher influence. Many development goals of a country are determined by the quality of education. The work effectiveness and efficiency of those employed in the field of education is important for the creation of quality education in a country. Mainly the service from the teachers has a strong influence on it. In order to receive the desired service from the teachers, the teachers must perform their work with satisfaction. The reason for this is that the teachers’ job satisfaction is influenced by professional attitudes, teaching enthusiasm and work enthusiasm. Also, because the quality of education depends on all these matters (Fuming & Jiliang, 2014). Accordingly, it is important to consider what is meant by job satisfaction. There have been various opinions about job satisfaction. According to Sargent & Hannum (2005) job satisfaction is a combination of psychological, physiological and environmental conditions. Likewise, according to Locke (1976), job satisfaction is a positive or pleasant emotional state as a result of appreciating a person’s job or experience. Moreover, according to Zymbylas & Papanastaiou (2006) teachers’ job satisfaction refers to the ability to support student achievement, self-development. Sri Lanka consists of 10 155 public schools. 249 494 teachers are employed there. There are 61 747 male teachers and 187 747 female teachers (Ministry of Education, 2020). In school education with such a background, the primary responsibility of making that education a quality one is assigned to the teachers. In order for the teachers to fulfill that responsibility properly, it is essential that they get the satisfaction they expect from their work. But there has been no economic and psychological study on the factors affecting teachers’ job satisfaction. Accordingly, this study has conducted an economic and psychological study on teachers’ job satisfaction and aimed to identify the factors affecting the job satisfaction of teachers where the primary objective has been to study the psychological effect caused by those factors.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Hughes (2016) conducted a research to examine job satisfaction among teachers in Techiman Municipality. According to the research, it has been found that teachers are dissatisfied with their jobs. This study also revealed that people are willing to change their jobs due to dissatisfaction. Similarly, Sumanasena and et al (2020) conducted a research to identify the job satisfaction of teachers working in the most difficult schools in Puttalam Education Zone, Sri Lanka. It was found that willingness to receive salary and rewards has no significant relationship with teachers’ job satisfaction. It has also been found that providing teachers with adequate teaching, facilities, in-service training, promotion accommodation and incentives increases job satisfaction. Mahmood et al (2011) conducted a study on teachers’ job satisfaction. The study examined whether there was a difference in job satisfaction by gender and by school types, i.e. urban and rural. It has been found that female teachers are more satisfied with their jobs than male teachers. Furthermore, the study has made it clear that there is no difference in job satisfaction according to urban and rural areas. This study has revealed that factors such as administrative support, promotion, human relations, pay, supervision and working conditions affect teachers’ job satisfaction. A study was conducted on factors influencing job satisfaction of teachers in government schools in Samanthurai Education Zone, Ampara District. It has been identified that factors such as the nature of work, remuneration and opportunities for promotion affect teachers’ job satisfaction. Similarly, work supervision has found that the factors of relationships with colleagues do not affect job satisfaction (Subaideen and Irshad, 2021). Rahman (2008) used public and private college teachers in Bangladesh to study the factors that affect their job satisfaction. It has been found that there is a difference in job satisfaction according to gender. Also, age and work experience are factors that do not affect job satisfaction. The study revealed that satisfaction depends on the type of college where teachers work and the salary received from the job. Pabla (2012) has conducted a study on the factors affecting the job satisfaction of rural and urban teachers. According to the study, factors such as salary, benefits, interaction with colleagues and interaction with students, reputation, opportunities for career advancement, decision-making authority, general working conditions, level of personal and professional challenge, and level of independence have been found to affect it. According to Bogler (2001) perceptions have been found to have a strong influence on teachers’ professional job satisfaction. It has also been discovered that the principals’ transformational leadership directly affects teachers’ job satisfaction. Moreover, Herzberg studied about job satisfaction. According to him, 5 factors have influenced it. They are:  recognition of achievement, work, responsibility and progress are factors. According to Aziri (2011), seven factors affecting job satisfaction have been identified. They are: the nature of employment, administration, salary, remuneration, promotion, superiors, service conditions and co-workers.

Theories of Motivation

Sociologists and Psychologists have offered different views on work and work in recent centuries. Job satisfaction is measured through motivation. Willingness or unwillingness to work is determined through the formation of motivation. Various factors affect motivation towards work. Hence, job motivation is determined by various factors. According to (Mbua, 2003) motivation is defined as a process that can lead to job satisfaction. It is a mental process that arises in that person. Thus, motivation is very important for employee satisfaction. Various theories of motivation have been proposed. In those theories, the factors affecting employee satisfaction of a person have been theoretically explained through motivation. Job satisfaction is directly related to motivation. Accordingly, it is indicated that there is a positive correlation between motivation and job satisfaction. That is, motivation increases with increase in job satisfaction and motivation decreases when job satisfaction decreases (Singh & Tiwari, 2011). Therefore, it is important to consider motivational theories that influence the satisfaction of individuals.

• David McClelland Theory

McClelland has analyzed motivation in terms of three needs. This theory proposes to find out how people working in an organization are motivated. Thus, three basic needs related to personal motivation are introduced. They are:

        a. Need for Achievement

The idea here is to achieve or achieve a certain standard or personal expectation. Here, the desire to win competitive opportunities and rise to the top is shown to be important. Individuals with a high desire to achieve goals and objectives are highly motivated to win challenges and competition. Based on these facts, there are 3 characteristics of such people.

• Willingness to solve problems and take responsibility.
• Anticipating extraordinary goals and objectives.
• Desire to receive feedback on their performance.

b. Need for Power

The need to influence the behavior of an individual or group. The following points are important here.

• Increased liability.
• Providing employee autonomy.
• Reference to challenging work.
• High returns for high performance.

c. Need for Affiliation

It is the need that exists in individuals to have friendly association with other people. If there is a suitable environment for interpersonal relationships, the employee will be satisfied, therefore motivated.

• Maslow Theory

Maslow pointed out that human beings are motivated to achieve five types of needs that can be ranked in a hierarchy, from basic needs such as hunger to self-actualization needs. According to Maslow, at some point people strive to fulfill the need that is most important to them. Here the past experiences of the person and the situations he is currently facing are affected. In the hierarchy of needs as shown in the diagram, there are different needs that a person has from the lowest part to the highest part of the triangle.

Figure 1- Maslow’s hierarchy 

Thus, Maslow interprets the needs of physical needs, protection needs and social needs as primary needs and factors such as reward needs and self-fulfillment needs as secondary needs. Maslow has presented this view from some assumptions, that are:

• A person always tries to fulfill some need.
• Only when a lower-level need is fulfilled does one move to a higher opportunity.
• Once a need is fulfilled, it no longer motivates a person.

Although these ideas presented by Maslow are not always practical, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is a good tool for gaining some theoretical understanding of motivation. This theory is based on 5 main categories of needs. The five categories represent different needs and these needs are based on determining which factors measure the job satisfaction of bank employees. According to Maslow’s needs hierarchy theory, needs have been identified under two main categories. Under one of the primary needs, physical needs such as water, air, light, sanitary facilities, work environment factors, job security under safety needs, and co-worker relations and direction were also identified under social needs. Using this theory, which are the factors that motivate people to work, such as training, promotion, recognition, development under the secondary needs’ category, which is the secondary needs category, and under the self-perfection needs, achievements and growth in the person, etc. A basic idea has been obtained and those variables have been used as basis for this study.

• Alderfer’s ERG theory

This theory presented by Clayton Alderfer explains that people try to fulfill three types of needs and when a certain type of need cannot be reached, the person moves to a lower level of need. He further explains that a person who is unable to fulfill a need tries to switch to another need out of frustration. Existence Needs- E are the needs of a person for survival such as food, safety, sex, sleep, etc., according to Maslow’s law, are similar to physical and safety needs. Relatedness Needs-R are similar to the social needs mentioned by Maslow such as love, kindness. Growth Needs-G are similar to Maslow’s achievement and perfectionism needs. According to Clayton Alderfer, the study showed that people try to fulfill three main needs. These needs used in this same theory are quite similar to Maslow’s theory and the physical needs and safety belonging to the survival needs have also been considered as relational needs and the promotion, recognition, etc. These factors are the basis for the study and the factors included in each of these theories have helped to measure the factors affecting job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction.

• Herzberg’s Two Factor Theory

Frederick Hirschberg proposed this idea in 1950 after examining the attitudes of engineering clients. Job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction are presented in this theory according to different factor categories. As the two types of factors,

1. Motivation Factors
2. Hygiene Factors

Motivation Factors include nature of work, achievements, recognition, advancement, personal growth, promotion opportunities etc. Hygiene Factors include pay, company policies, quality of supervision, co-worker relations, job security etc. Frederick Hirschberg’s two-factor theory is analyzed under two main categories. Thus, the variables used in this theory as motivational factors are recognition, promotions, personal growth, etc. and the other category of safety factors are the variables of direction, salary, job security, relationship with other people, and other benefits based on this study. Among the factors mentioned as motivating factors and safety factors, the above-mentioned factors are the basis for this study and based on those factors, it is hoped to investigate how the job satisfaction of bank employees increases.

• Adam’s Equity Theory

Equity theory was proposed by Stacey Adams in 1963. Here it is said that fairness or unfairness is determined by comparing the benefits of the effort put in by the employees and the effort and benefits of other employees doing similar jobs. Employees are highly motivated when they see fairness. When the unfairness is portrayed, the behaviors such as coming late, not reporting to work, spending time in vain, low quality, low productivity etc. are evident in the employee. Under process theories, fairness theory is one of them. In this theory, it means that if the same benefit received by an employee of a certain organization is received by a person working in a similar organization, there should be equality in the benefits received by both people. If there is inequality then some problem of job satisfaction arises. Then the individual is tempted not to perform his job properly and because of this, job dissatisfaction is created in the individuals as the positions of the individuals belonging to the two types of organizations are the same.

• Expectancy Theory

It was pointed out by “Victor Room” in 1964 that expectancy theory shows that the decision is determined. Here, Victor Room has presented several variations.

• What the organization receives from employees as first-level outcomes, such as higher efficiency, higher quality, etc.
• Second level outcomes are what the employee receives from the organization, such as higher wages, bonuses, promotions, recognition etc.
• Expectation is the employee’s expectation of getting the first level of results.
• Value or the extent to which the second level results are important to the employee
• As causation is the cause of first level results to produce second level results.

A person’s success is based on the benefits he receives through motivation and other factors. There, for success, the person should be guided in such a way that positive motivation occurs. Therefore, positive expectations should be developed through the actions of individuals within an organization.

• Goal Setting Theory

This theory suggests that individuals are motivated by striving to achieve specific goals. Here, it is indicated that high performance results are obtained through challenging objectives, and high-performance results are not obtained with easily achievable objectives, and the achieved objectives should be clear and specific. Action plans are therefore important. Setting specific goals gives a person specific information about what to do. Thus, he gets an understanding of the effort the employee has to put in. There are several characteristics that should be present in the wishes. They are:

• Employees should be made to understand to accept the objectives.
• The intended task should be clear.
• Must be relevant to personal development.
• Employee participation should be achieved through participative management.

Results should be evaluated and follow-up provided. Time should be given to accomplish goals. Individuals should be implemented accordingly. Thus, these process theories explain how people are motivated through psychological and behavioral behavior.

METHODOLOGY

A mixed method was utilised in this research. Here, 270 teachers from 17 Education Division government schools in Balangoda, Imbulpe, Weligepola, Balangoda Education Zone, Rathnapura District, Sabaragamuwa Province were selected as the sample. The sample was selected through probability random sampling. A questionnaire and interviews were used to collect data. The questionnaire consisted of two parts. The first part collected sociological data and the second part studied the effect of factors affecting job satisfaction. Data were collected using Likert scale questions. SPSS Version 26 software was used to analyze the collected data. Here, a multiple regression analysis was conducted to find out the effect of influencing factors on job satisfaction.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Factors affecting teachers’ job satisfaction can be discussed as follows. The results of their job satisfaction levels are as follows. Considering the overall job satisfaction of male and female teachers, it was found to be at a lower level. It was found that 68.95% of the sample is not satisfied with their job. Also, only a small percentage of 31.05% of the sample was found to be satisfied with their job.

Figure 1: Overall Job Satisfaction of Teachers

Source: Field survey, 2022

A study was conducted on teachers’ job satisfaction based on gender. Accordingly, it will be clear that male teachers are not satisfied with their jobs as compared to female teachers as a whole. Accordingly, 37.50% of the teachers who are not satisfied with their jobs are male teachers and 31.45% are female teachers. Likewise, 31.05% of teachers who are satisfied with their jobs, 12.45% are male teachers and 18.60% are female teachers.

Figure 2: Difference between the level of job satisfaction of male and female teachers

Source: Field survey, 2022

Factors affecting teachers’ job satisfaction were studied through Multiple Regression analysis.

Table 1: The results of Multiple regression Analysis

Source: Field survey, 2022

In considering the factors that affect the teachers’ job satisfaction, it can be identified that all the factors used for the study affect the model as a whole. That is because .000 < 0.025. Likewise, considering the individual variance of each variable, it was clear that all the variables used are variance. Here, considering the variable Pay and rewards, when it increases by one unit, it can be found that job satisfaction increases by .251. Likewise, when the Job security variable increases by one unit, job satisfaction increases by .274. Considering the variable Supervision, it shows a negative relationship with job satisfaction. That is, when the variable Supervision increases by one unit, it can be found that job satisfaction decreases by -.154. Considering the variable Relationship with co-workers, it shows a positive relationship with job satisfaction and when it increases by one unit, job satisfaction increases by .122. Likewise, in focusing on the variable Opportunities for Promotion, when it increases by one unit, job satisfaction increases by .123 and when the variable Working Environment increases by one unit, job satisfaction increases by .083. Thus, it is clear that the variables Pay and rewards, Job security, Nature of the work, Relationship with co-workers, Opportunities for Promotion, Working Environment have a positive effect on increasing the job satisfaction of teachers and it is clear that the variable Supervision has a negative effect. Accordingly, the multiple regression model can be constructed as follows. In focusing on teachers’ job satisfaction, it was found that job satisfaction is low. Through the research, it became clear that with the decrease in job satisfaction, psychosocial problems arise in them. These facts could be identified through the interviews conducted with the teachers. With the current economic situation, we get a small salary. In many cases, the salary is not enough even to cover our essential expenses. When we think about the monthly salary, many times we are disappointed that why we are doing this job. When we cannot fulfil our needs from work, we feel that we do not get the desired satisfaction from work. Focusing on the comment of the above respondent, it will be clear that when the remuneration received is not enough, people will not do their job satisfactorily. Also, it is clear that they do not get the desired satisfaction from work in such a case.

Being happy at work is something we all aspire to. The support we receive from our co-workers and the positive relationships we have with them, as well as the work environment helps to increase job satisfaction. This situation also caused me to get a transfer from the school where I worked before and come to this school. I was under a lot of pressure because of the various bad things done to me by some members of the staff. Sometimes I even decided to quit my job. I suffered a lot mentally. Eventually I even went to therapy. Only after that I got a transfer to this school. I get a lot of support from the staff of this school. I am doing my job with great satisfaction. This research found that the support received from co-workers as well as the work environment are very important for teachers’ job satisfaction. The well-being of the organization is determined by the support received from other employees who work with him, and it has a strong impact on increasing employee satisfaction. Likewise, when looking at the rations of opportunities for promotion, it was found that it directly affects the job satisfaction of teachers. Leading to this, it became clear that psychosocial problems have arisen in some teachers as the opportunities for advancement in the job are reduced. “The salary from this job is not enough. Also, we have limited opportunities to get promoted. Similarly, you have to appear for the exams to get promoted. It’s really stressful.” “One of the problems with this job is that there are limited opportunities for promotion. It is one of the main reasons for low job satisfaction”. From the aforementioned statement, it will be clear that the opportunities available to achieve promotion affect the job satisfaction of teachers. Also, it is clear that teachers are under psychological pressure due to the existing processes to get promotions. Further, it could be identified through the interviews that focusing on the factor of supervision has a negative effect on job satisfaction. Excessive work supervision has negative effects on the smooth running of our teaching process. Because of that we suffer physically and mentally. It causes stress. Due to mental stress, the expected teaching process at work cannot be done properly. It has a strong impact on reducing job satisfaction. Thus, it is clear that excessive work supervision causes psychosocial problems in teachers and thereby reduces job satisfaction.

CONCLUSION

This study investigates the influence of factors affecting the job satisfaction of government school teachers. When examined from an economic perspective, Pay and rewards, Job security, Nature of the work, Relationship with co-workers, Opportunities for Promotion, Working Environment were identified as factors that have positive effects on teachers’ job satisfaction. Moreover, it was found that the variable Supervision has a negative effect on teachers’ job satisfaction. Thus, this research also studied the psychosocial impact on teachers due to the factors affecting their job satisfaction. Accordingly, it was clear that the above-mentioned parties have positive and negative effects on the working life of teachers. It was evident that due to the negative impact of these factors, teachers are under mental pressure and stress, thereby creating various psychosocial problems. Accordingly, it is important for officials involved in the field of education to have a good understanding of the factors that affect teachers’ job satisfaction when considered as a whole. This is because teachers’ job satisfaction increases by identifying factors that positively affect teachers’ job satisfaction and focusing on developing them. This increases the service effectiveness and efficiency of teachers. Further, it will be possible to increase the job satisfaction of teachers by focusing on the factors that negatively affect teachers’ job satisfaction and working to reduce them.

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