Job Satisfaction and Perception of Motivation among Middle and High School Teachers.

ABSTRACT Middle and high school teachers (N = 710) were asked to respond to several sets of questions including their overall level of job satisfaction, the extent to which teachers in general are motivated, and the motivational levels of various school- and nonschool-based factors and performance incentives. Salient results were that males reported a higher level of job satisfaction than did females; teachers early in their careers, as well as those nearing the end of their careers, indicated higher levels of job satisfaction than did teachers who were in the middle of their careers; a greater proportion of teachers in their early to late 20s, as well as those in their early 50s, indicated a desire to enter the teaching profession again if given the opportunity; and, males and those teaching in suburban settings reported knowing significantly more unmotivated teachers than did their female and urban/rural counterparts. A noteworthy number of teachers are dissatisfied with the circumstances associated with their work, and have been for some time. A study conducted by the National Education Association revealed that 25% of the teachers responding to the study expressed dissatisfaction with their current jobs (Sweeney, 1981). Similarly, but more recently, Mertler (1992) reported that 23% of the elementary, middle, and high school teachers surveyed in his study were dissatisfied with their jobs. Furthermore, 34% of the teachers in that study reported that, if given the opportunity to choose a career again, they would not choose to enter the teaching profession. In a national survey of 1000 in-service teachers, 67 percent responded that they know teachers whom they believe are incompetent and should be fired. When asked to specify the number of teachers who should be fired, the average response was three (Turner, 1986). These findings and additional research seem to indicate that there exist motivation and satisfaction problems in the teaching profession. It is likely that many of these teachers are not incapable of performing well. Perhaps it is the case that many are unwilling to perform well; i.e., they are unmotivated, possibly as a result of their dissatisfaction with their chosen careers. Similar to the overall results of teacher satisfaction reported by Sweeney (1981) and Mertler (1992), a study by Perie & Baker (1997) showed an overall dissatisfaction rate of about 32%. In those earlier studies (e.g., Mertler, 1992), approximately one-third of teachers responded that they would not choose to become teachers if given the opportunity. Other studies reported that 39% (King & Peart, as cited in McConaghy, 1993), 43% (Brunetti, 2001), and 34% (Perie & Baker, 1997) would not choose to become teachers. More specific results from previous studies have shown that female teachers reported higher levels of job satisfaction than their male counterparts (King & Peart, as cited in McConaghy, 1993; Ellis & Bernhardt, 1992). Elementary teachers also reported higher satisfaction with their jobs than secondary teachers (Perie & Baker, 1997; King & Peart, as cited in McConaghy, 1993; Ellis & Bernhardt, 1992). The morale of teachers can have far-reaching implications for student learning, as well as the health of the teacher (Lumsden, 1998). The goal of this study was to gain a better understanding of the motivation and job satisfaction of secondary teachers. This study built upon previous studies (e.g., Mertler, 1992) by focusing on teachers at the secondary level and substantially increasing the size of the sample (N = 710). Middle and high school teachers responded to several sets of questions including their overall level of job satisfaction, the extent to which teachers in general are motivated, and the motivational effects of various school- and nonschool-based factors and performance incentives. METHOD The data for this study were collected through the administration of a Web-based survey of teacher motivation and job satisfaction. …