| dc.description.abstract | Abstract:
The Problem Since Kenya attained its independence, a number of recommendations have been made to help in both retaining graduate teachers in the teaching profession and making the "noble" profession attractive. However, the teaching profession has remained less attractive for graduate teachers. The purpose of this study was to find out the levels of job satisfaction among graduate teachers in secondary schools in Siaya District and Kisumu Town and investigate the relationship between these levels of job satisfaction and twelve independent variables. In addition, the study investigated how the graduate teachers ranked the eight j~ factors in order of importance. Literature Review The literature review covered five distinct areas. These areas are: distinction between motivation and job satisfaction; background to development of studies on motivation and job satisfaction content theories of motivation and job satisfaction; context theories of motivation and job satisfaction and the relationship between job satisfaction and some demographic variables. The review of literature showed that there is no one overall theory of job satisfaction and motivation. And, therefore, vi the conceptual framework of this study was based on five theories of job satisfaction and motivation. Methodology In this study a questionnaire was developed as the sole research instrument. The questionnaire was divided into three parts: Part one consisted of sixteen short questions on school and demographic data of the respondents; Part two, which was referred to as the Job Satisfaction Level Measurement Instrument (JSLMI) consisted of eight main job factors; and Part three of the instrument asked the respondents to indicate their overall level of job satisfaction with their present job and also to arrange the eight job factors in order of their importance. The eight job factors were: work content; remuneration; promotion; recognition; working conditions and the work environment; interpersonal relations; management and supervision; and job security. Each job factor was divided into various sub-items. The twelve independent variables were: sex; marital status; age; location of school; category of school; type of school; sex of the students; professional grade level; teaching experience; pre-University preference for degree courses; reasons why the graduate teachers enjoyed teaching a class most; and the type of accommodation (housing) offered. The research instrument was validated by three senior academicians in the public Universities. The instrument reliability was found to be 0.91, using the Pearson Product - Moment Correlation Coefficient and Spearman Brown Prophecy formulae. The Random sampling was used in Siaya District to select twenty five secondary schools. All graduate teachers in the selected schools were given questionnaires to complete. In Kisumu Town, graduate teachers in all the ten secondary schools were given questionnaires to complete. The sample consisted of 254 graduate Teachers, of which 240 (94.5 per cent) completed and returned their questionnaires. The two-tailed t-tests and one-way analysis of variance were used to test the hypotheses. Research Findings The following are the major findings of this research study: (a) The graduate teachers were satisfied in the job factor of interpersonal relations only. (b) There was no significant relationship between the levels of job satisfaction among the graduate teachers and their sex. (c) Married graduate teachers were generally more satisfied than the unmarried ones. (d) The levels of job satisfaction among graduate viii teachers increased with their age, teaching experience and professional grade level. (e) There was no significant relationship between the levels of job satisfaction among graduate teachers and the location of their schools. (f) The graduate teachers in Private schools showed higher levels of job satisfaction than those in Public schools in all job factors, except security. (g) The type of school and the sex of the students showed little effect on the levels of job satisfaction among the graduate teachers. (h) The graduate teachers who chose to study education in the University were generally more satisfied than those who did not choose to study education. (i) The use of academic and professional skills increased the levels of job satisfaction among the graduate teachers. (j) The ranking of the job factors gave a "job-needs paradigm", with security as the most important job factor and recognition as the least important job factor. ix Recommendations The major recommendations of the study are: (a) The graduate teacher~ remuneration should be equitable as compared to that of other professionals with similar qualifications in the public service. (b) The opportunities for promotion in the teaching profession should be increased. (c) Promotion of the graduate teachers should be based on both professional and academic merit. (d) A "Teacher-centred approach" should be in secondary schools. applied (e) An Institute of Educational Management should be established in one of the public Universities to meet the needs of educational administrators. (f) The graduate teachers should be thoroughly trained in the use of various teaching skills. (g) Any grading or categorisation of secondary schools should be contingent upon the rewards received by the teachers. Suggestions for Further Research Further research should cover: (a) The impact of intrinsic rewards. (b) The relationship between motivation, job satisfaction and performance. (c) Job design in relation to motivation ,job satisfaction and performance. | en |
