Institutional and individual factors influencing job satisfaction among primary school head teachers in Nyeri Municipality, Kenya

Abstract

The study aimed at establishing the institutional and individual factors influencing the levels of job satisfaction among the primary school head teachers in Nyeri municipality. The study was guided by the following objectives; a) to determine the extent to which the educational levels of primary school head teachers affect their job satisfaction; b) to establish the extent to which primary school head teachers' demographic factors like age and gender affect their job satisfaction; c) to explore the extent to which promotion affects primary school head teachers' job satisfaction and d) to ascertain the extent to which students' performance affect head teacher's job satisfaction. The study used descriptive survey. The target population of this study was head teachers, teachers and learners of public primary schools in Nyeri municipality. Systematic random sampling technique was used to select the study respondents. Questionnaires were used to obtain important information about the population. The researcher used both qualitative and quantitative techniques in analyzing the data with the help of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The study found out that head teachers' levels of job satisfaction was affected by their educational level to a great extent because it affects their rate of return. There was no significant relationship between age and gender and the head teachers' job satisfaction. However, promotion was found to influence head teachers' level of job satisfaction to a great extent and more so the salaries. On the other hand, learner's performance was found to affect head teachers' job satisfaction to a moderate extent. This is because learners' performance is connected to head teachers' sense of achievement or lack of it. Based on the findings, the researcher recommended that the Ministry of Education should come up with ways of assisting the head teachers to advance in their education. The Ministry of Education should also reconsider the salaries of head teachers since they are a major source of job dissatisfaction. The researcher suggested that other studies on factors affecting head teachers job satisfaction in other regions should be carried out.