A Study of Secondary school teachers' attitudes towards teaching and their job satisfaction in Kenya
Abstract
The major purposes of this study were to investigate
the attitudes towards teaching and job satisfaction
(Presnt pay; Promotional opportunities;
SupervIsion of teachers by the heads of schools;
nature of work and relations with other members
of teaching staff) of both male and female secondary
school teachers. Also, the study sought to establish
differences if any between male and female secondary
school teachers on attitudes towards teaching and
job satisfaction. Further, the study sought to
determine whether there exists a strong relationship
between attitudes towards teaching and job satisfaction.
Research Design:
The design for the study was an ex post facto.
The subjects were secondary .chool teachers (N=324)
from twenty seven secondary schools. The twenty
seven secondary schools were selected randomly from
three districts (Nandi; Uasin-Gishu and Tran-nzoia)
of the Rift Valley province of Kenya. Nine secondary
schools were selected from each of the selected districts
to participate in the study.
The major dependent variables in the research
were the attltudes towards teaching and job satisfaction
of secondary school teachers. On the other
hand, the major independent variables were sex, age,
years of teaching experience, post held, type of
sehoul, higest education attained, subjects taught,
father's occupation, mother's occupation, father's
education and mother's education.
Two instruments were used to obtain data from
teachers. The instruments were: Teachers Attitudes
Towards Teaching Scale (TATTS) and Teachers Jou
Satisfaction Scale (TJSS). The statistical Package
for the social sciences (SPSS) was used to analyse
the hypotheses. Appropriate means, standard deviations
and percentages were calculated. The t-test
for independent samples was used to test Hal; H02;
H03- H04; H05; H06; and H0.7.. Significance level
was set at the 0.05 level. Pearson correlation
coeficient (r) was used to test hypothesjs; Hoo.
A correlation coefficient of magnitude greater or
equal to 0.5 was descrihed as a strong correlation.
The strength of the relationship between attitudes
towards teaching and job satisfaction was determined
on the basis of the magnitude of correlation coefficient
computed.
Findings:
1. A majority (65.8%) of the teachers in the
sample had a positive attitude towards teaehing.
No significant difference was found between the
means of male and female secondary school teachers'
attitudes towards teaching.
2. A majority (82.4%) of the teachers in the
study were not satisfied with the salary they
were getting. No significant difference was found
between the means of male and female secondary
school teachers'salary satisfaction scores.
3. A majority (76.9%) of the teachers in the
sample were not- satisfied with the promoti- nal
opportunitjes available in the teaching profession.
No significant difference was found between the
means of male and female secondary school teachrs'
promotional opportunities satisfaction scores.
4 More than half (55.6%) of the teachers in
the sample were not satisfied with the kind of
supervision they were getting from the heads of
the schools. No significant difference was found
between the means of male and female secondary
school teachers' supervision satisfaction scores.
5. A majority (72.2%) of the teachers in the
study showed dissatisfaction with the relations
among teaching staff. No significant difference
was found between the means of male and female
secondary school teachers relations with other
members of teaching staff satisfaction scores.
6. A majority (71 .3%) of the teachers in tlle study
were Hut satisfied wi th the nature of work. No
significant difference was found between the means
of male and female secondary school teachers' nature
of work satisfaction scores.
7. More than half (55.2%) of the teachers in
the study were not satisfied in the overall job
satisfaction (salary, supervision, promotion
opportunities , nature of work and relations w i t h
other members of teaching staff). No significant
diference was found between the means of male
and female secondary school teachers overall job
satisfaction scores. ..
8. There was no strong relationship between
attitudes towards teaching and job satisfaction
among secondary school teachers with respect to
the following variables: Age, Type of school,
Teaching experience and Mother's occupation.
However, there was strong relationship with
respect to: Subjects taught, Highest education
attained, position of responsibility, Father's
occupation, Father's highest educatlon attained
and Mother!s highest education attained.
Implications
1. The findings and conclusions of this study
showed that teachers' salary is one of the major
factors contributing to teachers job satisfaction)Therefore it is important for educational planners
to consider increasing teachers' salary in order
to retain teachers in the teaching profession.
2. The findings and conclusions of this study
demonstrated that promotional opportunities available
in teaching profession play an important role in
retention of teachers in teaching profession. Therefore,
policies governing the methods of promotion
of teachers need to be modified. This should be
done by considering both merit and academic qualifLeations.
3. The findings and conclusions on supervision
of secondary school teachers by the heads of schools
and on relations among members of teaching staff,
demonstrated that there was lack of administrative
training of the heads of schools. It would therefore,
seem proper for educational planners to
,provide administrative training for the heads
of schools. Those appointed as heads should
be given both theoretical and practical training
in relation to their new roles as administrator
Citation
Masters of Arts,University of Nairobi (1983)Publisher
University of Nairobi. Faculty of Education