Relations between Job Stress and Job Satisfaction — A Case Study of Section Chiefs of Physical Education in Public Junior High Schools in Taiwan Area

[[abstract]]This study aims to probe the relations between job stress and job satisfaction of section chiefs of physical education (PE chiefs) in public junior high schools in Taiwan area, and to discover the effects of different background variables on job stress and job satisfaction. A total of 702 PE chiefs in public junior high schools are surveyed with “Questionnaire on Job Stress and Job Satisfaction of Section Chiefs of Physical Education in Public Junior High Schools in Taiwan Area,” edited by the advisee. The acquired data were then subject to statistical analysis with descriptive analysis, one way MANOVA and canonicalcorrelation. The results are as follows: a) “Working Load” is the main constituent of PE chiefs’ job stress, followed by “Professional Development” and “Student Management,” while “Personal Relationship” being the least significant. The results show that PE chiefs do have job stress of certain level. As for job satisfaction, satisfaction with “Colleagues” is the highest, followed by satisfaction with “Superiors” and “Job Itself,” while satisfaction with “Salary” being the lowest. b) PE chiefs who have higher job stress share the characteristics of being younger, junior in teaching, lower-paid, and worked as section chiefs for a shorter period of time. PE chiefs who are younger or junior have high expectations toward their jobs, and are more willing to take responsibilities. However, the rewards they receive are often out of proportion to their efforts. Also, they are not as adaptive to job stress as the senior PE chiefs are. As a result, PE chiefs who are younger and junior have higher job stress. c) PE chiefs who have higher job satisfaction share the characteristics of being older, senior in teaching, higher-paid, and worked as section chiefs for a longer period of time. Older PE chiefs who have taught for a longer period of time enjoy seniority in schools. They are more familiar to the school environment, more adaptive as to their expectations, and they are paid higher, which is beneficial to their living quality. As a result, PE chiefs who are senior have higher job satisfaction. d)Canonical correlation was found between “Job Stress” and “Job Satisfaction.” “Professional Development” in the Job Stress dimension is related to “Job Itself” in the Job Satisfaction dimension. In other words, the higher the stress of “Professional Development” in being a PE chief, the lower the satisfaction with “Job Itself.” Based on the findings above, it is suggested that PE chiefs receive in-service education to better their professional knowledge, and consult senior staff in this field to make deliberate decisions and perfect the activities they take responsibility for.