A Quantitative Analysis of the Factors Associated with Teacher Attitudes and Perceptions towards Job Satisfaction

The purpose of this study was to identify and examine the factors associated with teacher attitudes and perceptions towards job satisfaction and dissatisfaction. While taking into consideration other reasons for teacher shortages, this study sought to determine if teacher attitudes and perceptions of organizational and workplace conditions influence job satisfaction. Data in this study were gathered using the 2003-2004 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), administered through the United States Department of Education’s National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES). The power in using this instrument is that it samples a large number of teachers across the United States, from both public and private schools. This instrument provided a series of Likert-type questions, which gathered information on teacher demand and shortages, teacher and administrative characteristics, school programs, and general conditions in schools. It also collected data on principal and teacher perceptions of school climate, teacher compensation, hiring practices, and basic characteristics of student populations. In this study, the independent variables of salary, administrative support, student discipline, faculty influence/input, and teacher attitude were examined to see their influence on the dependent variable, teacher job satisfaction. Descriptive statistics, including frequencies and percentages, were calculated for the key independent and dependent variables. Finally, hierarchical regression analysis was used. Of the independent variables examined, teacher attitudes and perceptions were the strongest predictors of job satisfaction