The Relationship among Teacher Job Satisfaction, Trust in the Principal, and Principal Support

Every year across the United States, teachers feel higher demands placed on them. Teacher turnover rates are increasing, and fewer teachers are entering the field of education. Job dissatisfaction due to administrators’ dispositions is one of the reasons teachers often cite when leaving the profession. The purpose of this research study is to identify the relationship among three variables: teacher job satisfaction, principal support, and trust teachers have in their principal. Quantitative data from the Principal Support Scale, Omnibus T-Scale, and Teacher Satisfaction Scale were analyzed to assess the relationship among the three variables. The data revealed that the relationship between administrative support and trust teachers have in their principal had the most significant relationship, α 0.86. Further analysis of the data confirmed that the level of trust teachers have in their principal, α 0.5, and principal support, α 0.57, are both related to teacher job satisfaction. The dimension of instrumental support was more strongly related to teacher job satisfaction, while expressive support was more strongly related to trust in the principal. This study revealed that if a principal creates a trusting climate within a school and provides teachers with instrumental and expressive support, an increase in teacher job satisfaction within a school will most likely occur