Developmental Changes in Predictors of Job Satisfaction for Female Elementary School Teachers

The purpose of this study is to examine predictors of job satisfaction for female elementary school teachers. Specifically, how do personal variables and career variables affect job satisfaction at various age levels? The subjects in this study were 386 females who teach kindergarten through sixth grade in an urban public school system. A survey was used to collect information about age, personal variables, career variables, and current level of job satisfaction. Personal variables included marital status, number of children and educational level. Career variables included number of years in the teaching profession, number of positions held during the teaching career and grade level currently teaching. Job satisfaction was assessed by the Job Descriptive Index which measures satisfaction on six dimensions (work, supervision, pay, promotion, coworkers, and job in general). Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was computed to determine if there were significant differences in job satisfaction scores among four age ranges (21-30, 31-40, 41-50, and over 50). Personal and career variables were treated as covariates to control for their effects on the six job satisfaction scores. The results showed that teachers in their twenties and thirties were more satisfied with supervision and their jobs in general than teachers in their forties and fifties. Stepwise multiple regression analyses showed which personal and career variables were significant predictors for each of the four age categories. For twenty year old teachers, marriage was a positive predictor of job satisfaction. For the thirty year old teachers, number of positions was a negative predictor while having an advanced degree was a positive predictor. For forty and fifty year old teachers, negative predictors included teaching in upper elementary grades, having an advanced degree and marriage. Number of positions and having children were positive predictors of some job satisfaction dimensions and negative predictors of others