Factors Influencing Job Satisfaction and Dissatisfaction Among Elementary School Principals in Southeastern Michigan.

The purpose of this study was to examine the job satisfaction of elementary school principals. The instruments used in the study included (1) the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (Long Form) and (2) a demographic data sheet. The total number of participants in the study was 181 out of an initial sample size of 250 or a return rate of 72% of the questionnaires that were mailed out. Three major research questions guided the study. In terms of research question number one, the findings revealed that the mean score for the intrinsic measure was higher than the extrinsic measure. In regard to research question number two, seven demographic and organizational variables were examined to determine if the differences between the intrinsic and extrinsic satisfaction measures were consistent across the various subgroups. The differences for five of the seven variables were the same, indicating that there was no interaction between each of the five grouping variables and satisfaction. For two of the variables (sex and degree held) there was a significant interaction between each of these variables and satisfaction. The findings for research question number three revealed that the seven demographic and organizational variables were weakly related to each of the three satisfaction measures. The Multiple-R('2) for each measure could account for only a small percentage of the variation. The findings revealed that for each measure approximately ninety-five percent of the variance was unexplained or error variance. The following conclusions were reached as a result of the study: (1) The study findings support Herzberg's two-factor theory (hygienes-extrinsic and motivators-intrinsic) which states that the work environment is made up of two separate and distinct dimensions. (2) The seven demographic and organizational variables were not very good predictors of satisfaction for the general, intrinsic, and extrinsic satisfaction measures. (3) The differences between extrinsic and intrinsic satisfaction among the various subgroups for five of the seven demographic and organizational variables were similar. Differences were observed among the subgroups for the degree held and sex subgroups. (4) Elementary principals in southeastern Michigan are generally satisfied with the intrinsic and extrinsic factors associated with their jobs.PhDEducational administrationUniversity of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/160760/1/8600401.pd