A Study of Secondary school teachers' attitudes towards teaching and their job satisfaction in Kenya

Abstract

The major purposes of this study were to investigate the attitudes towards teaching and job satisfaction (Presnt pay; Promotional opportunities; SupervIsion of teachers by the heads of schools; nature of work and relations with other members of teaching staff) of both male and female secondary school teachers. Also, the study sought to establish differences if any between male and female secondary school teachers on attitudes towards teaching and job satisfaction. Further, the study sought to determine whether there exists a strong relationship between attitudes towards teaching and job satisfaction. Research Design: The design for the study was an ex post facto. The subjects were secondary .chool teachers (N=324) from twenty seven secondary schools. The twenty seven secondary schools were selected randomly from three districts (Nandi; Uasin-Gishu and Tran-nzoia) of the Rift Valley province of Kenya. Nine secondary schools were selected from each of the selected districts to participate in the study. The major dependent variables in the research were the attltudes towards teaching and job satisfaction of secondary school teachers. On the other hand, the major independent variables were sex, age, years of teaching experience, post held, type of sehoul, higest education attained, subjects taught, father's occupation, mother's occupation, father's education and mother's education. Two instruments were used to obtain data from teachers. The instruments were: Teachers Attitudes Towards Teaching Scale (TATTS) and Teachers Jou Satisfaction Scale (TJSS). The statistical Package for the social sciences (SPSS) was used to analyse the hypotheses. Appropriate means, standard deviations and percentages were calculated. The t-test for independent samples was used to test Hal; H02; H03- H04; H05; H06; and H0.7.. Significance level was set at the 0.05 level. Pearson correlation coeficient (r) was used to test hypothesjs; Hoo. A correlation coefficient of magnitude greater or equal to 0.5 was descrihed as a strong correlation. The strength of the relationship between attitudes towards teaching and job satisfaction was determined on the basis of the magnitude of correlation coefficient computed. Findings: 1. A majority (65.8%) of the teachers in the sample had a positive attitude towards teaehing. No significant difference was found between the means of male and female secondary school teachers' attitudes towards teaching. 2. A majority (82.4%) of the teachers in the study were not satisfied with the salary they were getting. No significant difference was found between the means of male and female secondary school teachers'salary satisfaction scores. 3. A majority (76.9%) of the teachers in the sample were not- satisfied with the promoti- nal opportunitjes available in the teaching profession. No significant difference was found between the means of male and female secondary school teachrs' promotional opportunities satisfaction scores. 4 More than half (55.6%) of the teachers in the sample were not satisfied with the kind of supervision they were getting from the heads of the schools. No significant difference was found between the means of male and female secondary school teachers' supervision satisfaction scores. 5. A majority (72.2%) of the teachers in the study showed dissatisfaction with the relations among teaching staff. No significant difference was found between the means of male and female secondary school teachers relations with other members of teaching staff satisfaction scores. 6. A majority (71 .3%) of the teachers in tlle study were Hut satisfied wi th the nature of work. No significant difference was found between the means of male and female secondary school teachers' nature of work satisfaction scores. 7. More than half (55.2%) of the teachers in the study were not satisfied in the overall job satisfaction (salary, supervision, promotion opportunities , nature of work and relations w i t h other members of teaching staff). No significant diference was found between the means of male and female secondary school teachers overall job satisfaction scores. .. 8. There was no strong relationship between attitudes towards teaching and job satisfaction among secondary school teachers with respect to the following variables: Age, Type of school, Teaching experience and Mother's occupation. However, there was strong relationship with respect to: Subjects taught, Highest education attained, position of responsibility, Father's occupation, Father's highest educatlon attained and Mother!s highest education attained. Implications 1. The findings and conclusions of this study showed that teachers' salary is one of the major factors contributing to teachers job satisfaction)Therefore it is important for educational planners to consider increasing teachers' salary in order to retain teachers in the teaching profession. 2. The findings and conclusions of this study demonstrated that promotional opportunities available in teaching profession play an important role in retention of teachers in teaching profession. Therefore, policies governing the methods of promotion of teachers need to be modified. This should be done by considering both merit and academic qualifLeations. 3. The findings and conclusions on supervision of secondary school teachers by the heads of schools and on relations among members of teaching staff, demonstrated that there was lack of administrative training of the heads of schools. It would therefore, seem proper for educational planners to ,provide administrative training for the heads of schools. Those appointed as heads should be given both theoretical and practical training in relation to their new roles as administrator