Are they ready? Moderators of the correlation between work affect and job satisfaction felt by teachers of inclusive and special schools.

Abstract

The study aimed to determine to what extent emotions experienced at work are predictors of the level of teachers' job satisfaction. The moderating role of the type of school - inclusive and special - for this correlation was also analysed. The study involved 214 teachers at three levels of inclusive and special schools (primary, middle and high) attended by pupils with special educational needs. The respondents represented various age groups. The study used the Work Affect Scale and the Satisfaction with Job Scale. The results clearly suggest that the emotions teachers experience at work are a strong predictor of their job satisfaction - positive emotions imply high job satisfaction whereas negative emotions imply low job satisfaction. This regularity exists in both the responding teacher groups. It was determined that the type of an institution does not significantly affect the above predictive attribute of organizational work affect. Positive work-related emotions and average and high job satisfaction felt by ca. 2/3 of the responding inclusive and special school teachers suggest that both these groups are fully ready for high-quality education for all.