Determinants of Secondary School Teachers’ Job Satisfaction in Tanzania

Gilman Jackson Nyamubi

doi:10.1155/2017/7282614

Abstract

This study examined teachers’ job satisfaction in Tanzania. It addressed one research question: what factors determine secondary school teachers’ job satisfaction? The study was conducted in eight secondary schools in two regions of Tanzania. It used focus group discussion as the data collection tool. Results show that teachers were satisfied by both monetary and nonmonetary incentives such as community support. They were pleased with fair remuneration packages that related to their labour input, opportunities for career development, a well-defined individual appraisal system, timely promotion, and requisite workplace conditions. The study also showed that teachers’ friendship and cooperation with coworkers and students as well as the respect of community members also enhanced their satisfaction in teaching. Also important to their satisfaction is their students’ success in and after school, which reveals the teachers’ sense of duty and responsibility. Teachers’ job dissatisfaction can lead to their search for other means to gain economically. It is recommended that care should be given to address teachers’ pertinent issues, especially salaries, workplace conditions, and timely promotion, to enhance teachers’ physical and mental attachment to their workplaces.

Highlights

Provision of quality education is important for facilitating a nation’s development
Data on job satisfaction emerging from the inquiry showed factors that were clustered into three categories: first, monetary incentives; second, satisfaction with the school and the work environment created for the teachers; third, satisfaction with society
With regard to monetary incentives, most respondents desired their income to correspond to their workload. Such aspects as monthly salaries, transfer allowances, periodic adjustments to their salary scales, and leave allowances had to be realistic. This is in line with Jonathan et al [5] who found that teachers’ job satisfaction would be improved if their welfare and workplace conditions such as streamlining salary structures and remuneration packages are fine-tuned in proportion with other professions

Summary

Introduction

Provision of quality education is important for facilitating a nation’s development. Research has found that, to improve individual learners’ values, attitudes, behaviours, and skills, quality education is of paramount importance [1,2,3]. Teachers’ effectiveness depends on their competence, both academic and pedagogical, as well as a correlation between their training and skills and their position, workload, and work encouragement [2]. Their satisfaction with their jobs is the focus of this study. While there are many studies on workers’ job satisfaction, little has been investigated about teachers’ job satisfaction, among secondary school teachers in Tanzania. To gain this insight, the article attempts to answer one important question: what factors determine secondary school teachers’ job satisfaction?

Methods

Results

Conclusion