TEACHER JOB SATISFACTION: A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

Abstract

Teachers have a significant impact on the quality of education in any country. Therefore, teachers' job satisfaction would lead to quality education. However, several factors influence job satisfaction among teachers. This paper aimed to review motivation theories and selected empirical studies to identify factors influencing job satisfaction. In addition, this paper also aimed to find out the studies carried out in Sri Lanka about teacher job satisfaction. Therefore, the authors selected some significant studies from journals and dissertations related to the teachers' job satisfaction to determine the factors influencing job satisfaction. This paper's findings reveal that most of the factors related to motivation and hygiene factors presented by Herzberg's Two-factor theory are influential on teachers' job satisfaction. However, it indicates that some factors are inconsistent with the given aspects by Herzberg in his Two-Factor theory. It also identifies new concepts related to teachers' job satisfaction and how these factors differ according to societal or cultural values. Furthermore, it has been discovered that there is a lack of studies concerning job satisfaction among teachers in the context of Sri Lanka, particularly teachers working in the most difficult areas. Therefore, it is recommended to carry out more studies on teachers' job satisfaction considering the factors, difficult areas and gender.