The Correlation between Organizational (School) Climate and Teacher Job Satisfaction—The Type of Educational Institution Moderating Role

Abstract

The quality of work and task implementation in educational institutions to a large extent depends on the personnel of those institutions. This is particularly true in the case of teaching pupils with special educational needs. The climate of education and learning and job satisfaction depend on teachers themselves. The purpose of this study was to verify the extent to which the type of educational institution (a mainstream or special school) moderates the correlation between teachers’ subjective evaluation of the organizational climate, their job satisfaction, and work-related emotions. The study involved 214 teachers representing all levels of school education in Poland, i.e., primary, middle, and high schools attended by pupils with special educational needs. Half of the teachers worked in mainstream schools and the other half—in special schools. The study used: The Organizational Climate Questionnaire by Litwin and Stringer; The Satisfaction with Job Scale; and The Work Affect Scale. The results clearly suggest that the teachers’ perception of the organizational climate is a strong predictor of their job satisfaction and work-related emotions. A positive climate is associated with high satisfaction and good emotions (enthusiasm and comfort) while a negative climate co-occurs with low satisfaction and bad emotions (anxiety and depression). The organizational type of institution (mainstream or special school) does not significantly affect the above predictive attribute of the organizational climate.