THE FACTORS OF TEACHER CAREER SATISFACTION

Abstract

Career success theories (Hall & Chandler, 2005; Dries et al., 2008) assume that the conceptualization of career satisfaction is a contextualized phenomenon. Career satisfaction is defined as an employee`s emotional orientation for carried out work roles, as an experienced satisfaction, positive emotional state valuating self-professional activities. According to Akkermans & Kubasch (2017), the #1 trending topic in the career journals between 2012 and 2016 was career success assessed and mostly operationalized in terms of career satisfaction and the majority of the studies adhered to the concept of career satisfaction as the indicator of subjective career success. Career satisfaction as individuals’ idiosyncratic evaluations of their own careers can be seen as the main component of career success in actual labor market generations (cf. Ng et al., 2005). Career and job satisfaction is crucial, due to its associations with work performance, physical and mental health, and career decision (Skaalvik & Skaalvik, 2009). Teachers dissatisfied with their work display lower work commitment, negatively impact on student motivation through emotional contagion may fail to satisfy their student’s needs for autonomy and competence (Klusmann, et al, 2008). For teachers, in particular, job satisfaction is influenced by contextual factors – organizational, interpersonal, or personal levels: extrinsic factors of school leadership and climate, societal factors of status and educational change, and intrinsic factors of facilitating student achievement and self-growth (Chaaban & Du, 2017; Granziera & Perera, 2019). Little scientific literature examines the interactions between teachers' emotional intelligence and career satisfaction. Spurk, Abele, & Volmer (2015) suggest it might be important for various research purposes to measure individual career goals or values as an additional parameter when analyzing career satisfaction. Research on career satisfaction has examined different occupational groups, but teachers still are the underrepresented group (Spurk, et al, 2015). The research problem of this inquiry is formulated as – how secondary school teachers perceive the factors of teacher career satisfaction. The data was collected using partially structured interviews and supporting data collection method - interview questions and self-evaluating existing emotional intelligence skills. The survey sample was structured purposefully; it consists of 22 teachers from Lithuanian secondary schools. For the empirical research data processing, a qualitative content analysis method was used; the qualities of the interaction of emotional intelligence and career satisfaction of schoolteachers were disclosed. The findings are presented according to the major domains covered during the interview. The career satisfaction factors were distinguished: emotional connection to work, emotional work conditions, psychological state, and emotional background, personal characteristics and skills, which help feel the career satisfaction and control one`s and other`s emotions, identify them and react accordingly. The abilities of emotional intelligence help teachers feel career satisfaction: self-awareness, self-control, social awareness, and relations maintaining.