A study of teacher satisfaction with work and working conditions in government primary schools in the Australian Capital Territory

Abstract

This study is concerned with the satisfactions and dissatisfactions that primary teachers in the Australian Capital Territory experience in their working lives. Its aim is to identify those aspects of satisfaction and/or dissatisfaction by considering relationships between the independent variables. A modified form of Holdaway's Satisfaction with Teaching and Employment Conditions Questionnaire was administered to three hundred and seventy-five teachers. The Likert-type scale and open responses produced data which was analysed in relation to personal variables. Factor analysis was used to determine clustering of items and to investigate relationships between the variables. A number of hypotheses were tested to ascertain the areas of satisfaction and dissatisfaction. The findings indicate that teacher satisfaction is linked with intrinsic aspects of their work such as relationships with students, advancement and personal growth. Teachers are most dissatisfied with those aspects of their lives over which they have little control and see the present attitudes of society towards their function and role as an area of serious concern. Statistically significant differences in satisfaction were found between open-space and traditional schools, large and smaller schools, men and women teachers, VII and between teachers working in upper and lower primary classes. The relative distribution of resources between primary and secondary schools is a source of dissatisfaction and the lack of parity in working conditions highlights this inequity. Teacher stress is discussed as an area of growing concern in the ACT and some links with the system's degree of autonomy and community involvement are suggested.

Date of Award	1983
Original language	English