Teacher job satisfaction and decisional participation in the public schools of British Columbia
Date
1978
Authors
Davis, Brian Kenneth
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Abstract
This study, carried out in two British Columbia districts (N = 1237, representing a 76.5% return) was concerned with the relationship of teachers' job satisfaction to their state of decisional participation and to certain biographical data. Three categories of job satisfaction were identified: high, moderate, and low . Four categories of decisional participation were identified: saturated (participation greater than desired); deprived (participation less than desired); equilibrium positive (the desire to participate realized); equilibrium negative (the desire not to participate being realized).
No significant differences were predicted between the measures of job satisfaction and decisional participation and between these two variables and the bio graphical variables. Job satisfaction was measured by an instrument which focussed on the inducements necessary for a teacher to leave his present employ. Decisional participation was measured by the means of a discrepancy model approach focussing on the difference between desired and realized participation in the decision making process in seven task areas at the levels of classroom, school, and district.
It was found that decisional participation was related to some degree to job satisfaction, sex, age, teaching level, years of experience, and professional preparation. Job satisfaction was related to age, teaching level~ and years of experience. The desire to participate in the decision making process was found to be stronger in males except at the classroom level. The participative desire was strongest in the 34-49 year age category for males and the 20-34 year age category for females. Participative desire generally declined with age and years of experience but increased with professional preparation. Participative desire declined from the classroom level to the district level. At the school and district level the participative desire was largely unrealized.
High job satisfaction appears to be related to realized desire to participate and low job satisfaction appears to be related to decisional deprivation and the realized desire not to participate. Job satisfaction was found to be higher in the urban location.