This study aimed at exploring the level of job satisfaction among academic staff members in Ethiopian public universities. For this purpose, a conceptual framework incorporating group of constructs, namely university policies and support, working conditions, student achievement, and demographic factors was developed based on the literature reviewed in the study. A descriptive survey research design was employed in the study to collect and analyse quantitative data obtained from participants. Clustered and systematic random sampling techniques were used in the study to choose 400 academic staff members from eight public universities. A questionnaire comprising closed- and open-ended questions, and Likert scale items was adapted in order to gather data from the participants. Descriptive and inferential statistical procedures were used to analyse the relationships between all the study constructs with the help of IBM SPSS, version 25. The study revealed that there were significant differences among different demographic groups, and positive relationships between job satisfaction and its defining constructs. The study also found that most of the academic staff members were dissatisfied with their jobs. Female academic staff members were more significantly dissatisfied with students‟ discipline policy, university governance and support, their salary, workload, communication, and students‟ achievement than male academic staff members. Male academic staff members were, however, more significantly satisfied with the promotion policy and more significantly dissatisfied with reward than the female academic staff members. The study revealed that academic staff members significantly differed in the level of job satisfaction corresponding to their age and qualification. The study also indicated that academic staff members significantly differed in the level of job satisfaction corresponding to their work experience and academic rank. Significant correlations between the eight constructs and job satisfaction of academic staff members were also found in the study. Finally, the study recommended directions for policy amendment and implications for practice and future research relevant to the issue under study. / Educational Studies / D. Phil. (Education)

本研究主要目的為：一、了解學校本位決策的意義、目的、特色、原則與倡導理由，以及哲學、社會學與心裡學理論基礎。二、探索學校本位決策的歷史沿革與典範轉移。三、分析國內外學校本位決策的實施概況與困境，並探索推動學校本位決策的可行策略。四、找出可供檢視學校本位決策符合程度的因素，並探討此因素與校長領導方式、教師工作滿意度的關係。五、根據學校本位決策的相關文獻與國內學校本位決策情形的實證研究，提出可供參考的建議。 本研究以自編「學校本位決策工作環境知覺問卷」為工具，抽取臺灣地區160所公、私立國民小學973位教師為對象，調查其所任教學校符合學校本位決策的現況，以及校長領導方式、教師工滿意度的情形，並探究三者間的關係。本研究將學校本位決策分為「決策參與」、「決策自主」、「決策尊重」、「團體決策」與「家長參與」等五個向度，將校長領導方式分為「民主」與「威權」兩個向度，而將教師工作滿意度區分為「行政管理」、「工作本身」、「校長領導」與「同僚關係」等四個向度。 本研究主要研究發現如下： 一、國小校務決策方式符合學校本位決策的程度 1.學校本位決策情形大致符合。 2.決策自主程度最高，決策尊重程度最低。 3.參與班級事務的決策較多，參與學校事務的決策較少。 4.小型學校的學校本位決策程度高於中、大型學校。 5.女校長領導的學校，其學校本位決策程度高於男校長領導的學校。 6.院轄市的學校，其學校本位決策情形高於省縣轄市與鄉鎮離島的學校。 二、校長領導方式與學校本位決策的關係 1.校長領導方式愈民主，則學校本位決策愈易塑造。 2.校長領導方式愈威權，則學校本位決策愈難塑造。 三、學校本位決策與教師工作滿意度的關係 1.學校本位決策程度愈高，則教師的工作滿意度也愈高。 2.學校決策參與的程度愈高，則教師對行政管理與校長領導的滿意度也愈高。 3.學校決策自主的程度愈高，則教師對行政管理、工作本身、校長領導與同僚關係的滿意度也愈高。 4.學校愈尊重教師的決策，則教師對行政管理與校長領導的滿意度也愈高。 5.學校採用團體決策的程度愈高，則教師對行政管理、工作本身與同僚關係的滿意度也愈高。 6.家長參與學校決策的程度愈高，則教師對校長領導的滿意度也就愈低。 四、校長領導方式、學校本位決策與教師工作滿意度的整體關係 1.校長的民主領導取向會影響學校本位決策情形，而學校本位決策情形也會影響教師的工作滿意度。 2.民主領導較會影響決策參與、自主、尊重、團體決策與家長參與，而威權領導僅會影響決策參與和尊重。 3.決策自主較會影響教師對行政管理、工作本身、校長領導與同僚關係的滿意度，而團體決策影響教師對同僚關係的滿意度，家長參與會影響教師對校長領導的滿意度。 本研究並對學校、教育行政單位與未來研究方向提供以下幾點建議： 一、對學校的建議： 1.領導者應加強民主領導能力的培養，避免採用威權的領導方式；2.給予教師更多自主決策的空間，以提升教師的工作滿意度；3.加強團隊合作，以提高教師的工作滿意度；4.鼓勵家長適度參與，建立親師合作的伙伴關係；5.調整校長的角色扮演，以利學校本位決策的實施；6.授權教師或學生參與決策，減少行政管理上的衝突。 二、對教育行政單位的建議： 1.實施學校本位決策，以提升教師工作滿意度；2.發展小型學校，以利學校本位決策的推行；3.提高非都市地區的決策自主與家長參與，以均衡城鄉決策品質的差異；4.實施學校本位決策時，應以學生學習效果的提高為目標，而非爭奪權力；5.確立中央、地方與學校的權限與責任劃分；6.在開放參與的同時，應強化配套措施的設計。 三、對未來研究的建議： 1.在研究對象方面--擴大研究的群體；2.在研究方法方面--深化研究的脈絡；3.在研究工具方面--增加決策的向度；4.在研究變項方面--探討其他變項的關連。 / The purposes of the study were (1) to understand meanings, objectives, characteristics, principles, reasons of advocacy and theoretical perspectives of school-based decision making（SBDM）； (2) to inquiry into the historical development of SBDM；(3) to analyze its difficulties and strategies when implementing SBDM； (4) to address the relationships among SBDM, the principal's leadership, and teachers' job satisfaction; (5) to propose suggestions based on results. A questionnaire developed in the study was mailed to a total sample of 973 respondents in 160 elementary schools. The relationships among SBDM, principal's leadership style, and teachers' job satisfaction were inquired. From the statistical analysis of the results, the main findings of this study were drawn: 1.It accords with SBDM above average level in the elementary school. Teachers get the most autonomy and the least respect in the process of participation in school decision making. Teachers participate in work-level decisions more than organizational-level decisions. Small schools are more accordant with SBDM than middle schools and large schools. A schools led by a female principal is more accordant with SBDM than a school led by a male principal. Schools in metropolitans are more accordant with SBDM than schools in prefectures, cities, towns, and islands. 2.A principal is more democratic, the school led by him is more accordant with SBDM. Adversely, a principal is more authoritative, the school led by him is less accordant with SBDM. 3.It is more accordant with SBDM in the elementary school, teachers' job satisfaction is greater. Teachers participate in decision making more often, and they feel more satisfactory about school administrative management and principal's leadership. Teachers participate in decision making more autonomous, and they feel more satisfactory about school administrative management, work, principal's leadership, and colleague relationships. Teachers have the respect of the school to participate in decision making more often, and teachers feel more satisfactory about school administrative management and principal's leadership. Teachers make decision through teamwork more often, and they feel more satisfactory about school administrative management, work, and colleague relationships. Parents participate in decision making more often, but teachers feel less satisfactory about school administrative management, work, and colleague relationships. 4.Democratic leadership influences the success of SBDM, and the implementation of SBDM influences teachers' job satisfaction. Democratic leadership increases participative decision making, autonomous decision making, respectful decision making, group decision making, and parents participation. Authoritative leadership decreases participative decision making and respectful decision making. Autonomous decision making influences teachers' job satisfaction about school administrative management, work, principal leadership, and colleague relationship. Group decision making influences teachers' job satisfaction about colleague relationships. Parents participation influences teachers' job satisfaction about principal's leadership. Suggestions for the elementary schools, educational administrative institutions, and future study are provided. Firstly, six suggestions for the elementary schools are as follow： 1.Cultivate democratic leadership；2.Make teachers participate in decision making more autonomous；3.Encourage teamwork；4.Let parents participate in decision making moderately, so build parents-teacher partnership；5.Adjust the principal leadership to feminine leadership style. 6. Include teachers and students in the decision making processes of schooling. Secondly, six suggestions for educational administrative institutions are as follow: 1.Implement SBDM to increase teachers' job satisfaction；2.Diminish scale of a school to make SBDM succeed more easily；3.Let decision making more autonomous and parents participation more often in non-metropolitans；4.Focus the main goal of SBDM on increasing student learning；5.Identify authority and power of the central office, local areas, and schools；6.Implement SBDM along with other relative policies. Finally, four suggestions for future study are as follow: 1.Enlarge scopes of population；2.Adopt much more 0research methods；3.Increase dimensions of participation；4.Study more relative variables with SBDM.

University of Macau / Faculty of Education

The purpose of this research was to investigate the factors affecting job satisfaction at the Coastal Kwa Zulu Natal (KZN) Further Education and Training (FET) COLLEGE - SWINTON CAMPUS in order to determine the factors that lead to job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction, to measure these factors and to present findings and make recommendations to management and the Department of Education in order to promote and improve job satisfaction at the college. The data was collected and administered by means of a structured questionnaire based on the Minnesota Job Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ). It was discovered that most of the academic staff draw their job satisfaction from having a positive working relationship with management, their relationships with their peers, their training needs and the training provided from the college, and the condition of their staff room. It was found that educators mostly derive their job dissatisfaction from the absence of recognition for work done, remuneration and the benefits that they receive, company policies and practices, achievement and advancement, feedback and communication, the ability to work independently and creatively and the general working conditions of the college. It was found that staff was generally dissatisfied with their jobs. / Management Sciences / M.Tech. (Business Administration)

Work-related teacher stress is indeed a major problem in schools. The main aim of this study was to investigate the role of the Head of Department in alleviating work-related teacher stress among primary schools in the Temba Circuit. The research problem was investigated by means of a literature study and an empirical investigation. The literature study identified the main causes of teacher related stress. A qualitative inquiry using semi-structured focus group interviews with teachers and semi-structured individual interviews with Heads of Department were conducted in order to find answers to the research questions. It was found that the main sources of teacher stress could be grouped into four main categories, namely, interpersonal, organisational, professional and personal stressors. Guidelines to be considered by Heads of Department to alleviate the stress that teachers under their auspices are encountering were developed on the basis of these four categories of teacher stressors. / Further Teacher Education / M. Ed. (Education Management)

Educator stress is a major problem worldwide. This study focuses on the role of the principal in the secondary school in providing support and assisting educators manage work-related stress, with particular reference to schools in Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa. The problem was investigated by means of a literature study and empirical investigation. The literature identified perspectives on educators' stress, the stress process of the educator and the principal, causes of work-related stress in educators and coping strategies. Furthermore, principals' leadership styles, theories of motivation and causes of principals' stress were discussed. A qualitative inquiry using focus group interviews was undertaken with a small sample of secondary school educators selected by purposeful sampling. Findings suggested that educator stress was caused by a lack of learner discipline; deterioration in educational standards; workload; policy changes; promotion procedures and the principal's leadership style. Based on the findings, recommendations were made for improvement of practice. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Education Management)

The aim of the study was to investigate the motivation and job satisfaction of teachers in the Ilembe District of KwaZulu-Natal. To this end, a literature study was undertaken on relevant theories and on the results of previous research on the issue. This was followed by an empirical investigation. The research design was a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design. During the quantitative phase, a structured questionnaire was completed by 100 respondents from five secondary schools. The qualitative phase involved a phenomenological study in which 16 teachers from the same schools were interviewed. This research found that the teachers generally exhibited high self-efficacies. Teachers with positive self-efficacies were more satisfied with their physical environments and their school’s cultures than the others. However, teachers of different age groups, post levels and personality types were in agreement that the physical working conditions at rural schools were not conducive to effective teaching and learning. Parental involvement in school matters was restricted due to poverty and illiteracy. These factors served to lower teacher motivation and job satisfaction. In addition, teachers believed that school policies related to remuneration, safety and security, school governance, and assessments and evaluations needed to be revised if teacher motivation and job satisfaction were to be raised. Teachers were unhappy with their workloads and the multiple roles they played at school. With respect to interpersonal relations, their relations with their school principals, School Management Teams and parents were unconstructive. Many learners were also ill-disciplined and underachievers. Some significant differences in perceptions were found. Male teachers were more satisfied with policies, interpersonal relationships and school organisation. African teachers were happier than Indian teachers with policies and the nature of the work. Teachers with 26 and more years of experience were less negative about their physical environments. Qualifications also made a difference: teachers with certificates only were the least satisfied with their physical environments, school organisation and structure. Most importantly, teachers who were given the opportunity to demonstrate their potential to be successful, was significantly more satisfied with work-related issues. The study made recommendations to improve the motivation and job satisfaction of teachers. / Education Leadership and Management / D.Ed.(Education Management)

South African schools have experienced a high rate of educator turnover which has led to greater school instability, disruption of curricular cohesiveness and a continual need to hire experienced and inexperienced educators, who may be typically less effective, as replacements for educators who leave. Unfortunately, principals of schools lack organizational capacity to provide the necessary management strategies that can enhance educators’ job satisfaction. Since the principals are fully responsible for the proper functioning of the schools and their personnel, this study explored the relationship between the management strategies of school principals and the educators’ job satisfaction levels within the context of South African schools. It examined how management strategies of principals impact on job satisfaction levels of educators in various school environments. The study explored literature from local and international perspectives on management strategies and the job satisfaction of educators. It described the background and findings of the relationship between management strategies of principals and educators’ job satisfaction levels from an education management perspective. For the empirical inquiry the study adopted a qualitative research paradigm, and as such, a qualitative investigation of the relationship between the management strategies of school principals and the educators’ job satisfaction levels in schools was conducted. Non-probability sampling methods were used to select a sample of six school principals and twelve educators. Individual and focus group interviews were used in data collection and were audio-recorded. Throughout the research study, ethical considerations were upheld. Data analysis involved a mix of content and thematic analysis instruments. The study findings determined the relationship between management strategies of principals and educators’ job satisfaction levels. An understanding of human relationship is very important to school principals who have the responsibility of establishing an environment that not only motivates educators, but can also help to enhance their job satisfaction levels in a positive way. An understanding of educators’ needs also helps school principals to devise management strategies to enhance the job satisfaction levels of educators. Based on the findings, recommendations to improve the management strategies of school principals in the enhancement of educators’ job satisfaction were proposed. / Educational Leadership and Management / D. Ed. (Education Management)

Although several studies have been conducted regarding sources of stress for teachers, as well as the coping resources deployed by teachers to manage stress, no studies were found which explored these constructs for teachers within different career stages. Similarly, several studies explored the sources of stress for teachers in different South African provinces, but no studies were found which explored stress or coping resources for teachers in Gauteng. This study aims to address this identified lack in research. Teaching ranks as one of the most stressful occupations, not only internationally, but also in South Africa and therefore, stress poses a threat to the quality of education in South Africa. This threat was recognised by the Gauteng Department of Education, and as a result, the goal to increase the wellness of teachers in Gauteng was set in the Annual Performance Plan of 2012/2013; making this study not only original, but also a necessity. High school teachers (n = 193) were selected from 23 high schools in Gauteng to participate in this study. The Sources of Work Stress Inventory (SWSI), the Coping Resource Inventory (CRI) and the Adult Career Concerns Inventory (ACCI) were used to measure sources of stress, coping resources and career stages, respectively. Pearson product correlations were analysed and significant relationships were found between different sources of work stress, coping resources and career stages. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.Com. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

This study investigated teachers' attitudes towards a career in rural schools. The aims of this study were broken into two, namely, the primary and secondary aims. The primary aim was to find out whether rural secondary school teachers hold a positive or a negative attitude towards a career in rural schools. The secondary aim was also broken into two. The first secondary aim was to find out whether rural secondary school teachers' personal characteristics such as age, sex, marital status, rank, qualification and teaching experience in rural school(s), as well as the school in which the teacher teaches, have a significant influence on their attitudes towards a career in rural schools. The second secondary aim was to determine the nature of attitudes with regard to A-B-C components of attitudes. To this end, a questionnaire was compiled and used as an attitude rating scale. The questionnaire was administered to a representative sample of one hundred and thirty four rural secondary school teachers from six schools, under Mehlwesizwe circuit in KwaZulu-Natal. Statistical analyses were conducted to fulfil the aims of the study and to test the research hypotheses stated. This study revealed that rural secondary school teachers hold a negative attitude towards a career in rural schools. It also revealed that, irrespective of teachers' personal characteristics, their attitude towards a career in rural school is the same, that is, it is negative. Therefore it was concluded that teachers' personal variables have no significant influence on their attitudes. This study also revealed that, statistically, there were significant differences in the affective and cognitive components of attitude but differences in the behavioural component were not significant. This indicated that the affective and cognitive components are more closely related to each other than they are with the behavioural component. On the basis of teachers' responses to attitude statements, the researcher offered two lines of direction as recommendation, namely, "Rethink resource allocation" and "Direction of restructuring". The former will assist in improving the conditions under which rural teachers work and the circumstances surrounding their workplace. The latter will assist in collaborating the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) structures at national, regional and local level with the Department of Education and Culture, as well as with the private sector, for improving the conditions under which rural teachers work. In that case teachers' attitudes towards a career in rural schools might be changed from negative to positive. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Psychology of Education)