Do Physical Education Teachers’ Family Income Predict Their Social Communication and Perceived Working Environment?

Abstract

Making the career choice to join the teaching profession is usually encouraged by intrinsic motives. Although external motives are less important, they are also worth considering. Among the latter, the role of teachers' income in their professional activities has been less studied. This article examines the family income of physical education teachers, along with their social communication and perceived working environment, and presents an analysis of the association between these factors. The study methodology included a cross-sectional questionnaire survey of physical education teachers. The research sample included 310 physical education teachers aged from 18 to 68 years (43.6 % female). It was found that fewer than half of the physical education teachers surveyed considered their family income sufficient. The study findings revealed that teachers' income was related to their social communication: those with less income tended to be openly negative about other people and mutual interaction. It was found that half of the physical education teachers worked under considerable pressure. Additionally, the study results revealed that evaluation of family income was statistically significantly associated with experienced tension at work and perceived working environment. Specifically, more teachers who assessed their income as insufficient indicated that they experienced a large amount of stress at work, and also demonstrated more negative attitudes towards their working environment.