Factors Predicting Teachers’ Job Satisfaction in Korean Secondary Schools

Abstract

T is research aims to reveal the combinations of conditions leading to Korean teacher job satisfaction. Te data of this study are derived from the 2018 Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS). Teacher job satisfaction was approached as a composite scale with two dimensions: job satisfaction with profession and job satisfaction with work environment. Te explanatory variables were preparation for pedagogical content knowledge, teacher self-efficacy in general, teacher self-efficacy in multicultural classrooms, teachers' innovative climate, teacher-student relations, social perceptions of teacher value, and professional development barriers. Te findings using fsQCA are as follows; 1) the presence of social perceptions of teacher value is a necessary condition for a high level of job satisfaction with the profession. 2) Four distinct paths were extracted to explain the high level of job satisfaction with the profession. 3) Four distinct paths were shown clearly to explain the low level of job satisfaction with the profession. 4) None of the conditions is a necessary condition for job satisfaction with the work environment. 5) Five distinct paths were singled out to explain the high level of job satisfaction with the work environment. 6) Tree distinct paths were identified to explain the low level of job satisfaction with the work environment. Te findings revealed Korean teacher job satisfaction in multicultural secondary schools by outlining several combinations of factors that lead to paths explaining job satisfaction with profession and job satisfaction with work environment. Some implications and a few recommendations to improve teacher job satisfaction are suggested.

A systematic literature review of TALIS secondary research: Trends and future directions

“…This is expected given its association with several pressing issues faced by many schools worldwide, such as teachers' intention to stay in school (Skaalvik & Skaalvik, 2011), teacher turnover (Qin, 2019) and ultimately its influence on students learning outcomes (Dutta & Sahney, 2016). Our data further show that job satisfaction is often studied in relation to other teacher characteristics such as teacher motivation and teacher self‐efficacy (see, e.g., Kang, 2023; Liu et al., 2023). In contrast to principal job satisfaction, the teacher job satisfaction topic has been extensively studied with TALIS data.…”