Factors influencing job satisfaction of teachers in Nyeri county; Kenya

Abstract

The topic on teachers' job satisfaction has attracted interest in the developing ies, This has been occasioned by the perceived dissatisfaction of teachers in -. The evidence is their lack of commitment and frequent industrial disputes between their unions and their respective employers. This usually culminates in teachers strikes leaving the learners unattended, particularly during the crucial periods when the national examinations are just around the corner. This leads to poor results in kenyas’ public schools and poor implementation of the curriculum. In the 2013 KCSE results, Nyeri County was ranked number 34 out of the 47 counties in the country; and only 28.9 per cent of the candidates scored C+ and above. This was despite enormous resources that the county had invested in the secondary schools Thus, the purpose of this study was to establish the factors that influence job satisfaction of teachers in secondary schools in Nyeri County. The conceptual framework that was used in this study was based on Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory. The factors influencing job satisfaction were the independent variables .this were the hygiene and the motivation factors, as well as students' discipline and personal characteristics. Job satisfaction was the dependent variable while government policies and school location were the intervening variables. The study descriptive survey research design. The study population comprised of all the 206 public secondary schools and 2404 secondary school teachers including the 206 principals in Nyeri County. The sample size was 148 teachers from 21 secondary schools in the county. The sample schools were obtained using stratified random sampling thus samples of boys' only secondary schools, girls' only secondary school and mixed gender secondary schools were obtained. The tool for data collection was a questionnaire. A pilot study was conducted to facilitate assessment of the validity and reliability of the data collection instrument. The views of the supervisors were sought to further establish the validity. The researcher collected person which ensured a high return rate of 77 %. Data was coded and using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) computer software 19. Quantitative methods were used in the data analysis. These were in the form of frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviations. Results were presented using tables. The findings indicated that the overall job satisfaction was at level (Mean Rating 3 .3 7). Gender, age and qualifications were found to have influence on teacher job satisfaction. Although the teachers' job satisfaction was at moderate level, there were some aspects like remuneration and job advancement with which teachers were dissatisfied. The findings indicated that if teachers were well remunerated; their work environment improved; and if more promotion opportunities were made available, the teachers would experience job satisfaction which would lead to high motivation and improved performance. therefore, on the basis of the study findings, the government should allocate more funds to enable the TSC to pay teachers higher salaries and allowances; the TSC Should make available more promotion opportunities; education authorities should assist teachers maintain students' discipline; and the TSC should stern the loss of teachers who acquire high qualifications by giving them higher responsibilities.