CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
In this chapter a review of related literature has been undertaken in order to help the researcher to clearly conceptualise the subject matter and to fully appreciate and appraise the works already done on determinants of job satisfaction among secondary teachers in Moro Local Government Area, Kwara State. For the purpose of orderly presentation, this chapter was reviewed under the following sub-headings;
Concept of Job Satisfaction
Teacher’s job satisfaction
Teachers dis-satisfaction
Appraisal of review of related literature
Concept of Job Satisfaction
Employee job satisfaction and motivation can be studied through several broad approaches vis-à -vis content or need based theories process theories and reinforcement theories. However, the term employee motivation is a complex and difficult term to define; therefore a precise definition of this concept is elusive as the notion comprises the characteristics of an individual and the situation as well as the perception of that situation by the individual. An organisation’s liveliness whether public or private, comes from the motivation of its employees. Although their abilities play just as crucial a role in determining their work performance their motivation (Lewis Goodman &Fandt 1995.) Golembiewki (1973) refers to motivation as the degree of readiness of an organization to pursue some designated goal and implies the determination of the nature and locus of the forces that inducing the degree of readiness. To Kelly (1974) motivation has to do with the forces that maintain and alter the intensity of behaviour. Employee motivation is a complex force, drive, need, tension state, or other mechanisms that start and maintain voluntary activity directed towards the achievement of personal goals.
In short Dessler (2001) defined motivation as the intensity of a person’s desire to engage in some activity. From the above definitions, some issues are brought to mind that deal with what starts and energizes human behaviour, how those forces are directed and sustained as well as the outcomes they bring about (performance). It follows therefore that there is a relationship between motivation and job satisfaction, which is paramount in any organisations existence. However, the concepts of motivations and satisfaction are usually mixed up. They acknowledge that job satisfaction is one part of the motivational process. While motivation is primarily concerned with goal-directed behaviour, job satisfaction refers to the fulfillment acquired by experiencing various job activities and rewards. It is possible that an employee may display low motivation from the organization’s perspective yet enjoy every aspect of the job. This state represents high job satisfaction.
Job satisfaction has been defined as a pleasurable emotional state resulting from the appraisal of one’s job; and an attitude towards one’s job (Ubom, 2001). It has been shown that when job satisfaction in the teaching profession increases, turnover decreases (Robert et al, 2004). Though teachers are a crucial element of the educational system, the recent opening-up of labour markets in general and within the school system has raised concerns about retaining qualified teachers especially in schools serving poor communities. While several factors have been identified as accounting for the above phenomena, recent studies conducted in some developing countries underscore the fact that more than one quarter of the teachers who left teaching did so because of job dissatisfaction. Teacher dissatisfaction also accounts for reduced ability to meet students’ needs, significant incidences of psychological disorders leading to increased absenteeism, and high level of claims for stress-related disability. Most importantly, teacher dissatisfaction appears to be a main factor in teachers leaving the profession in many countries.
Two-factor theory is heavily based on need fulfillment because of their interest in how best to satisfy workers. They carried out several studies to explore those things that cause workers in white-collar jobs to be satisfied and dissatisfied. The outcome of their study showed that the factors that lead to job satisfaction when present are not the same factors that lead to dissatisfaction when absent. Thus, they saw satisfaction and dissatisfaction as independent terms. They referred to those environmental factors that cause workers to be dissatisfied as hygiene Factors. The presence of these factors according to Herzberg et al does not cause satisfaction and consequently failed to increase performance of workers in white-collar jobs. The hygiene factors are company policy and administration, technical supervision, salary, interpersonal relationship with supervisors and work conditions. They are associated with its content Herzberg et al.indicated that these factors are perceived as necessary but not sufficient conditions for the satisfaction of workers.
They further identified motivating factors as those factors that make workers work harder. They posited that these factors are what people actually do in their work and classified them as follows: achievement, recognition, work itself, responsibility and advancement. Achievement is represented by the drive to excel, accomplish challenging tasks and achieve a standard of excellence. The individuals’ need for advancement, growth, increased responsibility and work itself are said to be the motivating factors.
Pointed out that the opposite of dis-satisfaction is not satisfaction but no dis-satisfaction. Both hygiene factors and motivators are important but in different ways. Applying these concepts to education for example, if school improvement depends, fundamentally, on the improvement of teaching, ways to increase teacher motivation and capabilities should be the core processes upon which efforts to make schools more effective focus. In addition, highly motivated and need satisfied teachers can create a good social, psychological and physical climate in the classroom. Exemplary teachers appear able to integrate professional knowledge (subject matter and pedagogy), interpersonal knowledge (human relationships), and intrapersonal knowledge (ethics and reflective capacity) when they are satisfied with the job.
Nonetheless, commitment to teaching and the workplace have been found to be enhanced by intrinsic rewards (acknowledgement of teaching competence), meaningful and varied work, task autonomy and participatory decision-making, positive feedback, collaboration, administrative support, reasonable work load, adequate resources and pay, and learning opportunities providing challenge and accomplishment. In contrast, extrinsic incentives, such as merit pay or effective teaching rewards have not been found to affect teacher job satisfaction and effectiveness among Nigerian teachers (Ubom, 2001). The extrinsic factors evolve from the working environment while the actual satisfiers are intrinsic and encourage a greater effectiveness by designing and developing teachers higher level needs. That is giving teachers greater opportunity, responsibility, authority and autonomy. Conversely, are of the opinion that however highly motivated a teacher may be, he or she needs to possess the ability to attain the expected level of performance.
Nevertheless, it is hoped that if educational administrators and educational policy makers can understand teachers’ job satisfaction needs, they can design a reward system both to satisfy teachers and meet the educational goals.
Determinants of Job Satisfaction
