Amenities as a Means of Increasing
g
Job Satisfaction Levels
PROTOCOL #10-056
SCOTT HAUPT
[email protected]
MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY
Abstract
y Desired school-based amenities were sought as a potential means of boosting
sagging teacher morale and job satisfaction levels. Participants, overall, reported
a higher-than-average
hi h
h
j b satisfaction
job
i f i llevell and
d provided
id d a multitude
l i d off ffeasible
ibl
amenities that could boost the lower levels of those teachers around them.
Teachers requesting more plausible amenities also reported higher morale and
job satisfaction levels. In contrast, teachers requesting amenities that might
require
i excessive
i ffunding
di also
l reported
t d llower morale
l and
d jjob
b satisfaction
ti f ti llevels.
l
Together, these findings suggest that teachers who have a more solid grasp in
terms of what is going on around them are more likely to have higher morale and
job satisfaction levels.
y Keywords: job satisfaction, teacher morale, school-based amenities, action
research
Rationale
y Schools need not devote an inordinate amount of money to
these amenities. Consulting with the school’s faculty on the
most desired amenities can give administrators the additional
input necessary to make sound decisions and allow them to
provide a value-added feature that can not only retain the
quality teachers who are already present in a given school but
can also attract additional quality educators who can improve
the faculty even more. This increased attention to teacher
morale and job satisfaction levels will invariably have a
positive impact
p
p
on the entire school community.
y
Participants
5 different school districts
represented
4 different department
affiliations
y Montgomery County Public
y 3 English teachers
y
y 3 Math teachers
y
y
y
Schools (VA)—2 participants
Roanoke City Public Schools
(VA)—1 participant
Wilson County Schools (NC)—1
participant
Metropolitan Nashville Public
Schools (TN)—2 participants
Rutherford County Public
Schools (TN)—2
(TN) 2 participants
y 1 Social Studies teacher
y 1 P.E./Wellness teacher
Triangulation Matrix
Overarching Questions
Data Source #1
Data Source #2
Data Source #3
Emerging Patterns
Among Data Sets Notes
What demographic factors — if any — emerge
(experience in the classroom, subject taught,
class size,
size etc.)
etc ) that may impact job
satisfaction and how do these factors effect
perception and morale?
Online survey
Online interviews with teachers via e-mail
Online chat
All three data sets/sources provided the
researcher with information that was
representative of the morale levels that were
naturally occurring within the high school
environment. The demographic section of the
online survey provided the foundation for the
remaining questions and/or research.
Interviews with the individual participants
and online chats provided more insight into
the varying demographic categories.
What role do teachers believe administrators
should play in monitoring the morale of the
school’s faculty members and how can this
information be used to improve morale levels
across the board?
Online interviews with teachers via e-mail
Online chat
Online surveyy
Speaking
p
g with the surveyy respondents
p
directlyy
(via either an online chat or a one-on-one
interview) added a new dimension to the
information provided by the participants on
the survey itself. Establishing e-mail
discussions by which to communicate with the
teachers and/or keep them informed of the
progress of the research enhanced the
information and allowed the participants to
discuss things (as they come up) with one
another,
h too.
Do any patterns emerge among participants,
morale levels, and desired amenities and if
so—what can be gleaned from this information
that may assist administrators in boosting
teacher morale and job satisfaction levels?
Online chat
Online survey
Online interviews with teachers via e-mail
Establishing an online chat forum for the
teachers proved to be somewhat difficult in
the beginning stages; however, it provided a
sounding board for the exchange of ideas and
potential amenities. The feasibility of
implementing the suggested amenities will
ultimately prove to be the most difficult aspect
of the process.
process Regardless
Regardless, the teachers and
researcher were provided with a wealth of
knowledge that might have otherwise fallen by
the wayside. Every little bit of information
helps to inform practice and better the
teaching conditions in which the individual
teachers find themselves working.
Codes
y Three Codes Assigned to Data:
{ Situation
Sit ti
Ù
{
Relationship
Ù
{
Based on the teacher’s level of commitment to the teaching
profession
Based on the teacher’s interactions with students and faculty
members
Benevolence
Ù
Based on the teacher’s selection of amenities and the number of
f
faculty
lt members
b
th
the selected
l t d amenities
iti can b
be expected
t d tto b
benefit
fit
Categories and Attributes
y 1st Set of Emerging Categories (coded as situation):
{
{
{
Protect and serve (dedicated to the profession)
Ù Dedicated to student success, value a professional working
environment, love what they do
I’ll show yyou mine if yyou’ll show me yyours ((struggling
gg g to find their
teaching identity)
Ù Student success is nice, can work in almost any environment, trying to
find their place within the organization
Are we there yet? (aren’t in it for the right reason)
Ù Student success or failure is acceptable, can ruin any positive working
environment, doom and gloom
Categories and Attributes (continued)
y 2nd Set of Emerging Categories (coded as relationship):
{ The door
door’ss always open (always seem to make time for their students)
Ù
{
Out to lunch (can be there for their students when the time is right)
Ù
{
It’s impossible to slam a revolving door, value student input, self-reflective
practice is key, constructive criticism is always welcome
I’ll be back to help later, will take student input into consideration, think about
what they’re doing when it’s convenient for them, don’t know how to react to
constructive criticism
Gone fishing (would rather not have to deal with students once class is
over)
Ù
Who nailed the door shut, my way or the highway, a self-reflective practice
might interfere with their golf game, don’t recognize constructive criticism
Categories and Attributed (continued)
y Third Set of Emerging Categories (coded as benevolence):
{ Mother Teresa (
(selected amenities that will benefit the majority
j
y of their
fellow faculty members)
Ù
{
Forever the
F
th Sickest
Si k t Kid
Kids ((used
d a littl
little give
i and
d ttake
k iin th
their
i selection
l ti off
amenities)
Ù
{
Want their fellow faculty members to benefit as much as they will from the
decided-upon amenity/amenities
Are willing to sacrifice a little of what they want as long as you’re willing to
sacrifice a little of what yyou want,, too
Gold Digger/Dudley Dursley (selected amenities that will only benefit
themselves)
Ù
I want what I want and I want it now
Findings
y
Teachers were generally fairly realistic
in terms of amenities suggested
y
5 Most Requested Amenities
Ù Laptop/Computer
Ù SMART Board
Ù New copy machines
Ù ELMO/Projector
Ù Teaching Assistants
y
The administrators at all of the
participating schools were reportedly
very open to the ideas of a teacher
committee to monitor morale levels
y
Morale and job satisfaction levels were
higher, on average, than initially
anticipated
y
Participants believed that the
surrounding communities would be
willing to step up to assist the schools
in procuring the necessary monies to
make the amenities a reality
y
Teacher
T
h recognition
iti awards
d would
ld b
be a
relatively easy solution to boosting
teacher morale (at least over the shortterm))
As requested by 5 of the 8 participants…
As requested by half of the participants…
As requested by 3 of 8 participants…
As requested by 3 of 8 participants…
As requested by 3 of 8 participants…