Job satisfaction among academic staff at colleges of education in the Free State

Abstract

English: Since its democratisation in 1994, South Africa continues to transform to address its historic inequalities and meet national and global opportunities and challenges. The transformation process includes the education system. Educator job satisfaction and student training are legitimate school goals. Educator job satisfaction is based on the need fulfilment and professional and personal growth of the academic staff. Student training, on the other hand, is based on providing for students' needs, growth and development. These goals require particular attention of the educational leaders in order to motivate both educators and students to achieve high performance levels. However, the motivation of educators requires their satisfaction with the job. This study focuses on the level of job satisfaction of the academic staff at the colleges of education in the Free State. The concept of job satisfaction involves both the people doing the job and the job itself. Generally job satisfaction is associated with personal feelings about job aspects and the affective response to facets of the work situation. These are likely to result from motivation which is in turn determined by a perceived difference between what is expected as a fair and reasonable return, and what is experienced in relation to alternatives in a given situation. Job satisfaction and motivation are interrelated concepts. Behavioural scientists approach job satisfaction through motivation theories. These theories focus on human needs and how they can be satisfied at the workplace. Working then brings about satisfaction if it helps fulfil these needs. The discrepancy, equity and expectancy approaches have been considered. The discrepancy theories identify workers' needs that are likely to influence their satisfaction with the job. Workers are then motivated to work depending on the extent to which the job allows the fulfilment of the individual worker's needs. Equity theories focus on how satisfaction is determined by one's perception about the relation between work input and output. The expectancy theories focus on job outcomes, taking into account individual differences to accommodate individual preferences. All these theories agree that a job aspect can be either a satisfier or a dissatisfier, depending on how it is perceived by the individual worker. For this study the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire was used as an instrument for gathering information. Synthesising motivational theories and job satisfaction indicates that factors of these theories correlate with the indicators of job satisfaction of this questionnaire. Therefore, the questionnaire can be used to predict satisfaction or dissatisfaction in the workplace such as the colleges of education. The implications of the motivational theories require the attention of the educational leaders. Human needs have to be identified in each work situation, as well as how they can best be satisfied. Other factors that influence job satisfaction include locus of control, role tensions and leadership style. An understanding of these factors is necessary to reduce conflicts, understand attitudes of workers towards work and provide favourable working conditions. Certain indicators of job satisfaction in the teaching profession have to be considered to address the current situation at the colleges of education. Chapter 3 deals with the consequences of job satisfaction and determines the impact of each on the level of job satisfaction. Although some direct relationships are still not very clear, research done provides evidence of some kind of relation. It is therefore necessary to bring these work variables as a means of addressing satisfaction of workers to the attention of educational leaders. In chapter 4 the results of the empirical research regarding the overall level of job satisfaction in the target population, per college and per biographic group, are reported. The satisfaction indicators were ranked according to their contribution towards the overall levels. The levels and ranking of the indicators vary but there was agreement to some extent on the most and least satisfying aspects of the job. Recommendations for improving the least satisfying job aspects among the academic staff at the colleges of education in the Free State are provided.

Afrikaans: Sedert die demokratisering van Suid-Afrika in 1994, is daar voortgegaan met transformasie om die historiese ongelykhede aan te pak en nasionale en globale geleenthede en uitdagings te baat te neem. Die transformasieproses sluit ook die onderwysstelsel in. Die werksbevrediging van opvoeders en die onderrig van studente is legitieme doelwitte van die kollege. Opvoederwerksbevrediging is gebaseer op die vervulling van behoeftes sowel as die professionele en persoonlike groei van die akademiese personeel. Studenteonderrig, aan die ander kant, is gebaseer op die voorsiening vir studente se behoeftes, groei en ontwikkeling. Hierdie doelwitte verg spesiale aandag van onderwysleiers ten einde beide opvoeders en studente tot hoë vlakke van prestasie te motiveer. Die motivering van opvoeders vereis egter dat hulle bevrediging uit hulle werk put. Hierdie studie handeloor die vlak van werksbevrediging by die akademiese personeel van onderwyskolleges in die Vrystaat. Die begrip werksbevrediging sluit beide die persoon wat die werk doen en die werk self in. Werksbevrediging word gewoonlik geassosieer met persoonlike gevoelens omtrent aspekte van die werk en die affektiewe respons op fasette van die werksituasie. Dit is 'n waarskynlike resultaat van motivering, wat op sy beurt bepaal word deur die waargenome verskil tussen wat verwag word as 'n billike en redelike voordeel en wat ervaar word in verband met alternatiewe in 'n gegewe situasie. Werksbevrediging en motivering is verweefde konsepte. Gedragswetenskaplikes benader werksbevrediging by wyse van motiveringsteorieë. Hierdie teorieë fokus op menslike behoeftes en hoe dit by die werk bevredig kan word. Werk bring dan tevredenheid mee as dit help om hierdie behoeftes te vervul. Die diskrepansie-, gelykheid- en verwagtingsteorie IS In die studie ondersoek. Die diskrepansieteorieë identifiseer die behoeftes van werkers wat waarskynlik hulle tevredenheid met die werk sal beïnvloed. Die werkers is dan gemotiveer om te werk afhangend van die mate waarin die werk die behoeftes van die individuele werker kan vervul. Die gelykheidsteorieë fokus op die wyse waarop werksbevrediging bepaal word deur die werker se persepsie van die verband tussen werksinset en -uitset. Die verwagtingsteorie fokus op die resultate van die werk, en neem die individuele verskille in ag om individuele voorkeure te akkommodeer. AI hierdie teorieë stem saam dat 'n werksaspek óf tot werksbevrediging kan lei, óf nie, afhangend van hoe dit deur die individuele werker beleef word. In hierdie studie is die Minnesota Werksbevredigingsvraelys gebruik as instrument om inligting in te samel. 'n Sintese van motiveringsteorieë en werksbevrediging toon aan dat die faktore van hierdie teorieë korreleer met die indikators van werksbevrediging in dié vraelys. Die vraelys kan derhalwe gebruik word om tevredenheid of ontevredenheid met die werk te voorspel, soos by 'n onderwyskollege. Die implikasies van die motiveringsteorieë verg die aandag van onderwysleiers. Menslike behoeftes moet in elke werksituasie geïdentifiseer word, sowel as die wyse waarop hulle ten beste vervul kan word. Ander faktore wat werksbevrediging beïnvloed, sluit in lokus van kontrole, rolspanning en leierskapstyl. Hierdie faktore moet verstaan word ten einde konflik te verminder, die houding van werkers tot hulle werk te verstaan en gunstige werkstoestande te skep. Bepaalde indikators van werksbevrediging wat in die onderwys professie geïdentifiseer is, verdien aandag ten einde die huidige situasie by onderwyskolleges te verbeter. Hoofstuk 3 handeloor die gevolge van werksbevrediging en bepaal die impak van elk op die vlak van werksbevrediging. Hoewel sekere direkte verbande nog nie duidelik is nie, dui die navorsing wat gedoen is, op 'n verband van die een of ander aard. Dit is derhalwe nodig om hierdie werksveranderlikes onder die aandag van onderwysleiers te bring as 'n middelom die werksbevrediging onder werkers te verhoog. In hoofstuk 4 word die resultate van die empiriese navorsing aangaande die oorhoofse vlak van werksbevrediging onder die teikenpopulasie, per kollege en per biografiese groep, weergegee. Die indikators van werksbevrediging is gerangskik volgens hulle bydrae tot die oorhoofse vlakke. Die vlakke en rangorde van die indikators wissel, maar tot In sekere mate is daar ooreenstemming oor die werksaspekte wat die meeste en die minste bevrediging bied. Aanbevelings word gemaak met die oog op die verbetering van die aspekte met die laagste werksbevrediging onder die akademiese personeel van onderwyskolleges in die Vrystaat.