Levels of job satisfaction and
motivation were measured by survey in a sample of 50 teachers. A sample
of 12 teachers was then studied using the Experience Sampling Method
(ESM). Teachers were randomly beeped by special pagers 5 times a day for
5 days and completed surveys on mood and activity for each beep,
resulting in 190 reports of teachers’ daily experiences.
Conventional
survey data corresponded with ESM data. Job satisfaction and motivation
correlated significantly with responsibility levels, gender, subject,
age, years of teaching experience, and activity. For this group of
teachers who work in a school with a selective student body, overall
motivation and job satisfaction levels were high. Based upon the
findings, it appears that gratification of higher-order needs is most
important for job satisfaction.
Introduction
Teachers
are arguably the most important group of professionals for our nation’s
future. Therefore, it is disturbing to find that many of today’s
teachers are dissatisfied with their jobs. “The mean CES-D (depression
scale) score of a sample of 75 Los Angeles teachers was 15.6, a value
about twice the mean score obtained in community surveys” (Beer &
Beer, 1992). A CES-D score of 16 or greater is considered significant
because it is associated with increased risk of depression (Schonfeld,
1989). It is crucial that we determine what increases teacher
motivation. Many factors have been examined in an attempt to find which
ones promote teacher motivation. Pay incentives have been found to be
unsuccessful in increasing motivation. In their study of 167 teachers,
Sylvia & Hutchinson (1985) concluded: “Teacher motivation is based
in the freedom to try new ideas, achievement of appropriate
responsibility levels, and intrinsic work elements…. Based upon our
findings, schemes such as merit pay were predicted to be
counterproductive.” They explain that true job satisfaction is derived
from the gratification of higher-order needs, “social relations, esteem,
and actualization” rather than lower-order needs. Indeed, Rothman
(1981) contrasts the security and financial motives for entering
teaching during the depression years with present-day idealistic and
intellectual convictions, especially because other professions pay
equally well or better. The conclusion of Greenwood & Soars (1973)
that less lecturing by teachers and more classroom discussions relates
positively to teacher morale further supports the importance of
higher-order needs. Studies show that improvement in teacher motivation
has benefits for students as well as teachers; however, there is no
consensus about the precise benefits. For example, researchers have had
varying results when examining whether teacher motivation leads to
increased levels of academic achievement. Stevens & White (1987)
studied the records of students in 15 school districts, with 191
teachers as subjects. The standardized test scores from the California
Achievement Test were used as the best estimate of the learned behavior
in each teacher’s classroom. There was no direct relationship between
teacher morale and student achievement. However, Stevens & White
surmised that further research on this topic requires an examination of
the achievement levels of students prior to their involvement with the
teachers participating in the study. “If pretest-posttest scores could
be obtained for the time students spent in a teacher’s classroom, the
achievement of those students while in that teacher’s classroom might be
more adequately measured.” The results of another study involving
teachers in small independent school districts demonstrated that high
levels of interaction within the faculty group, as determined by
responses to questions on the Halpin & Croft Observation Climate
Description Questionnaire, correlated significantly with higher pupil
reading scores on the California Achievement Test (Jordan, 1986). It is
likely that high levels of teacher social interaction on the job are
linked to high motivation levels; thus, the possibility that enhanced
levels of teacher motivation will lead to superior student achievement
cannot be dismissed. While the relationship between teacher motivation
and student achievement has not yet been established, the correlation
between teacher motivation and student self-esteem has been shown by
Peck, Fox, and Morston (1977). “Teachers with strong positive attitudes
about teaching had students whose self-esteem was high. Students seem to
recognize the effectiveness of teachers who are satisfied with their
teaching performance.” Rothman (1981) suggests that this association
exists because teachers serve as more than just educators; they are role
models. The benefits of teacher satisfaction for both teachers and
pupils points to the importance of studying how teachers feel about
work. This study undertakes an examination of how teachers feel while
doing their daily tasks. The Experience Sampling Method is used to
determine which daily work related activities lead to the highest levels
of motivation and job satisfaction. The Experience Sampling Method
(ESM) makes use of an electronic device to page the subject several
times a day. When beeped, the subject completes a short survey about
what they are doing, who they are with, and how they are feeling.
ESM thus provides a more richly detailed picture of the day-to-day lives and emotions of participants than conventional surveys. ESM has been used to study how people feel doing different activities and to determine which daily activities are most psychologically rewarding (Kubey & Csikszentmihalyi, 1981). Csikszentmihalyi (1990) has proposed that individuals reach a state of happiness and satisfaction when they are involved in an activity and are functioning at the peak of their abilities. In this situation the individual experiences “high levels of concentration, immersion, strength, and control.” He terms this experience “flow.” In the present study, the concept of flow will be used to help determine which activities are the most “psychologically.