Factors affecting job satisfaction among Saudi male and female teachers in Riyadh primary schools

Abstract

This study investigates the factors influencing primary school teachers in Saudi Arabia, with regard to their job satisfaction. It investigates the job satisfaction of teachers in both boys’ and girls’ primary schools in Saudi Arabia, specifically in the capital city of Riyadh. This research focus was selected due to the small number of studies which have investigated teachers’ job satisfaction generally and within the Saudi educational context in particular, and the absence of studies including both genders in the Saudi context. This study employed a sequential explanatory strategy using a qualitative-dominant mixed-method approach. A non-standardised questionnaire was designed, piloted and implemented online to collect quantitative data from teachers. It was disseminated by taking advantage of connections on social media platforms, such as WhatsApp and Twitter accounts. A total of two hundred and thirty-four questionnaire responses were received. The data from the questionnaire identified the level of the teachers’ overall job satisfaction, the factors influencing their job satisfaction and dissatisfaction and the relationship between their overall job satisfaction and personal characteristics such as gender, age, qualifications, experience, and marital status. The data were also used to develop the next phase of data collection, which involved face-to-face semi-structured interviews conducted with twenty teachers (ten males and ten females) in Riyadh. The final phase of data collection – semi-structured interviews – was conducted via Skype with four school headteachers (two males and two females), and two officials from the Ministry of Education (one male and one female). This thesis indicates the factors that positively or negatively influence overall job satisfaction of both male and female Saudi teachers teaching in state primary schools in Riyadh. The teachers are strongly satisfied with their colleagues, students and school headteachers. This reflects the collectivistic nature of the Saudi society in giving priority to interpersonal relationships at work when reflecting on their job satisfaction. Their satisfaction is moderately influenced by educational supervision, teachers’ job grade, the nature of the work, the holiday system and students’ parents. However, salary and promotion, teachers’ social status and recognition, teachers’ development, policies and regulations, school environment and workload are sources of their dissatisfaction. This thesis examines the relationship between the primary school teachers’ overall job satisfaction and with a number of demographic variables by utilising T-test and one-way ANOVA. No statistically-significant differences in job satisfaction between teachers were found based on their gender, age, marital status, years of 3 experience, length of service in current school, qualifications, subject taught, number of classes taught, number of teaching lessons, and type of school building. The supervision centres the school follows, however, was found to be associated with statistically-significant differences between teachers in terms of job satisfaction. Differences were found between teachers from the middle centres and those from south and east centres, as well as between teachers from the south and the north. The overall level of teachers’ job satisfaction is moderate to some extent being more satisfied. This study contributes to our understanding of the factors relating to job satisfaction in general, and job satisfaction among primary school teachers in the Saudi educational context in particular, as well as providing recommendations to the Ministry of Education in order to enhance teacher job satisfaction and address dissatisfaction, which can benefit the future policymaking of the Saudi Ministry of Education.