Date of Award

5-1-1984

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Educational Leadership

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not there was a relationship among job satisfaction, preferred rewards, perceptions of teachers' performance, and selected demographic variables for elementary classroom teachers in North Dakota and Minnesota. Eighty-five teachers from seven selected elementary schools comprised the sample.

Data were gathered by employing the following instruments: the Teacher Performance Assessment Instrument (TPAI), the Job Descriptive Index (JDI), and a preferred rewards instrument designed by the researcher to measure the desirability and availability of various rewards. Teachers also completed a demographic information sheet which was used in the data analysis.

The analysis of the data permitted the researcher to arrive at the following conclusions: (1) Elementary teachers in school districts across North Dakota and Minnesota were highly satisfied with their jobs in general and with their colleagues. They were also satisfied with the supervision they received. At the same time, these teachers were dissatisfied with their present pay and with their opportunities for promotion. (2) Elementary teachers were very homogeneous concerning their perceptions about rewards based on their levels of performance. Performance was not an indicator of which rewards elementary teachers perceive to be most desirable and available. (3) Although elementary teachers were generally dissatisfied with present pay and with opportunities for promotion, those teachers who were considered high performers were significantly more dissatisfied with these two variables than other teachers. (4) The role of the salary in the elementary teachers' household had no bearing on their satisfaction with pay or their perceptions of the desirability and the availability of various rewards. (5) The rewards most preferred that are unmet for over half of the elementary teachers included rewards related to "facilities, equipment and supplies"; "pay"; "working conditions"; and "decision making." (6) The enrollment of the school district may influence teachers' attitudes about rewards. Teachers in larger districts reported that rewards related to "administration," "decision making," "growth," and "related perquisites" were more desirable and available than was true for teachers in smaller districts.

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