Presumably, one of the best ways to strengthen the teaching profession would be to make teaching a more satisfying career. Not only would this encourage bright young prospects to become teachers, it would also encourage experienced teachers to stay in the profession. In a comprehensive Metropolitan Life survey of American teachers (Louis Harris and Associates 1995), only 7 percent who were "very satisfied" with their career said they were likely to move to another profession within the next five years. In contrast, 38 percent of the teachers who answered "somewhat dissatisfied" or "very dissatisfied" indicated that they would switch careers in the near future.
But job satisfaction can do far more than help retain teachers; it can improve their teaching, at least indirectly. Smith and Bourke (1990) found that teacher satisfaction can play a critical role in mitigating job-related stress. This is important, they noted, both because stress is so common for teachers—nearly three-fourths of the respondents in the MetLife survey reported feeling job-related stress at least once or twice a week—and because stress can reduce teachers' commitment and effectiveness. Their logic hits home: Whom would you rather have teaching your child—someone who finds teaching challenging but rewarding, or someone who dreads entering the classroom every day?
The good news is that teachers derive more satisfaction from their work today than they did a decade ago. Fifty-four percent of the teachers in the 1995 survey were "very satisfied" with their teaching career; only 44 percent responded that way in 1985. But that still means that nearly half the teachers do not find their career completely satisfying. The challenge, then, is to identify factors that schools can control to help teachers achieve career satisfaction.
Extrinsic and Intrinsic Rewards
In a summary of research on teacher satisfaction, Ellis (1984) distinguishes between extrinsic and intrinsic rewards. Extrinsic rewards are the tangible benefits surrounding a job, such as salary and job security, whereas intrinsic rewards are the emotional and personal benefits of the job itself, such as personal growth and a sense of accomplishment. Ellis concludes that of the two, intrinsic rewards play a greater role in teacher motivation and job satisfaction.
The data from the MetLife survey support this view. When the teachers were asked to identify what they liked most about their job, 89 percent identified intrinsic rewards such as seeing a child develop and making a difference in a child's life. In contrast, the most frequently cited extrinsic factor—"I like the hours/summer off"—was identified by just 3 percent of the teachers.
Moreover, the percentage of "very satisfied" teachers was fairly evenly spread across extrinsic factors such as school level (elementary, junior high, and high) and school location (inner-city, other-urban, suburban, and rural). Other-urban teachers were the least likely to say they were "very satisfied" with their career (46 percent) and rural teachers were the most likely (58 percent). The relatively narrow range supports a conclusion that teachers' job satisfaction does not depend significantly on extrinsic factors.
Results from a study by Lee, Dedrick, and Smith (1991) further substantiate that conclusion, yet clarify the role that "extrinsic factors" do play. The researchers broadened the boundaries of "extrinsic factors" to include "sociologically extrinsic" factors, and compared the job efficacy and satisfaction of public school teachers with that of Catholic school teachers. Although the public school teachers had a slightly smaller average class size (35 versus 38 students) and a much higher average salary ($22,226 versus $14,796), the Catholic school teachers were significantly more likely to report feeling efficacious and satisfied.
But further analysis of "sociologically extrinsic" factors does help to account for the disparity in job satisfaction. Teachers in the Catholic schools were more likely than their public school counterparts to be granted a degree of autonomy in their classroom activities, and were also more likely to communicate and collaborate with the other teachers in their school.
Love Conquers All
The Lee, Dedrick, and Smith study is important, because it shows that teacher satisfaction can be influenced to some extent through school policy. The authors suggest that schools can focus on goals such as fostering a communicative, collaborative environment for teachers as part of a strategy for promoting their job satisfaction. But—as the authors acknowledge—intrinsic rewards still play the pivotal role; a teacher who loves seeing students grow and develop will likely be more satisfied than a teacher who doesn't feel that kind of love, regardless of extrinsic factors.
