Teachers’ job satisfaction: the effect of principal’s leadership and decision- making style

Abstract

Research on school effectiveness indicates that teachers’ job satisfaction is a factor which significantly affects many aspects of quality in education. It has been demonstrated that two factors which contribute significantly to the increase of teachers’ job satisfaction are: principal’s leadership style and principal’s decision-making style. The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between teachers’ job satisfaction, leadership style and decision-making style. A research survey was conducted and data collected through a self-reported questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of one demographic and 3 standard instruments – “General Index of Job Satisfaction”, “Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire”, “General Decision-Making Style Instrument”- and was completed by 156 teachers in Magnesia Prefecture, Greece. Analysis of data indicates that there is a relationship between principal’s decision-making style and hir/her leadership style as transformational leadership style as well as the transactional one relate positively to teachers’ job satisfaction. Finally, two decision-making styles were proved to be related to teachers’ job satisfaction in primary schools: the rational decision-making style and the dependent one. The present study provides useful information about the way principals could contribute to the increase of teachers’ job satisfaction. In order to increase teachers’ job satisfaction, principals should use a mix of different leadership styles and decision-making styles that respond better to each situation.