Higher order need strength and job satisfaction in secondary public school teachers

Abstract

It was the purpose of this study to identify areas of teacher motivation by determining teacher needs and their relationship to job satisfaction. This objective was pursued by applying the concept of higher and lower order need strength to secondary public school teachers. This concept was first developed and applied in business administration as a means of measuring worker motivation. It is based on the assumption that a match between the needs experienced by the individual and the needs fulfilled by the job brings greater job satisfaction and thus an increase in job productivity. The sample included 150 secondary public school teachers from 10 separate school districts across the United States. Each member of the sample completed (1) a personal data form, (2) the Higher Order Need Strength Measure B for identifying their preferred job choices, and (3) a second administration of the same form in which they identified present job descriptions. The questionnaires were distributed to the sample and collected again by a teacher within the school district w h o acted as a contact with the researcher. In addition, a subsample of the original sample was interviewed by telephone to collect more detail and description of teacher needs and job satisfaction. The collected data were analyzed on the computer program Statistical Analysis System. Frequencies, percentages, means, standard deviations, and ranges were found for all of the variables. Correlation coefficients between each of the variables and need strength and between each of the variables and job satisfaction were also computed. The following conclusions were derived from the analysis of data: 1. The needs of secondary public school teachers are predominantly higher order in nature. The need to take on responsibility for one's own goals and to see these goals through to completion was the most heavily emphasized. 2. Job satisfaction is significantly related to teacher needs. The relationship of need strength to job satisfaction fluctuated by district. Apparently some districts are more satisfying to teachers with lower order needs while other districts are more satisfying to teachers with higher order needs...