Page 112 - Apuntes de Investigación en la Enseñanza de Idiomas

96 Apuntes de Investigación en la Enseñanza de Idiomas

Teacher satisfaction: Concept and findings

Teacher satisfaction is a crucial element in producing and maintaining quality education. Satisfaction
is the individual’s appraisal of the extent to which the work environment fulfills his or her requirements,
while dissatisfaction is a negative feeling toward one’s job that related to disadvantageous outcomes
(Locke, 1969).

Studies have found that teachers report higher levels of job satisfaction when they have greater auton-
omy in the classroom. Factors that contribute to increased teacher dissatisfaction include problems
with administrative routines and paperwork; concerns about the evaluation of students; problems
related to student behavior; problems related to teacher workload; concerns about relationships with
peers and administrative personnel; few possibilities for career growth; low pay; and the declining
respect for the teaching profession.

Methodology

The study used an exploratory case study approach to examine the views of a convenience sample
of 63 EFL teachers in Tamaulipas. Data were collected with the use of a Likert-scale survey and a
follow-up focus group interview. Survey data were analyzed in terms of frequency distributions and
group interview comments were interpreted using the general inductive approach (Thomas, 2006).

Results

Of the 63 participants, 54% were female and 46% were male EFL teachers. The greatest proportion
of teachers were between 22 and 30years old (27%). Their years of teaching experience were 1-5
years (46%); 5-15 years (26%); less than 5 years (25%); and more than 15 years (3%). They were
concurrently working in different levels and types of schools, from elementary to higher education,
from private to public, including a university language center and private language schools.

Teachers’ motivation
Very small percentages of teachers’ responses showed they were motivated to work closely to stu-
dents (11%), found EFL teaching mentally stimulating (8%), and believed cooperating with other
teachers was rewarding (8%). More than half of the sample reported demotivation caused by stu-
dents’ discipline problems (64%) and students’ low motivation to learn English (68%). As to the dis-
couragement from their school administration to try new ideas in the classroom, 35% neither agreed
nor disagreed, 33% disagreed, and 32% agreed (Figure 1). During the group interview, EFL qualified
teachers expressed that they felt demotivated because students showed no learning progress due
to the hiring of unqualified teachers.