Job Satisfaction of Preschool Teachers: Challenge for Institutional Management

Abstract

The authors of the study start from the understanding that job satisfaction represents an emotional-cognitive-conative way of reacting of employees, where the affective segment of satisfaction includes the employee’s feelings towards the job concerning the job content and working conditions, the cognitive segment comprises the assumptions and beliefs of the employee about their job, while the conative segment of job satisfaction refers to the subjective job evaluations of employees and their willingness to exert effort based on that evaluation. The aim of the conducted research is to examine overall job satisfaction and satisfaction with different aspects of the job of preschool teachers, as well as to analyze differences in job satisfaction assessments depending on the length of service. For the research, the Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS, Spector, 1985) scale was used. The study involved 150 preschool teachers employed in 14 facilities of two preschool institutions in the Republic of Serbia. The results show that participants reported low satisfaction with aspects such as salary, work procedures, and promotion, but high satisfaction with aspects like colleagues, management, and the nature of the job. The overall job satisfaction scale revealed an ambivalent attitude towards the job. Preschool teachers with up to 10 years of service are significantly more satisfied with their job compared to those with longer service. The findings of the research are significant in the context of designing strategies that the institution’s management can apply to motivate employees.