Principals’ servant leadership and teachers’ job satisfaction

Abstract

Problem: Schools face a high teacher turnover rate due to high-stakes testing, increased accountability, budget restrictions, classroom transparency, and unsupportive leadership. Little has been written about school principals who practice servant leadership and the related issue of job satisfaction of their teachers. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to quantify the correlation between teachers’ perceived level of servant-leadership practices of elementary principals and the reported level of teachers’ job satisfaction within elementary schools in Southern California. Methodology: The primary method of analysis was quantitative, with survey data used to determine (a) the teachers’ perceived level of servant leadership practiced by the principal and (b) the level of job satisfaction of these same teachers. The sample population in this study included 341 elementary teachers from three school districts in North San Diego County. Findings: Based on the research presented in this study, teachers are more satisfied in their jobs when they work for principals who have high levels of servant-leadership qualities as they relate to supervision in the areas of (a) wisdom, (b) organizational stewardship, (c) altruistic calling, (d) emotional healing, and (e) persuasive mapping. Principals who are looking for a way to increase the job satisfaction of their teachers should concentrate on these five factors first, since they are more likely than the other factors to have an impact on teachers’ job satisfaction. The results of this study demonstrate that to create an environment of growth and change, teachers need first to experience the feeling of being satisfied with their jobs. Recommendations: Leadership and teacher training programs should focus on the following areas in their training: (a) servant leadership, (b) leadership and followership, (c) relationship building, (d) persuasion to better the organization, (e) trust and climate building, and (f) defining the nature of great schools. Conclusions: Teachers thrive and reach their highest level of productivity when working for leaders who practice servant leadership. Servant leadership is a style of leadership to which teachers respond; if principals increase their servant-leadership qualities, their teachers’ job satisfaction level increases.