Motivation and Job Satisfaction of Catholic School Teachers

Abstract

This article examines the relationship between Catholic school teachers’ motivation and job satisfaction. The data are derived from a survey of 716 teachers in Catholic elementary and secondary schools in three dioceses in the US (Atlanta, GA; Biloxi, MS; and Cheyenne, WY). The school’s academic philosophy and its environment were important predictors of the teachers’ satisfaction with their work with stu- dents and with their relationships with administrators and other teachers. The motivation to teach in the school because it was a Catholic school was an important predictor of the teachers’ satisfaction with the school. The results of the study confirm the importance of a religious factor as an important motivator for teachers choos- ing to teach in Catholic schools and an important predictor of their job satisfaction.