A Spiritual Approach to Job Satisfaction and Motivation among Special Education Teachers

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Attention to spirituality has dramatically increased over the past recent years. With regard to the positive effects of spirituality in the workplace, this study was conducted to predict job satisfaction and motivation in special education school teachers based on spirituality in the workplace in 2014. Methods: This descriptive-correlational study was conducted on 80 teachers working at special education schools in Kerman, Iran. Due to the small population of the study, all teachers were entered into the study through the census method. The data were collected using the Workplace Spirituality Scale, Dantt’s job satisfaction questionnaire, and Habibi’s job motivation questionnaire. Data analysis was performed by means of stepwise regression. Results: According to the results, job motivation showed a significant direct relationship with the sense of community and spirituality in workplace. Sense of community predicted 0.35% of job motivation variance, while the other two components did not show any significant relationship with this variable. The three components of spirituality in workplace, namely meaningful working, alignment with organizational values, and sense of community explained 0.35%, 0.15%, and 0.5% of job satisfaction variance, respectively. Conclusion: Based on the results of the present study, it seems that the promotion of spirituality in the workplace can lead to the enhancement of job motivation and satisfaction among the teachers working in special education schools. Consequently, this issue should be given more attention by education authorities.