the level of the job satisfaction of teachers in botswana pedzani ...

European Journal of Educational Studies 4(2), 2012 


© 2012 Ozean Publication 

THE LEVEL OF THE JOB SATISFACTION OF TEACHERS IN BOTSWANA 

PEDZANI PERCI MONYATSI 

University of Botswana, Faculty of Education, Gaborone, Bostwana 

Senior Lecturer in Educational Management 

E-mail address for correspondence: percimonyatsi@yahoo.com 

. 

____________________________________________________________________________________________ 

Abstract: This paper investigates the level of job satisfaction of the teachers of all categories in Botswana. Due to 

many changes that have taken place in the education system of the country and internationally, there is a need to 

find out how these have affected the satisfaction of those tasked to lead secondary schools. Teachers have been said 

to be the most crucial part of a countries resource as they build the base for all professions in a country. Therefore 

it has been found to be very important to measure their satisfaction as dissatisfaction can produce negative results. 

The population of the study comprised all categories of primary school teachers, junior secondary school teachers 

and senior secondary school teachers; that is teachers, senior teachers, heads of department, deputy headteachers, 

and headteachers in Botswana. The sample consisted of 150 for teachers (50, primary, 50 junior secondary, and 50 

senior secondary); 150 for senior teachers (25, primary, 100 junior secondary, and 25 senior secondary), 80 for 

heads of departments (20 primary, 40 junior secondary and 20 senior secondary), 75 for deputy headteachers (25 

primary, 25 junior secondary and 25 senior secondary); and 55 for headteachers (20 primary, 20 junior secondary 

and 15 senior secondary) selected randomly. A modified version of the Job Descriptive Index (JDI) was used to 

collect data for this study. The results of this survey, using the Job Description Index (JDI) and the Job in General 

(JIG) scale as published by Bowling Green State University, indicate that teachers are generally satisfied with their 

jobs. 

Key words: Headteacher, job satisfaction, Botswana, junior secondary school, Job Descriptive Index (JDI), job 

satisfaction. 

___________________________________________________________________________________________ 

INTRODUCTION 

In the past three decades or so, there have been numerous changes in the education system of Botswana that have 

greatly influenced the way teachers conduct themselves in the workplace. The past three decades have witnessed 

numerous innovations being introduced into the education system in order to enhance the quality of the products. 

The period has among others seen the adoption of the Job Evaluation for Teachers in 1988, the Revised National 

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Education Policy in 1994 with the resultant adoption of levels of operation, the Secondary Schools Management 

Development Project of 1993, Parallel Progression Policy of 1994 with its legal entanglements, the decentralization 

of the Ministry of Education, Performance Management System, and most recently the introduction of double shift 

in the schools in 2006. All these should have had some effects and impact on the way teachers in the schools feel 

about their jobs. It is also pertinent to gain understanding of the level of satisfaction of the teachers as employees as 

an indication of the health of the education system as a whole in meeting its mandate of providing educated and 

informed future citizens in line with the national vision, which one of its pillars says: A prosperous, productive and 

innovative nation (Republic of Botswana, 1997a:6). Literature abounds of studies conducted on the job satisfaction 

of teachers as employees in schools (Bishay, 1996; US Department of Education, 1997). 

UNDERSTANDING JOB SATISFACTION 

Employee satisfaction has taken centre stage especially in the corporate world in recent years as it has been realized 

that organizations cannot reach competitive levels of quality; either at a product level or a customer service level if 

their human resources do not feel satisfied or do not identify with the company (Garcia-Bernal, Gargallo-Castel, 

Marzo-Navarro & Rivera-Torres, 2005). The crucial role played by employee job satisfaction in the efficiency and 

productivity of organizations was also identified by Fitzgerald, Johnston, Brignall, Silverstro & Voss, (1994) and 

Crossman & Abou-Zaki, (2003) who are of the view that job satisfaction is one of the criteria for establishing the 

health of the organization as rendering effective services. 

Although there is no universal definition of the concept job satisfaction, some researchers have come to the 

conclusion that it should be conceived as a multi-dimensional concept that includes a set of favourable or 

unfavourable feelings by which employees perceive their jobs (Mumford, 1991; & Garcia-Bernal, et al., 2005). Job 

satisfaction has been defined by Locke (1976) and Spector (1997) as a positive emotional state resulting from the 

pleasure a worker derives from the job. According to Spector (1997), job satisfaction is simply how people feel 

about their jobs and different aspects of their jobs. It is the extent to which people like (satisfaction) or dislike 

(dissatisfaction) their jobs. This is echoed by Moorhead and Griffin (2004:99) who say that: Job satisfaction is the 

extent to which a person is gratified or fulfilled by his or her work. As a result, a satisfied employee tends to be 

absent less often, to make positive contributions, and to stay with the organization longer; whereas a dissatisfied 

employee may be absent more often, may experience stress that disrupts other co-workers, and maybe continually 

looking for a job. Furthermore, Abu-Saad and Hendrix (1995:141) define job satisfaction as: the pleasurable 

emotional state resulting from the appraisal of one’s job as achieving or facilitating the achievement of one’s 

values. It should be noted however that according to some job satisfaction theorists, it is a function of a combination 

of situational characteristics and situational occurrences (Quarstein, McAfee & Glassman, 1992). Churchill, Ford 

and Walker (1974) define job satisfaction in the context of all the characteristics of the job itself and of the work 

environment in which the workers may find rewards, fulfillment and satisfaction; or conversely sentiments of 

frustration and/or dissatisfaction. 

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK 

Various authors have dealt with the subject of job satisfaction in different organizations using various variables such 

as demographic characteristics, work, pay, relations with co-workers, promotion and others (Mok and Finlev, 1998; 

Murray & Atkinson, 1981; Sloane & Williams, 1996; Clark, 1997; and Ward & Sloane, 1998). Some research has 

also shown that gender played a part in determining job satisfaction and some studies have shown that males were 

more satisfied than females (Weaver 1974; Forgionne & Peeters 1982; Smith & Plant 1982). Other factors such as 

education, experience, supervision, work and relations with co-workers may be responsible for the observed 

differences in job satisfaction (Swanepoel, Erasmus, van Wyk & Schenk, 2005; Cole, 2004; Moorhead & Griffin, 

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2004; and Marczely & Marczely, 2002). Figure 1 presents the conceptual framework for this study based on the 

Model of Herzberg‘s Two-Factor Theory showing Motivators (Satisfiers) (Achievement, recognition, work itself, 

responsibility and advancement); and Hygiene Factors (Dissatisfiers) (Organisation policy, supervision, salary, 

working conditions and interpersonal relationship). Many theories of job satisfaction have been proposed, but one of 

the most widely utilised in educational settings has been that of Herzberg and his associates (Abu Saad & Isralowitz, 

1992; Derlin & Schneider, 1994; Dinham & Scott, 1996; 1998; 2000; Scott, Cox & Dinham, 1999). The main 

concept of the theory is the distinction between two groups of factors called motivation factors and hygiene factors. 

According to the theory, the motivation factors operate only to increase job satisfaction while the hygiene factors 

operate to decrease job dissatisfaction. Herzberg, Mausner, and Snyderman (1959:113-114) stated thus: 

Among the factors of hygiene, when the factors deteriorate to a level below that which the employee 

considers acceptable, then job dissatisfaction ensues. However, the reverse does not hold true. When job 

context can be characterized as optimal, we will not get dissatisfaction but neither we will get much in the 

way of positive attitudes. It should be understood that both kinds of factors meet the needs of the 

employees; but it is primarily the ―motivators‖ that serve to bring about the kind of job satisfaction, …, the 

kind of improvement in performance that industry is seeking from its work force. 

Satified 

 

 

 

 

 

Achievement 

Recognition 

Work itself 

Responsibility 

Advancement 

Not Satisfied 

Not Satisfied 

____________________________________________________________ 

 

 

 

 

 

Organisation policy 

supervision 

salary 

Working conditions 

Interpersonal 

relationship 

Dissatisfied 

Figure 1: Model of Herzberg‘s two-factor theory (source: Smit & Cronje, 2002:351). 

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Herzberg‘s two-factor theory posits that job satisfaction comes from one set of job variables (called motivator needs 

or satisfiers) and job dissatisfaction from another set of variables (hygeine factors or dissatisfiers) (De Nobile and 

McCormick, 2005). Herzberg‘s two-factor theory, also known as the dual-structure theory illustrated that there is 

one dimension ranging from satisfaction to no satisfaction and another ranging from dissatisfaction to no 

dissatisfaction (Moorhead & Griffin, 2004:127). Satisfiers include, variables such as recognition, responsibility for 

ones work, personal growth, achievement and advancement, while dissatisfiers include many aspects of work 

external to the self such as pay, relationships with colleagues and supervisors, work conditions and security 

(Herzberg, 1968). 

The motivators or satisfiers are intrinsic to the work itself and include factors such as achievement, recognition, 

responsibility, advancement, opportunity for independent thought and actions, and the work itself; while the hygiene 

factors are extrinsic to the work itself and include supervision, relationships with superiors, relationships with peers, 

work conditions, personal life, relationships with subordinates, status, and security (Swanepoel, Erasmus, van Wyk 

& Schenk, 2005; Cole, 2004; Moorhead & Griffin, 2004; and Marczely & Marczely, 2002). Herzberg in his study 

suggested that it should not be construed that the opposite of satisfaction is dissatisfaction as removing the hygiene 

factors does not necessarily results in job satisfaction, but the presence of hygiene factors will not lead to a state of 

job satisfaction but simply to a state of no dissatisfaction (Moorhead & Griffin, 2004). Conversely, it has been 

established that for motivators to operate as motivators the hygiene factors ought to be present. Marczely and 

Marczely (2002) contend that although hygiene factors such as salary, fringe benefits, supervision style, working 

conditions, workplace climate, and policies are not in themselves motivators leading to job satisfaction, they are a 

prerequisite to motivational factors that lead to job satisfaction and good performance. In other words, hygiene 

factors can be regarded as the ingredients of job satisfaction which need to be taken care of in order to avoid 

employee dissatisfaction. 

RESEARCH QUESTIONS 

The study was guided by the following research questions: 

1. What is the general satisfaction level among all categories of teachers in Botswana schools 

2. What are the general saisfaction levels of all categories of teachers according to the six dimensions of the 

JDI 

3. What are the general satisfaction levels of all categories of teachers according to the demographic variables 

level of operation, gender, age, position, highest qualifications, experience. 

4. What is the satisfaction level of all categories of teachers for each of the six demographic dimensions of the 

JDI 

METHODOLOGY 

Research Approach and Instrument 

Literature search shows that there are many instruments that have been developed over the years to measure the 

levels of the job satisfaction of employees in organizations. Some of the instruments include the Minnesota 

Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) which was developed by Weiss, Dawis, English and Lofquist in 1959 to measure 

the individual‘s satisfaction with twenty different aspects of the work environment. The Herzberg two-factor theory 

was also identified as one of the most reliable instruments that can be used to measure the level of school heads as it 

was applied in the United States of America and proved reliable (Newby, 1999). 

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The data for this study was collected using the Job Descriptive Index (JDI) with an abridged Job in General Scale 

(Bowling Green State University, 2009). The JDI and the JIG scale were chosen for this study because they are 

widely used to measure job satisfaction and they have been shown to be valid predictors (Balzer et al. 1997; Kinicki 

et al. 2002). The JDI is the most widely used measure of the job satisfaction extant because of several reasons. 

Firstly, the Job Descriptive Index is a reliable facet measure over time (Kinicki, McKee-Ryan, Schriesheim & 

Carson, 2002), and applicable across a variety of demographic groups (Golembiewski & Yeager, 1978). Secondly, it 

is the care with which it was developed which is described in Smith, Kendall, and Hulin (1969). The JDI is said to 

possess good content validity, impressive construct validity, and adequate reliability, and very few instruments in 

industrial-organizational psychology have received the attention of researchers that the JDI has. It is short and 

simple to fill out, seemed ideal from the point of view of maximization of response and practicality of scoring. "The 

Job Descriptive Index (JDI) measures five important aspects or facets of job satisfaction. The Job in General (JIG) 

scale evaluates overall job satisfaction" (Bowling Green State University 2002). The five aspects or facets of job 

satisfaction are: Work on Present Job, Pay, Opportunities for Promotion, Supervision, and People on Your Present 

Job (Bowling Green State University, 2009). Normally, the JDI contains either nine or 18 items, with an overall total 

of 72 items (http://www.bgsu.edu/departments/psch/JDI/). The abridged version of the Job Descriptive Index has 30 

items while the Job in General has 8, making a total of thirty eight. Copies of the JDI scales and the JIG scale were 

obtained from the publisher, Bowling Green State University. The surveys were mailed to the administrator at the 

facility address with the introductory letter addressed to "Colleague." Surveys were not addressed to individuals 

because of the anticipated movement of administrators among organizations. Anonymity of respondents was 

emphasized, thus eliminating respondent tracking. The response rate to the single mailing was 149, or 36 percent. 

This is an acceptable level for a single mailing (Vehovar and Lozar 1997). A followup mailing was not sent to 

prevent recording duplicated data. Permission to use the Job Descriptive Index including the Job in General Scale 

was sought from and given by the Bowling Green State University. 

Population and Sample of the study 

The questionnaires were administered to primary school teachers, junior secondary school teachers and senior 

secondary school teachers. A primary school level of education in Botswana is the equivalent of elementary 

education and it takes seven years; a junior secondary is the equivalent of intermediate school and takes three years 

while a senior secondary is the equivalent of high school and takes two years. The first ten years are regarded as 

Basic Education in Botswana. For the teachers, there were five categories (positions occupied) namely, teacher, 

senior teacher, head of department, deputy headteacher and headteacher. All in all, five hundred and twenty 

questionnaires were mailed to 60 schools that were randomly selected. There were: 150 for teachers (50, primary, 50 

junior secondary, and 50 senior secondary); 150 for senior teachers (25, primary, 100 junior secondary, and 25 

senior secondary), 80 for heads of departments (20 primary, 40 junior secondary and 20 senior secondary), 75 for 

deputy headteachers (25 primary, 25 junior secondary and 25 senior secondary); and 55 for headteachers (20 

primary, 20 junior secondary and 15 senior secondary). The overall response rate was 67%. The response rate 

according to positions occupied is illustrated in Table 1 below. 

Table 1: Response rates according to Level and Position held 

Position 

Total 

Teacher Senior Head of Deputy Headteacher 

Teacher Department Head 

Level Primary (82) 41 (80) 20 (15) 3 (100) 25 (45) 9 98 

Junior Secondary (68) 34 (85) 85 (85) 34 (20) 5 (80) 16 174 

Senior Secondary (64) 32 (52) 13 (90) 18 (60) 15 (0) 0 78 

Total (71) 

107 

(78.6) 118 (68.7) 55 (60) 45 (45) 25 350 

Note: % in bold and in brackets ( ). 

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The response rate varied according to category from 45% for headteachers to 78.6% for senior teachers. For all the 

categories of teachers, the overall response rate was 67% (N = 350). 

RESULTS 

Biographic data 

Satisfaction according to gender 

This section presents and discusses the gender dynamics in the teaching force at primary, junior secondary and 

senior secondary school levels. There were 229 females and 121 males who responded, with more females at 

primary and junior secondary schools. The result of the analysis shows that the male respondents had a relatively 

higher level of overall job satisfaction compared to the female respondents. This result supports the findings of 

Quitugua (1976) cited in Abdullah, Uli and Parasuraman (2009) who showed that male teachers were overall more 

satisfied than female teachers but contradict the findings of Ghazali (1979) cited in Abdullah, Uli and Parasuraman 

(2009) who reported that there was in significant relationship between sex and teachers‘ overall job satisfaction. 

This also contradicts some studies thathave suggested that men and women exhibit similar levels of satisfaction 

(Brush, D.H., Moch, M.K. and Pooyan, 1987 & Clark, A., Oswald, A. and Warr, P. (1996) while others, in the UK 

and elsewhere, indicate higher levels of satisfaction among women (Hickson & Oshagbemi, 1999). At senior 

secondary level there were more males than females, a situation reflecting the real status on the ground. 

Satisfaction according to age 

The following are the satisfaction levels according to the age ranges: 26 to 35 years (77.4%); 36 to 45 years 

(74.6%); 46 to 55 years (71.7%) and finally 56 years and above (100%). The highest are also all at senior secondary 

level. That the oldest group shows a 100% satisfaction is in line with Bishay (1996, p150) that ―Job satisfaction 

seems to increase with age … .‖. However, the results of this study show a higher satisfaction rate at above 70% for 

other are ranges. Although the teaching force in Botswana according to this result is relatively young to middle age 

(71.2%), Government must be prepared for large exodus of teachers as and when they retire from the service which 

can create skill deficits and knowledge transfer gaps. As teachers retire early after forty five years and take 

advantage of early retirement options, the shortage of suitably qualified and experienced teachers may worsen. It can 

be conluded that generally, the respondents in this study are satisfied with their job of teaching. 

Satisfaction according to qualifications 

The minimum teaching qualification in Botswana for primary school teachers is a Primary Teachers‘ Certificate 

(PTC), for the junior secondary level is the Diploma in Secondary Education (DSE) while for the Senior Secondary 

level is a Bachelor‘s Degree (BEd, Sec). All respondents in this study held the required minimum qualifications for 

their level and there were some instances where they exceeded that. 

The level of satisfaction according to qualifications shows the following: PTC (52%); Diploma in Primary 

Education (60%); Diploma in Secondary Education (61.9%); Degree in Primary Education (100%); Degree in 

Secondary Education (91.8%); and Master of Education (82%). A review of job satisfaction literature with education 

as a variable indicates that the relationship between job satisfaction and education can be negative or positive; a 

large number of studies have shown that there is increased job satisfaction with increasing occupational level and 

clearly, the higher the education, the likelier it is that one would be at a higher occupational level (European 

Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, 2007). 

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Satisfaction according to experience 

From this study, the results show that the higher the number of years spent in the service the higher the level of 

satisfaction; for instance, the age ranges 31 to 41+ years show a 100% satisfaction level. This supports Bishay 

(1996, p150) assertion that: ―Job satisfaction seems to increase with age and years of service‖. This, according to 

Abdullah, Uli and Parasuraman (2009) may be that the teachers who remain in their jobs for a long time are those 

who are satisfied with the job. However, there are also higher levels of satisfaction in the age ranges 0 – 5 years and 

11 – 15 years which contradict Bishay‘s assertion. Some studies have also found that younger teachers were more 

satisfied than some seniors and this is supported by early studies which have revealed a U-shaped or curvilinear 

relationship implying that employees experience high levels of job satisfaction at the start of their careers, a midcareer 

decrease and an increase towards the end (Crossman and Harris, 2006; Handyside, 1967; Herzberg, Mausner, 

Peterson & Capwell 1957). Crossman and Harris, (2006, p33) sum this up by declaring that: As far as teachers are 

concerned, there is evidence to suggest that those with less than five years service are the most satisfied while those 

who have been teaching for between 15 and 20 years are the least satisfied. 

Satisfaction level according to level of operation and position 

From this study, all categories of teachers at Senior Secondary schools are highly satisfied at the level of 100%; 

followed by the Deputy Headteacher cadre whose satisfaction leves are above 60% except in the cadre of Deputy 

Headteacher, Junior Secondary School where it is only 40%. At primary school level, Teachers and Heads of 

Department are highly satisfied while the Senior Teachers and Headteachers are minimally satisfied. From this 

study, it can be concluded that Junior and Senior Secondary Schools teachers at all categories are more satisfied with 

their jobs than those at Primary Schools. Furthermore, Senior Secondary Schools teachers are highly satisfied. 

General Level of Satisfaction 

As illustrated in Table 3, all categories of teachers are generally satisfied as follows: Primary School level (65%). 

Junior Secondary School level (72.4%) and Senior Secondary School level (100%). 

Table 2: General Satisfaction Level According to Level of Operation 

Level 

Primary Junior Secondary Senior Secondary Total 

Not satisfied at all 34 48 0 82 

Fairly satisfied 56 102 38 196 

Most satisfied 8 24 40 72 

Total 98 174 78 350 

Furthermore 85.9% respondents in the teachers‘ category, 63.5% in the senior teachers‘ category, 92.7% in the head 

of department category, 68% in the deputy school heads category, and 76% in the school head category were 

generally satisfied. It can therefore be concluded that all categories of teachers in Botswana are generally satisfied in 

their job. Much as this study points to a generally satisfied cadre of employees, teachers at all levels have been 

showing signs over the years of being not satisfied with certain facets of their jobs. 

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General saisfaction levels of all categories of teachers according to the five dimensions of the JDI 

The six dimensions of the JDI are: Opportunities for Promotion, Supervision, Work on Present Job, Pay, People on 

Your Present Job. 

Opportunities for Promotion 

Much as teachers at all levels are generally satisfied with their job, two hundred and seventy eight (79%) are of the 

view that there are no good opprtunities for promotion. Three hundred and twenty three (92%) believe that there are 

limited opportunities for promotion. One hundred and forty six (41.7%) of the respondents were not decided on 

whether their job was a dead-end one whilst one hundred and thirty two (37.7%) of the respondents believed it was a 

dead-end job. One hundred and ninety three (57.5%) of the respondents were categorical that there were no good 

chances for promotion in their job whilst ninety nine (28%) were not decided. While one hundred and thirty eight 

(39%) said that there were fairly good chances for promotion, one hundred and sixty eight (48%) were of the 

opinion that there were no chances. On whether there were regular promotions, two hundred and twenty four (64%) 

of the respondents said there were no such promotions. 

Responsibility is one of the motivating factors according to Herzberg‘s Two-Factor Theory, but according to this 

study‘s findings, teachers are not satisfied with all the facets with regards promotion. This therefore means that 

teachers in Botswana schools are not satisfied with the availability of promotions, regularity of promotions, and 

believe that their jobs are dead-end therefore no chances of being ellevated beyond the schools. Abdullah, Uli and 

Parasuraman (2009) have argued that failure to obtain promotion is a blow to a man‘s self respect from which it will 

arouse and cause dissatisfaction and also frustration in work. This study reveals that teachers in general dissatisfied 

that there are no opportunities for promotion in teaching. In the 1990‘s, the Government of Botswana tried to 

improve the opportunities for employment in the teaching force by implementing a career ladder model called 

parallel progression, which failed and led to more dissatisfaction as there was no transparency in the promotional 

process. There was no clear assessment model used to measure performance. The other problem was that those who 

were in the field during the implementation of the model filled all the available posts and therefore limiting the 

protion chances as the attrition rate was very low. 

Supervision 

On whether supervisors praise subordinates for good work done, two hundred and ten (60%) of the respondents said 

their supervisors do praise them for good work. However, 81.8% of the Heads of Department, 71% of teachers, 

57.7% of Deputy Headteachers and 52% of Headteachers all said that they are praised when they do a good job by 

their supervisors. Only 48% of the senior teachers supported the view that they are praised for good work. On how 

tactful supervisors are in their job, one hundred and twenty (34%) said yes, one hundred and twenty nine (36.8%) 

said no while one hundred and one were undecided. Supervisors should be influential on their jobs and from this 

study, one hundred and forty nine (42%) of the respondents believe their supervisors are influencial while a 

substantial one hundred and eight (30.8%) said they are not. In order to do their job adequately, supervisors should 

be up to date on the requirements of their jobs. From this sudy, one hundred and thirty five (38.5%) of the 

respondents are of the view that their supervisors are up to date while one hundred and twenty four (35%) said they 

were not. Among these, 56% of the teachers‘ and 57.7% of the deputy headteachers‘ categories believe they got up 

to date supervision. One hundred and ninety two (54.8%) of the respondents believe the supervision they get is not 

annoying while 92 (26%) said it was annoying and the same number was undecided. Furthermore, supervisors 

should know their job well. In this study, one hundred and fifty one (43%) of the respondents say supervisors know 

their jobs well while one hundred and seventeen (33%) were undecided. Among these, 56% of teachers, 82% of 

senior teachers and 54.5% of heads of department all believe supervisors know their jobs well. 

Leadership styles can determine the level of motivation subordinates get as they are related to teacher satisfaction. It 

has been pointed out that the quality of leadership and supervision affects a range of factors in the school 

environment, including the overall organizational climate of the school (Bogler, 2001). Tierney, Bauer, and Potter 

(2002), assert that a high quality relationship between employees and supervisors lead to high levels of job 

satisfaction. It has been found that employees are extremely productive when they feel accepted by their supervisors 

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and the organizational environment is open to diversity of ideas and work ethos, which in turn leads to innovation 

and creativity. Abdullah, Uli and Parasuraman (2009) say that supervisors who establish a supportive personal 

relationship with their subordinates and take a personal interest in them contribute to their employees‘ satisfaction. 

Generally, teachers in this study are satisfied with the supervision they get in their job. 

Work on Present Job 

This section deals with issues related to the work in the job of a teacher. It presents and discusses whether the work 

is intresting, satisfying, good, exciting, rewarding, and unitresting. On whether the work is fascinationg or not, one 

hundred and ninety four (55.4%) of the respondents found it not; and this was also the case with 88% of the 

headteachers and 70.9% of heads of department. One hundred and seventy six (50%) found it satisfying while one 

hundred and forty six did not find it that way. On whether the job was good or not, two hundred and nine (59.7%) 

said that it was good while one hundred and one (28.8%) of the respondents said it was not satisfying at all. One 

hundred and ninety three (55%) did not find the job exciting but one hundred and fourteen found it exciting. Another 

two hundred and thwenty three (63.7%) did not believe that the job is rewarding; and of these, 83% of the senior 

teachers did not find it rewarding. One hundred and sixty (45.7%) found their job intresting while one hundred and 

eighteen (33.7%) said it was not intresting. 

Literature shows that the nature of the work itself generally emerges as the most important job facet (Saari & Judge, 

2004; Judge & Church, 2000; Jurgensen, 1978); and employers can influence job satisfaction by ensuring work is as 

interesting and challenging as possible. It has been pointed out that satisfaction with the nature of the work itself— 

which includes job challenge, autonomy, variety, and scope—best predicts overall job satisfaction, as well as other 

important outcomes like employee retention (Fried & Ferris, 1987; Saari & Judge, 2004). The importance of the 

work as a motivating factor has also been identified in the Herzberg Two-Factor Theory. From this study, the results 

on the different facets of the work show a balanced outcome. 

Pay 

Here, the presentation looks at whether the respondent was satisfied with the income from the pay for the job, 

whether the pay was good, whether they were well paid, underpaid, comfortable or the pay was enough to live on. 

One hundred and ninety four (55.4%) of the respondents said that they barely live on the pay. On whether the pay 

was bad or not, one hundred and fifty five (44%) said it was not bad while one hundred and thirty five (38.5%) 

found it bad. However, 88% of the deputy headteachers and 68% of the headteachers found the pay not bad at all. 

Two hundred and seventy eight (79.4%) of the respondents are of the opinion that they are not well paid; and among 

these, 100% of the headteachers and 97% of the senior teachers also believe that they are not well paid. One hundred 

and ninety three (55%) say that they are underpaid. On whether they are comfortable or not, two hundred and eight 

(59.4%) of the respondents are not; while among them, 80% of the headteachers were not and 73% of the deputy 

headteachers were comfortable. Two hundred and twelve (60.5%) are of the view that their pay was not enough. 

Globally, low salaries and a truncated salary scales have been cited as the main reasons are among the main reasons 

that the most academically able leave or do not join teaching. Good pay is a hygiene factor. Herzberg, Mausner, & 

Snyderman (1959) stated that to the degree that motivators are present in a job, motivation will occur. Herzberg 

argues that good hygiene will only lead to average performance preventing dissatisfaction. The absence of 

motivators does not lead to dissatisfaction. Further, they stated that to the degree that hygienes are absent from a job, 

dissatisfaction will occur. When present, hygienes prevent dissatisfaction, but do not lead to satisfaction. Paying 

lower wages (hygiene) than what employees believe to be fair may lead to job dissatisfaction. Conversely, 

employees will be motivated when they are doing work in a safe area and but will not necessarily be motivated by 

higher pay. Smith (1992) believes that job satisfaction and salary can lead to cost reduction by reducing absences, 

task errors, and turnover.The findings from this study reflect a workforce that is dissatisfied with its pay. However, 

those in senior management, headteachers and their deputies believe that their pay was not that bad. 

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People in Present Job 

Organizations are mostly made up of people and these have a bearing on their job satisfaction both as employees and 

employers. In this section, issues of whether they are boring, slow, responsible, smart, lazy, or frustrating are 

presented. One hundred and eighty three (52%) of the respondents believe that people they are working with are not 

boring; and amongst these, 80% of the headteachers also say they are not boring. While one hundred and thirty 

(37%) of the respondents say their colleagues are not slow, one hundred and twenty three (35%) believe they are. 

Eighty percent of the headteachers also believe that people are slow. Most of the respondents (67%) say that the 

people they are working with are responsible; one hundred and eight (62%) at junior secondary, sixty seven (68%) at 

primary, and sixty (76.9%) at senior secondary level. Furthermore, 85.9% of the teachers also believe their 

colleagues are responsible. Two hundred and one (57.4%) of the respondents say that the people they work with are 

smart; 77.7% deputy headteachers and 68% headteachers also believe are smart. One hundred and ninety three 

(55%) of the respondents say their colleagues are not lazy. Some of the respondents (35.7%) believe that their 

colleagues are not frustrating, one hundred and six (30%), and one hundred and nineteen (34%) were undecided. 

Motivation among employees is a human psychological characteristic that contributes to a person‘s degree of 

commitment (Adeyemo, 1997). Khaleque and Rahman (1987) cited in Abdullah, Uli and Parasuraman (2009, p15) 

observed that good working relationship among co-workers in an organization is very important in determining 

higher job satisfaction of employees. The findings of this study show that teachers are responsible people which 

means they cooperate and support each orher. They are not lazy which also means they are hard-working and are not 

boring which means that the environment they work in is interesting. This study reveals that generally, employees 

are satisfied with the people they are working with. 

Job in General 

Two hundred and twelve (60%) of the respondents believe that generally their job is good. Eighty eight percent of 

the headteachers, 80% of heads of department and 66.8% of the deputy headteachers also say the job in general is 

good. One hundred and ninety one (54.6%) belive their job is desirable; while one hundred and eighty three (52%) 

say that it is not better than most. One hundred and seventy seven (50.6%) of the respondents were not decided 

while one hundred and thirty four (38.3%) believed it was not disagreeable. One hundred and thirty one (37.4%) of 

the respondents were undecided while one hundred and twenty four (35.4%) were of the opinion that it made them 

content. One hundred and eighty six (53%) of the respondents say that their job was not excellent; while one 

hundred and twenty five (35.7%) enjoyed and one hundred and nineteen (34%) did not enjoy their job. Two hundred 

and ten (60%) of the respondents think that their job is poor. 

CONCLUSION 

From this study, it can be concluded that all categories of teachers in Botswana schools are generally satisfied with 

their job of teaching. The majority of respondents in this study are not satisfied with opportunities for promotion in 

general. This may be because promotional chances in the teaching field are limited as teaching is a dead-end job. 

There are no good chances in teaching and therefore promotions are not regular. 

Generally, the results of this study show that all categories of teachers are satisfied with the supervision they get as it 

is not annoying but it is given tactfully; and they are praised whenever they do a good job. The majority of the 

respondents found their current job satisfying which is good because as illustrated earlier, a satisfied employee tends 

to be absent less often, to make positive contributions, and to stay with the organization longer.An organization with 

satisfied employees is bound to be productive. 

They feel that they are not well paid and therefore can barely live on the income from their salaries. However, a 

large number of headteachers and deputy headteachers believe that their pay is not that bad; maybe because in 

228


Botswana they are paid more than any category of teachers. This study also shows that the respondents were 

satisfied with the people they work with. 

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