ENGLISH DEPARTMENTAL STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT, ORGANIZATIONAL CLIMATE AND JOB SATISFACTION IN SELECTED NEW YORK CITY HIGH SCHOOLS

TIMOTHY JAMES TREACY, Fordham University

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine and compare the perceptions of teachers in high, average and low achieving New York City high school English departments concerning student achievement, organizational climate and job satisfaction which existed in that department. 238 English teachers from 30 randomly selected public high schools which were partitioned into three groups: low, average and high, participated. Usable instruments were received from 170 respondents, 71.4% of the sample. Student population included the sampling of the entire student body which participated in the June, 1979, New York State Four-Year Comprehensive Regents Examination in English. The Sergiovanni-Trusty Job Satisfaction Questionnaire (Sergiovanni et al., 1967), the School Climate Profile, Part A (Fox et al., 1973), a Demographic Data Sheet, and the June, 1979, New York State Four Year Comprehensive Regents Examination in English were used to collect the data. The statistical tests used included: means, standard deviations, one-way analysis of variance, two-way analysis of variance, Scheffe analysis and the Pearson Product Moment Coefficient of Correlation. The minimal level of significance accepted was the 0.05 level. The major findings and conclusions drawn from this study were: (1) The highest Actual need subdimensions were found in the average achieving group of schools. This finding indicated that teacher satisfaction does not depend on the achievement level of the school. (2) All three groups felt that more could be done in each of the five subdimensions of job satisfaction. (3) Average achievers were least satisfied in the subdimensions of Esteem, Autonomy and Self-actualization. Low achievers were most satisfied in the higher order need subdimensions of Esteem, Autonomy and Self-actualization. (4) Achievement was not a major factor on job satisfaction while organizational climate was, both in regard to presently felt satisfaction and in presently felt fulfillment of these needs. Major recommendations drawn from this study were: (1) Organizational Climate is a major factor related to the job satisfaction of the faculty; more emphasis must be placed on analysis and enhancement of a healthy climate by the supervisor. (2) More research needs to be conducted regarding the pervasiveness of climate in the department, a subunit of the school and the school as a whole, in comparison.

Subject Area

School administration

Recommended Citation

TREACY, TIMOTHY JAMES, "ENGLISH DEPARTMENTAL STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT, ORGANIZATIONAL CLIMATE AND JOB SATISFACTION IN SELECTED NEW YORK CITY HIGH SCHOOLS" (1982). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI8213625.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI8213625

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