Suchergebnisse

The need configurations underlying the motivations of public school teachers are examined here with regard to teacher perceptions of pay equity relative to other factors such as work autonomy, intrinsic work elements, and satisfaction of so-called higher-order needs. A Q sort forced distributions research instrument containing 37 attitudinal statements was administered to a group of 167 teachers of a medium-sized city in Oklahoma. The survey netted 135 usable questionnaires (76%). The data were R factor analyzed producing six clear factors, which dealt with: social variables and collegial support; positive supervisor relations; gratification from intrinsic work elements and dissatisfaction with extrinsic elements such as pay and benefits; interesting work and appropriate responsibility levels; opportunities for learning and development combined with negative attitudes about day-to-day duties; and job security, clear expectations, and excessive workloads. The study concluded that teacher motivation is based in the freedom to try new ideas, achievement of appropriate responsibility levels, and intrinsic work elements. The latter were of transcendent importance to our respondents. Based upon our findings, schemes such as merit pay were predicted to be counterproductive in service organizations which employ professionally trained people.

An evaluation of the tuition reimbursement program for a mid-sized mid-Atlantic city was undertaken using both surveys and quasi-experimental techniques. Contrary to recent criticisms of tuition reimbursement programs, the survey findings indicate generally perceived benefits of the program among participants, supervisors and non-participant co-workers. The quasi-experi mental phase of the research determined a 56% higher promotion rate among participants than among non-participants; moreover, program participants were much more likely to remain in city employment than were non-participants.