University of Southampton Research Repository ePrints Soton Copyright © and Moral Rights for this thesis are retained by the author and/or other copyright owners. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder/s. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given e.g. AUTHOR (year of submission) "Full thesis title", University of Southampton, name of the University School or Department, PhD Thesis, pagination http://eprints.soton.ac.uk UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON FACULTY OF LAW, ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES School of Education Job Satisfaction among Female Head Teachers in Saudi Arabian Secondary Schools: A Qualitative Perspective by Fatemah Abdullah Alhazmi Thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy June 2010 ABSTRACT This research considers job satisfaction among female head teachers in Saudi Arabian secondary schools in the city of Abha using a qualitative methodology. The subjects of the study were female head teachers in five secondary schools in the city; all the deputy heads and some of the teachers were also included. The research identifies the main factors that influence female head teacher satisfaction. It is based on interviews as the main method, and documents and observation as supporting methods. This study groups job satisfaction and dissatisfaction factors into six major themes: educational administration, school conditions, supervision, nature of the work, personal variables, and social relationships with students, parents, deputies and teachers. The study found that female secondary school head teachers‟ overall attitudes to their job in the five schools were negative. Unfortunately, factors of dissatisfaction outnumbered factors of job satisfaction. Achievement, helping students, and salary were the chief sources of satisfaction, while factors of dissatisfaction were linked to educational administration by the education authorities outside the school, including lack of cooperation and inconsistent decisions (e.g. in the application of regulations), lack of delegated authority, constrained budgets, limited training and development opportunities, poor supervision, and high workload and, to some extent, poor school infrastructure, including a lack of maintenance, poor facilities, and challenges because of school location. The study is important from the point of view of the head teachers, because their performance depends on satisfaction in the role, which in turn affects the whole school and the community. The study concludes with a number of recommendations for local and national education authorities in Saudi Arabia. i TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT i TABLE OF CONTENTS ii LIST OF FIGURES vii LIST OF TABLES viii DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP ix ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS x CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Significance of the Study 1 1.2 Purpose of the Study 2 1.3 Research Question 2 1.4 Scope of the Study and Limitations 3 1.5 The Structure of the Study 3 CHAPTER TWO: BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY 4 2.1 Geographical Background 4 2.2 The Economy 5 2.3 Population 6 2.4 The City of Abha 6 2.5 Education 6 2.5.1 The Current Educational System in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 6 2.5.2 The Saudi Female Education System 7 2.5.3 Daily and Annual School Schedule 9 2.5.4 Problems in Saudi Education in General 9 2.6 School Administration 10 2.6.1 Defining School Administration 10 2.6.2 Objectives of Saudi School Administration 10 2.6.3 Head Teachers‟ and Deputies‟ Duties in Saudi Secondary Schools 11 2.6.4 Difficulties in Saudi School Administration 13 2.7 Educational Supervision 14 2.7.1 Definitions and Objectives of Educational Supervision 14 ii 2.7.2 Methods of Educational Supervision 15 CHAPTER THREE: LITERATURE REVIEW 16 3.1 Historical Review of Job Satisfaction 16 3.2 The Concept of Job Satisfaction 17 3.3 Job Satisfaction Theories 19 3.3.1 Maslow‟s Needs Hierarchy Theory 20 3.3.2 Herzberg‟s Motivation-Hygiene Theory 22 3.4 Measuring Job Satisfaction 24 3.4.1 Analysing Job Satisfaction Phenomena 25 3.4.2 Herzberg‟s Way Story Approach 25 3.4.3 Interviews and Questionnaires 25 3.4.4 The Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) 26 3.4.5 The Job Descriptive Index (JDI) 26 3.4.6 The Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS) 27 3.4.7 The Job in General Scale (JIG) 27 3.5 Job Satisfaction Factors 28 3.5.1 Supervision 28 3.5.2 Workload 29 3.5.3 Pay 30 3.5.4 Interpersonal Relationship 31 3.5.5 Working Conditions 31 3.5.6 Promotion 32 3.5.7 Recognition 32 3.6 The Job Satisfaction Related Literature in the Educational Field 35 3.6.1 Cultural Contrasts in Job Satisfaction in Education 36 3.6.2 Job Satisfaction in the Educational Context of Saudi Arabia 45 3.6.3 Job Satisfaction Among Head Teachers 51 3.6.4 Studies in Western Countries 51 3.6.5 Studies in Eastern Countries 53 3.6.6 Studies in Saudi Arabia 55 3.6.7 Job Satisfaction for Women 58 iii 3.7 Reflections on The Conceptual Framework 60 CHAPTER FOUR: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 63 4.1 Assumptions about the Nature of Social Science Research and the Nature of Social Behaviour 63 4.1.1 Ontological Assumptions 63 4.1.2 Epistemological Assumptions 64 4.1.3 Human Nature Assumptions 65 4.2 Methodology 65 4.3 Case Study 68 4.3.1 Definitions 69 4.3.2 Types of Case Study 70 4.3.3 Advantages and Disadvantages of a Case Study 71 4.4 Validity and Reliability of the Research 73 4.5 Subjectivity, Objectivity and the Position of the Researcher 76 4.6 Research Questions 77 4.7 The Sample Population 77 4.8 Methods of Collecting Data 78 4.8.1 Interviews 78 4.8.1.1 Types of Interview 79 4.8.1.2 The Advantages and Disadvantages of the Interview Method 80 4.8.2 Documents and Observation 82 4.9 The Pilot Study 85 4.10 Ethical Issues 86 4.11 Data Analysis Technique 87 4.12 The Conduct of the Research 88 4.13 Summary 89 CHAPTER FIVE: FINDINGS 90 5.1 Research Sites 90 5.2 Findings from Head Teacher Interviews 93 5.2.1 The First Major Theme: Educational Administration 94 5.2.2 The Second Major Theme: the Condition of the School 102 iv 5.2.3 The Third Major Theme: Supervision 105 5.2.4 The Fourth Major Theme: the Nature of the Work 108 5.2.5 The Fifth Major Theme: Personal Variables 112 5.2.6 The Sixth Major Theme: Social Relationships with Students, Parents, Deputies, and Teachers 114 5.2.7 Other Less Frequent Themes 117 5.3 Summary 120 CHAPTER SIX: DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION 122 6.1 Overall Job Satisfaction 122 6.2 Factors that Contributed to Female Head Teachers‟ Job Satisfaction 123 6.2.1 Achievement 123 6.2.2 Salary 124 6.2.3 Social Relationships 124 6.2.4 Helping Students 125 6.2.5 Experience 125 6.2.6 Parental Involvement 126 6.2.7 Recognition 126 6.3 Discussion of the Factors which Contribute to Female Head Teachers‟ Job Dissatisfaction 127 6.3.1 Lack of Cooperation from the Educational Administration 127 6.3.2 Inconsistent Decisions 128 6.3.3 Lack of Authority 128 6.3.4 Budget 129 6.3.5 Training Programmes 129 6.3.6 Supervision 129 6.3.7 Workload 130 6.3.8 School Conditions 130 6.4 Research Question 134 6.5 Recommendations 136 6.6 Research Contribution 138 6.7 Strengths and Limitations of the Study 139 v 6.8 Final Comments 139 REFERENCES 141 APPENDICES: 158 Appendix 1: Permission Letter from Administration General Education 158 Appendix 2: Participant Information Sheet 159 Appendix 3: Interview Schedule for Head Teachers 161 Appendix 5: Example of An Interview 164 vi LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Map of Saudi Arabia 5 Figure 2: Human Needs 21 Figure 3: Classification of Previous Studies Related to Job Satisfaction 36 Figure 4: Hofstede‟s Model 44 Figure 5: Analysis Procedures 88 Figure 6: Major Themes Explored in the Interviews 94 Figure 7: Sub-themes of the Major Theme: Educational Administration 94 Figure 8: Sub-themes of the Major Theme: School Condition 102 Figure 9: Sub-themes of the Major Theme: Supervision 105 Figure 10: Sub-themes of the Major Theme: the Nature of the Work 108 Figure 11: Sub-themes of the Major Theme: Personal Variables 112 Figure 12: Model of Job Satisfaction among Female Secondary School Head Teachers in Abha 136 vii LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Herzberg Theory 23 Table 2: Research Categories 67 Table 3: Validity Enhancement Procedures 75 Table 4: Collected Documents 83 Table 5: Description of School A 90 Table 6: Description of School B 91 Table 7: Description of School C 91 Table 8: Description of School D 92 Table 9: Description of School E 92 Table 10: Head Teachers' Suggestions 118 Table 11: Factors of Satisfaction and Dissatisfaction Derived from the Interviews 119 Table 12: Similarities and Differences of Factors of Job Satisfaction in Previous Studies 132 viii