Titus Oshagbemi

Overall job satisfaction: how good are single versus multiple‐item measures?

Managers interested in finding out the overall job satisfaction levels of their workers often face the problem of the appropriate measure of job satisfaction to adopt: single versus multiple‐item? This study sets out to compare the results of a single versus a multiple‐item measure employed to investigate the job satisfaction of university teachers. The purpose of the study was to ascertain the superiority or otherwise of the measures in ascertaining the overall job satisfaction of workers. The outcome of the study shows that the single‐item measure overestimated the percentage of people satisfied with their jobs and grossly underestimated both the percentage of dissatisfied workers and those who show indifference in comparison with the figures of the multiple‐item measure. Our conclusion, therefore, is that the results from the single‐item measure tend to paint a rosier picture of job satisfaction than the impression conveyed from the multiple‐item measure would justify.

Gender differences in the job satisfaction of university teachers

In recent years there has been a substantial rise in the number of women entering the work force. One consequence of this trend is that it has generated considerable interest in the relationship between gender and job satisfaction. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of gender on the job satisfaction of UK academics. A questionnaire including several demographic questions such as gender, rank and age was administered to 1,102 university teachers. A total of 554 responses was received, giving a response rate of 50.3 per cent. The results indicated that gender does not affect the job satisfaction of university teachers directly. However, the interaction effect of gender and rank was statistically significant (p < 0.05). Overall, female academics at higher ranks namely, senior lecturers, readers and professors, were more satisfied with their jobs than male academics of comparable ranks. The implications of this finding and other results are explored.

Is length of service related to the level of job satisfaction

Asks whether academic workers’ length of service is related to their level of job satisfaction. The enquiry is premised on the assumption that the less satisfied workers tend to resign while the more satisfied ones tend to remain in a job, as some literature suggests. The research distinguishes between length of service in higher education (LSHE) as a whole and length of service in present university (LSPU) in order to separate academics who remain within one university since employment from those who hop from one higher educational institution to another. Two‐way analyses of variance confirm the results of the frequency analyses and indicate that, for direct effects and a 0.05 significance level, LSHE is not statistically significant but LSPU is with a p value of 0.022. This means that the overall job satisfaction of university teachers is significantly correlated with LSPU but not LSHE. The implications are explored.

Job satisfaction and dissatisfaction in higher education

Several articles have reported and discussed the job satisfaction and dissatisfaction of workers in miscellaneous organizations. However, very few empirically‐supported explanations have been given to explain job satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Probes into explanations for job satisfaction and dissatisfaction in higher education using content analytical methodologies. Finds that teaching and research‐related activities contribute significantly to both job satisfaction and dissatisfaction of university teachers. Finds also that several miscellaneous dimensions of the jobs of the workers, such as relative job security and changes in university funding mechanisms, contribute to satisfaction and dissatisfaction respectively. Discusses these findings in the light of the two‐factor theory and the situational occurrences theory of job satisfaction.

Academics and their managers: a comparative study in job satisfaction

A number of research findings have suggested that managers are, in general, more satisfied with their jobs than are workers. This study aims to investigate the job satisfaction of academics and their managers, and to find out whether academics who hold managerial positions are, on the whole, more satisfied with their jobs than academics who do not hold similar administrative posts. The study found that university teachers are fairly satisfied with their jobs, although there are aspects of their jobs from which they derive some dissatisfaction. Using a statistical test of differences, it was found that academics and their managers differ significantly on the levels of satisfaction which they derive from most aspects of their jobs. Sources of these differences are identified, and the general conclusion is that management position, characterised by seniority in age, rank, and length of service, affects university teachers’ level of job satisfaction positively.

Job Satisfaction of UK Academics

The topic of job satisfaction is of importance, not only because of its intrinsic humanitarian interest, but also because of its implications for a variety of job-related behaviours such as productivity, absenteeism and turnover. This paper attempts to provide a greater understanding of the overall as well as some of the more important specific determinants of the level of job satisfaction of university teachers. Employing a questionnaire survey to collect information, the study found that while academics appeared to be very satisfied with the core tasks of teaching, and, to a lesser extent, research, they were clearly dissatisfied with other aspects of their job including their salaries and promotion prospects.

The effect of age on the satisfaction of academics with teaching and research

The core activities of university teachers are in the areas of teaching and research. This article addresses the effect of age on the satisfaction of academics on these activities. Towards this end, a questionnaire was designed including several demographic questions such as age, gender, and rank. The questionnaire was administered to 1,102 university teachers in the UK. A total of 554 responses were received, giving a response rate of 50.3 per cent. Our results indicate that age has quite a different effect on academic teaching staff from on academic research staff. For example, the effect of age on teaching satisfaction indicates that the job satisfaction decreases with age but at a decreasing rate. On the other hand, our results for research satisfaction indicate that age affects job satisfaction positively but at a decreasing rate. Other reported regression analyses indicate that both teaching and research job satisfaction increase with rank and that women tend to be slightly more satisfied in their career than male counterparts. The findings from the latter regression analyses reveal somewhat weak relationships.

How satisfied are academics with their primary tasks of teaching, research and administration and management?

Higher education (HE) is currently undergoing changes and facing challenges in the UK, including coping with growth in the mature student entry, the removal of the binary divide, the reduction of student grants and the likelihood that students will increasingly have to pay more for their education. This article reflects on sustainable development in HE and probes how satisfied academics are with their primary tasks of teaching, research and administration and management. Using a questionnaire survey, the study found that about 65 percent of the university teachers were satisfied, very satisfied or extremely satisfied with research. Similar figures for teaching and administration and management are about 80 and 40 percent respectively. The study further investigated operational aspects of universities and in particular, whether satisfaction with each of their core tasks was related to age, gender or rank. The results show that significant associations exist between age and satisfaction in the core aspects of the university teachers’ job. However the nature of the impact of age on the job satisfaction of academics varies from one aspect of the job to another. The nature of the relationships between age and research, teaching and administration and management is not clear, although the relationships themselves are statistically significant. While it appears that, generally, the older one is, the greater the satisfaction enjoyed with respect to teaching and administration and management, the reverse appears to be true with research satisfaction. The results also reveal, expectedly, that research satisfaction was related to rank – the higher the rank, the greater the level of research satisfaction. It was also found that gender satisfaction is not related to teaching, research or administration and management. The interpretations of these results and their implications to sustainability in higher education institutions are explored.

Correlates of Pay Satisfaction in Higher Education.

Despite numerous studies of pay comparisons and pay satisfaction among public and private sector workers, little is known about correlates of employee satisfaction with pay. Investigates the correlates of pay satisfaction among UK academics. Using a questionnaire methodology, the study found that over 50 per cent of the respondents expressly stated that they were dissatisfied with their pay. The results of a three‐way analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that female academics are more satisfied with their pay when compared with their male colleagues. When rank was examined in relation to pay, senior lecturers were most satisfied, followed by professors, lecturers and readers in that order. The differences in satisfaction levels with rank and gender are statistically significant. However, there are no statistical differences with respect to age variations relating to satisfaction with pay. Explores the implications of these results.

The influence of rank on the job satisfaction of organizational members

Investigates the effects of rank on the job satisfaction of UK academics. A questionnaire was designed including several demographic questions such as rank, gender and age. This was administered to 1,102 university teachers. A total of 554 responses were received, giving a response rate of 50.3 per cent. The results indicate that rank has a direct, positive and significant effect on the job satisfaction of university teachers, but not age or gender. Lecturers are least satisfied with their jobs followed by senior lecturers, readers and professors in that order. In addition, the interaction effect between rank and gender on job satisfaction is statistically significant. This means that although gender by itself is not significantly related to job satisfaction, it is significant when compared together with the rank of university teachers. Female academics at higher ranks, namely, senior lecturers, readers and professors, are more satisfied with their jobs than male academics of comparable ranks. Further analyses show that rank by itself and the interaction effect between rank and gender are significantly related to satisfaction with pay, promotions and the physical conditions/working facilities which pertain to UK universities.