Date
6-2020
Department
School of Education
Degree
Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership (EdD)
Chair
Leldon W. Nichols
Keywords
Sense of Community, Job Satisfaction, Urban, Attrition
Disciplines
Education | Educational Leadership
Recommended Citation
Murphy, Paula Anita, "The Relationship between Sense of Community and Job Satisfaction among Urban Middle School Teachers" (2020). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 2542.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/2542
Abstract
The purpose of this correlational study was to investigate the relationship between sense of community and job satisfaction among middle school teachers in an urban school district. This study is important because it helps to develop an understanding of how the cultivation of sense of community is related to job satisfaction and provides insight in middle school urban learning environments. This study examined the relationship between sense of community and job satisfaction where social interaction occurs in an educational setting. The theories guiding this research were McMillan and Chavis’ sense of community theory as it relates to sense of community and Maslow’s theory of hierarchal needs as it relates to job satisfaction. The sample size for this research included 113 middle school teachers from an urban school district located in northeast Georgia. The participants were surveyed using the Sense of Community Scale (SCI-2) as the predictor variable and the Job Satisfaction Scale (JSS) as the criterion variable. In examining the relationship between two variables, a bivariate regression was used to determine if sense of community was a predictor for job satisfaction. Based on the data collected within this study, urban middle school teachers’ sense of community was found to predict their level of job satisfaction. Suggestion for future research includes additional research on how teachers’ sense of community impacts traits including attrition, self-efficacy, and student performances and how moderating variables such as online learning platforms and school safety relate to job satisfaction. Future research should also include exploring other theoretical models that could provide some valuable insights and consider how these constructs operate in a more diverse context.
