Two profiles of schoolteachers: a discriminant analysis of job satisfaction

Using discriminant analysis, this study attempts to construct profiles of two types of teachers: those with a low level of job satisfaction and those with a high level of job satisfaction. In addition to their background and demographic characteristics, teachers’ perceptions of their occupation and of their principals’ leadership styles (transformational or transactional) are examined as predictors that discriminate between teachers with low and high levels of satisfaction. The results suggest that teachers with a low level of satisfaction can be reliably distinguished from teachers with a high level of satisfaction by their occupational perceptions, principals’ leadership styles, and a number of their demographic characteristics. Implications of the findings for school principals and teachers are discussed. r 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.