Factors Predicting Teachers' Job Satisfaction in Korean Secondary Schools

This research aims to reveal the combinations of conditions leading to Korean teacher job satisfaction. The data of this study are derived from the 2018 Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS). Teacher job satisfaction was approached as a composite scale with two dimensions: job satisfaction with profession and job satisfaction with work environment. The explanatory variables were preparation for pedagogical content knowledge, teacher self-efficacy in general, teacher self-efficacy in multicultural classrooms, teachers' innovative climate, teacher-student relations, social perceptions of teacher value, and professional development barriers. The findings using fsQCA are as follows; 1) the presence of social perceptions of teacher value is a necessary condition for a high level of job satisfaction with the profession. 2) Four distinct paths were extracted to explain the high level of job satisfaction with the profession. 3) Four distinct paths were shown clearly to explain the low level of job satisfaction with the profession. 4) None of the conditions is a necessary condition for job satisfaction with the work environment. 5) Five distinct paths were singled out to explain the high level of job satisfaction with the work environment. 6) Three distinct paths were identified to explain the low level of job satisfaction with the work environment. The findings revealed Korean teacher job satisfaction in multicultural secondary schools by outlining several combinations of factors that lead to paths explaining job satisfaction with profession and job satisfaction with work environment. Some implications and a few recommendations to improve teacher job satisfaction are suggested.