Abstract:
The thesis aims to investigate the determinants of public primary school teachers’ satisfaction levels based on their motivational needs. To this extent it utilizes the dataset from LEAPS survey. The data is gathered from the LEAPS survey carried out on all public and private schools across 112 villages in Punjab. The unit of analysis of the study is respondents of 443 public school teachers. The study is explanatory in nature, teachers’ job satisfaction level was collected from the 5th round of the survey done in 2011. The data was analyzed using descriptive analysis and OLS regression analysis. The dependent variable is teachers’ satisfaction level. The motivational needs on the other hand are comprised of 4 needs. The proxies for motivational needs are identified from literature after thorough research. The needs identified are; economic need, inclusivity need, safety need, and professional development need. By employing simple OLS technique our results highlight that economic factors play a significant role in teacher satisfaction. The introduction of fixed-term contracts has also created disparities in job security and benefits, further impacting teacher morale. Moreover, Safety need as proxied by school infrastructure and support structures like school councils are critical to teacher satisfaction. The role of school councils in addressing school-level issues and promoting parent-teacher interactions appears to be inadequate. Our results further highlight a notable disparity in outcomes based on gender, with female teachers experiencing lower levels of safety, inclusivity, and professional development compared to their male counterparts. Interestingly teachers working in public primary schools in Attock are more satisfied than those working in Faisalabad and Rahim-yar-khan. The findings of this study lead to improved policy making.
