Demographic Characteristics and Job Satisfaction of. Agriéiltaral Science : Teachers: Essentials for Food Security and Poverty Eradication on By Oguntunde, Gabriel Ayodele FCE (T), Gombe tundegab@yahoo.com. Abstract Gon The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of demographic factors on the level of job satisfaction of Secondary School Agricultural Science teachers as an essential tool for food security and poverty eradication. The study was a descriptive correlation study. Data were collected from 50 Agricultural Science teachers using a structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using Mean and Pearson's Product Moment Correlation Coefficients. Result indicated that there was significant relationship between the levels of job satisfaction and age, gender, marital status, current rank and growth possibilities except educational qualification, The study recommended that for the teaching and learning of Agriculture to yield the desired Millennium Development Goals of education for all, food security and poverty eradication, Agriculture teachers should be appropriately motivated through constant career development strategies. . Introduction : Job satisfaction cai ‘be referred to as “any combination of psychological, physiological, and environmental circumstances that causes @ person truthfully to say, I am satisfied with my job” (Meagan, Kirk & Walter, 2005). Employees of an organisation may be satisfied with some aspects of their jobs, while being dissatisfied with other aspects. It is therefore expected that such employees are able to balance the satisfying conditions against the specific dissatisfying conditions and arrive’at a composite satisfaction with the job as a whole. According to Poling (1990) the best predictor of job satisfaction is when the employees’ personal values match those of the organization for which they work. There are many factors that determine job satisfaction levels ofstaffin any organisation. : ‘The demographic. characteristics of: individuals among other factors play a significant role in determining their levels of job satisfaction. Several decades ago, Hertzberg, Mausner, Peterson and Capwell (1957) identified different effects of demographic variables on levels of job satisfaction among workers. They indicated that morale is high when people first start their jobs and that morale decreases during the next few years and remains at a relatively low level until workers are in:their late twenties.or through the remainder of the workers’ careers, The same trend is found in regard to a worker's length of service. Workers begin with high morale, which drops during the first year and remains low for a number of years. Then as length of service nereases, job satisfaction levels tend to rise. Concerning gender, there are no. simple conclusions about the differences between males and females and their job satisfaction levels. Studies indicated that males were more satisfied with their jobs, while others indicated that females were. more satisfied (Cano & Miller, 1992a). Educational level is not clear either. - Ina study of agricultural education teachers in Ohio, Cano and Miller (1992b) found that the teacher's age, years in current position, total years of teaching, and degree status were not significantly related to overall job satisfaction. In_general;-both males. and females were equally satisfied with their jobs. When the same demographic variables were examined in. yet-another study that-explored six’ different classifications of Agriculture teachers (Cano & Miller, 1992), it was found that overall job satisfaction was not significantly related to any of the demographic variables. Although the Ohio researchers’ findings were consistent, their findings on age, total years of teaching and degree status are contrary to the findings of Berns (1989) and Grady (1985). Bems found that as the age of the teacher increases, so did his or her overall job satisfaction level. Grady found that as the number of years of teaching experience increases, overall job satisfaction increases as well. Berns discovered that a teacher's educational level also affects his or her overall job satisfaction level. A teacher with a master’s degree was more satisfied with his or her teaching position than a teacher with only a bachelor’s degree, Because of these inconsistencies in the literature, perhaps findings on the relationship of demographic Variables to overall job satisfaction should only be applied to the area in which the study was conducted. ‘This study was therefore carried out to determine how Agriculture teachers in some selected secondary schools in Gombe State were satisfied with their jobs based on their demographic variables. The findings will help to reveal ways to further improve the chances of achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by year 2015. ‘The theoretical underpinning forthis study was based on Hackman and Oldham’s (1976) job satisfaction theory, which describes the relationship between job characteristics and individual response to work, This theory, according to Meagan, Kirk and Walter (2005) is probably the most well-known and widely discussed effort to The Voice of Teachers, Vol 1 No.1, 2009 |44‘Oguntunde, Gabriel Ayodele . explain the relationship of job characteristics to job satisfaction. The job characteristics theory was of tested with the intentions of diagnosing jobs to determine if and how they should be redesigned to improve employee motivation and productivity. ‘Ajob characteristic is an attribute of a job that creates conditions for high work motivation, satisfaction, and performance (Hackman & Oldham, 1980). According toa job characteristics theory proposed by Turner and Lawrence’(1965), employers should build into employees’ jobs certain characteristics that create satisfying conditions. Hackman-and Oldham (1980) defined four personal and work outcomes of the job characteristics theory to include: : i. intemal work motivation, growth satisfaction, iil. general satisfaction, and iv. work effectiveness. Internat Work Motivation: indicates.an employee's satisfaction when performing well on the job because itis rewarding and satisfying to doso, thus serving as an incefttive for continuing to do well. Growth Satisfaction: indicates employee satisfaction when employees have enriched opportunities for personal learning and growth atwork. General Savsfatin indicates employee satisfaction when employees indicate how stistied they oe with thet jobs and how frequently they think of quitting their jobs. These three affective outcomes combine to form the ‘personal satisfaction constructs. Work Effectiveness: indicates an employee's satisfaction in both the quality and ‘quantity of goods or services produced (Hackman & Oldham, 1980). In the context of this study therefore the Agriculture teachers’ internal work motivation was determined by the extent to which teaching Agriculture to students is-effective and satisfying, growth satisfaction was ‘measured based on the availability of growth and development opportunities in form of in-service training and promotion. Several studies involving Agriculture teachers regarding their job-satisfaction levels have been conducted (Bowen, Radhankrishna & Keyser, 1994; Nestor & Leary, 2000; Riggs & Beus, 1993). However, the literature is divergent, illustrating that some studies indicate that females have higher levels of job satisfaction, while other studies indicate that males do (Bowen et al. 1994; Riggs & Beus, 1993). There are even Some studies that indicate that there is no relationship between gender and job satisfaction levels. Whereas Nestor and Leary (2000) found:no relationship between gender and job satisfaction, Riggs and Beus (1993) found that as the number of areas of responsibility increased for females, job satisfaction increased as well. The opposite was true for males, When their areas of responsibility increased, their job satisfaction levels decreased. However, males with more areas of responsibility were more satisfied with their colleagues than were female teachers. twas also found that both male and female teachers alike who had fewer areas of responsibility and fewer children living at home were more satisfied. Bowen etal (1994) as well founda relationship between job satisfaction and gender. ‘ ‘At the time of this study, the target date for the MDGs is seven years away. Food security and Poverty reduction by the year 2015 are among the eight MDGs set by world leaders.-The level of food insecurity, poverty and economic recession in the World and particularly in Developing Countries is alarming and therefore requires promptattention. . ‘The role of Agricultural education through Agricultural science teachers in ensuring the attainment of food security and reduction in the level of poverty can therefore not be over emphasized. Through adequate and effective teaching and leaning of Agriculture, students will develop the right interest and attitude towards career in agriculture thereby choosing agriculture related occupations. When students, who are by nature young and strong develop interest and engage in agricultural activities, there wil be increase in the level of agricultural productivity. The current obvious trend in agricultural production is such that most young and strong youth continue to migrate to urban area for “white collar” jobs that are not available. The only alternative mostly available to the migrating young people are “blue collar” jobs such as commercial motorcycle riding, cell phone call vendors and unskilled jobs at construction sites. Rather than being financially autonomous, these youths end up wasting their productive years in unproductive activities that eventually leave them in perpetual poverty. This situation has further left farming in the hands of old and week people, who rely mostly on.crude-implements such as hoes andeutlasses for cultivating small portions of land for their immediate family consumption. ‘The teacher of Secondary School Agriculture has a strategic role to play in the struggle for improved agricultural production. Ifthe desired change must be achieved and the huge amount of resources committed to the MDGs is to be justified, then the job satisfaction level of the Agriculture teacher, as the agent of the desired change needs to be determined. This study was necessitated because there was no evidence of studies examining level ofijob satisfaction as it related to Selected demogfaphic factors of teachers in Gombe State. Therefore, an assessment of the relationship between selected demographic factors and Agriculture teachers’ current level of jobsatisfaction as an essential requirement for the achievement of the some MDGs was the crux of this study. Purpose and Objectives The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between demographic factors and the level of job satisfaction of Secondary School Agricultural Science teachers in Gombe State. The specific demographic factors |45 —_——_———<$<— Demographic Characteristes and Job Satisfaction of Agricultural Science Teachers: Essential for Food Security nd Poverty Eradication addressed in this study were: Age, Gender, Marital status, Educational qualification, Currentteachingrank Methods and Procedures Population andSample ‘The population for this deseriptive correlational study was all Secondary School Agriculture teachers employed by the Gombe State Ministry of Education, teaching in all the 150 public secondary schools in the State. Thirty Senior Secondary Schools in three Local Government Areas (LGA), were randomly selected for the study out of the 11 LGA in Gombe State. 10 schools were randomly selected from each LGA representing the three Senatorial Districts ofthe State. At the schoo! level two Agricultural Science teachers were randomly selected to participate inthe study. There were 60 teachers inal that participated inthe study. Instrument for Data Collection . Agriculture teachers' level of job satisfaction was obtained through a structured questionnaire, titled “Agriculture Teachers' level of Job Satisfaction Questionnaire”, The instrument consisted of two sections; A and B, Section A contained six questions used to collect information on selected demographic characteristics of the participants. Sections B contained statements that were rated on a 4-point rating scale ranging from Strongly Satisfied to Strongly Dissatisfied. Responses of section B were used to measure aspects of job satisfaction, titled personal satisfaction and context satisfaction. The personal satisfaction construct contained: job satisfiers such as iternal work motivation, growth satisfaction and general satisfaction, while the context satisfaction construct included: job security, pay and co-workerrelations. Reliability and Validity of the Instrument Reliabilities for job satisfaction scales.measured in terms of personal satisfaction and context satisfaction were determined using Chronbach Alpha, It yielded between Reliability coefficients of 56 and 84 (Hackman & Oldham, 1975). Data Collection Data collection was accomplished through the use of research assistants, who delivered the instrument to the Agriculture teachers in each school sampled for the study. Two Agriculture teachers from each of the 30 school sampled for the study responded to the questionnaire, 50 teachers actually responded and retumed the questionnaires. The overall response rate of 83% was recorded. Method of Data Analysis Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics to determine Mean responses. Correlation coefficients ( were calculated to determine the relationships between the job satisfaction constructs and gender, marital status, age, education qualification, years of experience and current teaching rank of Agricultural Science teachers. Results Age r A significantrelationship was found between age and the job satisfaction constructs, while growth satisfaction (+ = .18) and satisfaction with pay (r= 20) were the only two job satisfaction constructs having low relationships withage. . Gender : Significant relationships were found to exist between gender and satisfaction with job security (r=.59), satisfaction with pay (r= .76) and growth satisfaction (r= 62). Results revealed that females rated satisfaction with job security, satisfaction with pay and growth satisfaction higher than males. Marital Status Significant relationships were found between marital status and the job satisfaction constructs, Results also showed two low relationships between marital status and satisfaction with pay (r= .13) and marital status and internal work motivation (r = .15). Relationships between job satisfaction constructs and other variables were insignificant, Education ‘There were no significant relationships between education and the job satisfaction constructs. However there was a low relationship was between satisfaction with pay and education (r = .12). All other relationships were insignificant. Current Teaching Rank Job satisfaction meats for all Agriculture teachers ranged from 1.70 to 3.60. The job satisfaction construct of satisfaction with co-worker relations was the highest (M = 3.60), while Heads of Departments’ (HODs) job satisfaction construct of satisfaction with pay was the lowest (IM'= 1.70). The means among the teachers were alike for the six job satisfaction constructs. A significant difference was found between HODs and Principals regarding how cach group rated satisfaction with co-worker relations. Classroom teachers rated this construct. significantly lower than HODs, l4s — $$$Oguntunde, Gabriet Ayodele —$—$——————— Discussions ‘Age was related to the jab satisfaction constructs for agriculture teacher. This conclusion is consistent ‘ith other studies (Berns, 1989; Bowen etal., 1994; Griffin, 1984; Herzberg et al., 1957; Nestor & Leary, 2000) cating that older workers are more satisfied with their jobs than younger workers. ‘Agricultural Science teachers revealed high relationships between gender and the job satisfaction constructs of pay, job security and growth. Females rated al ofthese job satisfaction constructs higher than males, indicating a higher level of satisfaction with Salary, growth opportunities at work and job security. These findings are in agreement with similar findings by Bowen et al. (1994); Riggs and Beus (1993). In contrast, another study byNestorand Leary (2000) has shown that gender is not elated o job satisfaction. Marital status was also related to job satisfaction constructs for Agriculture teachers. Study by Nestor and Leary (2000) has revealed similar conclusion. Another study has equally revealed that married teachers are more satisfied with their jobs than single teachers (Bowenetal., 1994). Educational qualification was not related to any of the job satisfaction constructs for Agriculture teachers. Bowen et al. (1994) have drawn this same conclusion. However literature indicates a relationship between education and job satisfaction. Study by Bems (1989) corroborates that increasing one’s educational level increases his or her level of job satisfaction. ‘Comparing the means of the job satisfaction constructs for the three groups of Agriculture teachers revealed that for the most part, there was no difference among the three groups regarding how satisfied each group was with the six job satisfaction constructs. Two groups differed only on one of the job satisfaction constructs. /A significant difference was found between HODs and Principals regarding how satisfied each group was with their co-worker relations. HODs rated this construct lower than classroom teachers, indicating a lower level of satisfaction with theirrelationships with their co-workers. Conelusion ‘Young and energetic people should be encouraged to choose Agriculture education, not asa last resort. Agricultural education requires the combine efforts of both the young and the experienced teachers forabalanced impartation of knowledge tothe up coming generation of farmers. Female Agricultural Science teachers are more satisfied with their job than male, but it requires the combine effort of all Agriculture teachers, irrespective of gender to achieve an education objective and in this case, the MDGs. Irrespective of marital status, the individual needs adequate remuneration to perform optimally. The married as well as the single need adequate pay to take care of their family and personal needs so that more attention will be devoted to innovative thinking and effective teaching. High educational qualification should enhance improved skills but where itis not adequately rewarded through growth satisfaction and other forms of compensation itbecomes undesirable, resulting to knowledge stagnation, Redesigning rank duties will promote cooperative working environment for the classroom teachers, HODsand the Principal. Such environment will bring about role modelling for the students to aspireto want to be like their teachers. Effective implementation of the recommendations of this study will in no small measure contribute to the realisation of the MDGs by the year 2015, Recommendations . I Results of this sfudy should be presented to authorities of the State Ministry of Education to make them aware of which demographic factors were related the level of job satisfaction of Agriculture teachers. ‘+ Education administrators should design programs and trainings to help male Agriculture teachers increase their level of satisfaction with personal learning and growth opportunities that in-service training can provide at work, job security, and compensation. ‘* Because HODs indicated a lower level of satisfaction with their relationships with _their co-workers as compared to classroom teachers; administrators should adjust HODs' job duties so that they are able to build relationships with their co-workers, ‘+ This study should be replicated in the remaining LGAs to determine if the level of job satisfaction of Agriculture teachers is related to the same demographic factors, to other demographic factors, or tonone of the demographic factors measured in this study, with particular emohasis between rural and urban Secondary School Agriculture teachers. 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