The Relationship between Ethical Leadership and

Job Satisfaction
Erkan Kiral

1. Introduction
In the last quarter of the twentieth century, organizational leaders are expected not only to manage the
organizations but also to be the executive leaders in order to contribute more to the organization. In
fact, with the leadership behaviors that the administrators will exhibit the organization can easily and
more effectively achieve its goals. The employees will perform the necessary activities in executive
leadership willingly and voluntarily. Executive leaders will be able to use their informal powers as well
as their official powers to influence employees. For this reason, leadership has been and is still the
subject of many researches (Bass, 1985; Fiedler, 2006; Stogdill, 1974) within the process from the past
to the present as an increasingly significant phenomenon for the organizations and for their executives.
Mankind has always wondered what personality traits, behaviors and circumstances the people
influencing them have had. In order to reveal them, various studies (Bass & Avolio, 1993; Bass &
Steidlmeier, 1999; Nanus, 1992) have been carried out. In fact, when the latest point reached is taken
into account, the exploitation-oriented production-based thought of making the most of the employees
continues with the human-based, worker-centered thought but still making the most of the employees.
The idea of how to make the most of the employees has never changed within the process but the
techniques of achieving it have differed. The demand of making most of the employees tried to be
indirectly obtained by making them feel valuable rather than putting pressure on the employees.
Not only did the enforcement of the legal foundations of the post-modern world, but also the
expectations of people lead the executive leaders in administration to act in the light of universal
ethical values. Executive leaders who influence the employees with universal ethical values, can of
course, make better use of the potentials of the people they gather around. In this case, executive
leaders can move from their current position to the ethical leader position within the contemporary
leadership approaches. The universal ethical principles put forth by the ethical leader can make
organizational climate be positive by positively influencing the quality of the relationships. The
employees within the organization may begin to act together and exhibit the universal ethical
principles that the leader himself applies to his behavior by being influenced from the ethical leader
for what is good, what is bad, and what is wrong. In such an interaction-based situation, it can lead the
organization to be more effective and productive. Hence, according to Yukl, the leadership process put
forth by the administrator includes interaction as a phenomenon which is beyond the knowledge, skill
and intelligence (2010). Ethical leader should be able to evaluate the present situation within the
framework of universal ethical principles and shape his attitudes and behaviors accordingly. Together
with this, ethical leadership is that; the person behaves in accordance with the norms determined
within the framework of ethical principles both in his actions and in his interpersonal relationships
(right, honest, justice, trust, respect, etc.); and let his followers act by communicating with them,
rewarding their normative behaviors, disciplining their inadequate behaviors, and paying attention to
ethical considerations in decision making (Brown, Trevino & Harrison, 2005). The basis of ethical
leadership includes the intersection points of transformational, spiritual and authentic leadership, that
are thinking of others, being role models and considering the events within their integrity, and the
intersection point of transformational and authentic leadership, that is, making ethical decisions
(Avolio & Gardner, 2005; Brown & Trevino, 2006). As mentioned, ethical leader is not just content with
performing the right actions but also including those who follow him into these actions (Brown &
Mitchell, 2010). In fact, the ethical leader must be able to create the ideal effect to transform the
followers and be a role model for them. The fact that ethical leader has personality traits such as
 334
Erkan Kiral

honesty, principled behavior, and trustworthiness and exhibits them with his behaviors are important
components leading to his effectiveness.
It is important that the behaviors of ethical leader is perceived and accepted correctly by the other
side. Indeed, it is necessary that the leader should have certain characteristics to be perceived and
accepted as ethical and should exhibit this with his attitudes and behaviors in the decision making
process. This situation is also a valid case for all leaders, especially for such administrators of
organizations as school administrators who lead for the formation of the society. As communities move
towards becoming more democratic in the twenty-first century, school administrators should be able
to develop their schools as places where tolerance, respect, love, justice, equality and democracy are
applied at the highest level and be the pioneers for this. Exhibiting attitudes and behaviors based on
such universal ethical principles as truth, honesty, justice, tolerance etc. during the school
administrators' interactions with the teachers can lead the teachers to behave in the same way towards
the school administrator. The better the interaction between the administrator and the employees, the
more the employees exhibit ethical behaviors, the more they avoid undesired and unethical behaviors
(Weaver, Trevino & Agle, 2005). School administrators may have such ethical principles as being
truthful, honest, fair etc. as individuals. However, he should be able to exhibit all these universal ethical
principles effectively in a unified manner as for his duty towards the internal and external stakeholders
of the school. Hence, such a situation may lead him to be perceived as an ethical leader. The school
administrator who has adopted and implemented ethical principles, who protects the rights of the
school’s stakeholders, who is honest, fair, equal, unsparing and trustworthy to them, who negotiates
the decisions with the employees in such a way that it is for everyone's good, and who is visionary and
open to change; has not only exhibited administrative behaviors but at the same time demonstrated
effective ethical leadership behaviors in the eyes of his employees. The school administrator who acts
in this way may cover a distance in not only the minds of the school’s stakeholders, but also in the souls
and therefore the hearts of them.
The fact that the school administrator exhibits ethical leadership behaviors can have positive
consequences for both the teachers and the school. That the school administrator exhibits ethical
attitudes and behaviors in an integrated manner can lead to ethical decisions, good interpersonal
relationships, employee motivation, school commitment, and increased job satisfaction. These
outcomes, in essence, depend on the school administrator's ethical leadership. As can be seen, the
positive conclusion reached as a result of the school administrator demonstrating ethical leadership
behaviors can provide the desired contribution to the effectiveness and efficiency of the school by
increasing the teachers’ job satisfaction. Teachers' job satisfaction can be affected by many different
incidents or situations. Incidents or situations can lead to differentiations in the teachers' attitudes and
feelings. Hence, according to Spector, job satisfaction is the emotional or attitudinal reaction of the
employee towards his job (1985). When the employee evaluates his job, he handles it as a whole and
evaluates the situation in all aspects from his colleagues to his executive, not just the work he does,
and as a result of this, he gets into an emotional attitude like love or dislike. According to Kalleberg
(1977), while job satisfaction is the employees’ love of the job, the opposite is job dissatisfaction.
According to Locke (1976), job satisfaction is the positive emotional state that occurs as a result of the
employee’s evaluation of the job. Teachers may have different attitudes and feelings towards the
behaviors exhibited by the school administrator in the workplace. The school administrator, who is in
organizational factors, may be an important element of the teachers' job satisfaction or dissatisfaction.
If the managerial style of the school administrator is compatible with the teacher's personality traits
and contains the universal ethical principles, it can affect the job satisfaction positively by positively
influencing the motivation, success, attitude towards work, job success, and the cooperation in the
school. These environmental factors, which are created within the organization, affect organizational
commitment and hence job satisfaction (Locke & Whiting, 1974; Toytok, Korkmaz & Anik, 2016). Of
course, this may be just the opposite. The attitudes and behaviors of the teachers within the school and
those of the administrators towards the teachers are important issues that can cause the teachers to
experience satisfaction or dissatisfaction in the school. Therefore, there are many studies on ethical
 335
The Relationship between Ethical Leadership and Job Satisfaction

leadership and job satisfaction (Kim & Brymer, 2011; Yates, 2014 etc.). However, studies which
investigate the relative ethical leadership and job satisfaction of the school administrators (Cetin &
Ozcan, 2004; Madenoglu, Uysal, Sarier & Banoglu, 2014) are quite limited. Together with this, the fact
that there has been an increase in the number of the news in the media about non-liaison appointments
to schools in the recent years is another factor in conducting such a research. School administrators,
who are said to have been appointed in that way, exhibit universal ethical principles in administration
at what level. The ethical leadership behaviors they exhibit or do not exhibit is related to the teachers’
job satisfaction at what level. The aim of this study is to reveal the relationship between the school
principals' ethical leadership behaviors and the teachers’ job satisfaction levels according to the
perceptions of secondary school teachers. In order to achieve this aim, the answers to following
questions were investigated:
(1) According to the perceptions of secondary school teachers, what are school principals’ ethical
leadership behavior levels?
(2) According to the perceptions of secondary school teachers, do school principals’ ethical leadership
behaviors differ according to demographic variables?
(3) What are secondary school teachers’ job satisfaction levels?
(4) Do secondary school teachers’ job satisfaction levels differ according to demographic variables?
(5) According to the perceptions of secondary school teachers, is there a significant relationship
between school principals’ ethical leadership behaviors and job satisfaction levels?

2. Method
This research, which is descriptive relational screening model, aimed to reveal the school principals’
ethical leadership behaviors levels and the teachers’ job satisfactions according to the perceptions of
secondary school teachers (Balci, 2009).

2.1. Study Group

The study group of this research was composed of 388 voluntary teachers working in the secondary
schools of Efeler district in Aydin province. As a result of the analysis of data obtained in terms of the
demographic features of the participant teachers, it was revealed that; 58.5% of the teachers were
female (n: 227), 41.5% of them were male (n:161); 21.9% were 30 years old or below (n: 85), 23.7% were
between 31-35 years old (n: 92), 23.2% were between 36-40 years old (n: 90), 31.2% were 41 years old
or above (n: 121); 35.3% were working in verbal branches (n: 137), 36.6% were working in numeric
branches (n: 142), 28.1% were in skills branches (n: 109); 19.1% had 5 years of seniority or less (n: 74),
23.2% had 6-10 years of seniority (n: 90), 19.6% had 11-15 years of seniority (n: 76), 14.4% had 16-20
years of seniority (n: 56), 23.7% had 21 years of seniority or more (n: 90); 94.3% were the ones who
performed their professions willingly (n: 366) and 2.7% were the ones who performed their professions
unwillingly (n: 22).

2.2. Data Collection Tool

In order to collect the data of the research, Minnesota Job Satisfaction Questionnaire (MJSQ) and
Ethical Leadership Scale (ELS) were used. The features of the scales are given below.
Minnesota Job Satisfaction Questionnaire (MJSQ):The questionnaire was developed by Weiss, Dawis,
England & Lofquist (1967) in order to reveal the job satisfaction levels of people.The questionnaire is
a 5-point Likert type scale: [I am not satisfied (1) –I am extremely satisfied (5)]. The questionnaire is
composed of totally 20 items and 2 dimensions; internal satisfaction dimension is composed of 12
items, and external satisfaction dimension is composed of 8 items. In the study conducted by the
researchers on different groups; the mean reliability coefficient of the groups (clerks, sellers, engineers,
etc.) was found .86 for internal satisfaction, .80 for external satisfaction and .90 for overall satisfaction.
The Turkish adaptation of the questionnaire was carried out by Baycan (1985) and was used in many
studies (Deregozu, 2016; Basaran, 2017 etc.). Within the scope of this research, it was found that
Cronbach Alpha value of internal satisfaction was .74, that of external satisfaction was .70, and that of
overall satisfaction was .82.
 336
Erkan Kiral

Ethical Leadership Scale (ELS):The scale was developed by Yilmaz (2005) in order to revealthe leaders’
ethical behavior levels. The scale is a 5-point Likert type scale [I totally disagree (1) - I totally agree (5)].
The scale was used in many studies (Toytok, 2014; Emirbey, 2017). Construct validity and Cronbach
Alpha reliability analyses were performed for the scale which was developed by Yilmaz (2005). As a
result of the factor analysis performed, it was revealed that the scale was composed of totally 44 items
and 4 dimensions as communicative ethics (15 items), climatic ethics (11 items), ethics in decision
making (9 items), and behavioral ethics (9 items). The Cronbach Alfa reliability coefficient of the scale
was found .95 for communicative ethics, .92 for climatic ethics, .94 for ethics in decision making, and
.90 for behavioral ethics. The overall reliability of the scale was found .97. In this research, it was found
that Cronbach Alpha values of the scale was .96 for communicative ethics, .92 for climatic ethics, .91
for ethics in decision making, .93 for behavioral ethics, and .98 for overall scale.
2.3.Data Analysis
In the analysis of the data obtained in the research; frequency, percentage, mean, parametric and
nonparametric difference tests and correlation analysis were used. According to the perceptions of the
teachers, the school principals’ ethical leadership behavior levels and the teachers' job satisfaction
levels were analyzed with mean and standard deviation; whether these levels differed significantly
according to independent variables (gender, age, branch, occupational seniority, whether they love the
profession) was analyzed with parametric difference tests (t test, ANOVA) when normality conditions
were met and with non-parametric difference test (Mann-Whitney U) when normality conditions were
not met. Scheffe test was performed in order to understand from which group the difference that was
revealed in ANOVA test stemmed from. The measures of central tendency (mean, median and mode)
were examined so as to determine whether the data met the normality conditions and it was found that
they were close to each other; and also, kurtosis and skewness coefficients of the data group whose
normality would be tested were examined and these values were seen to be between +1 and -1. However,
because of the fact that the number of data in the variable of whether the teachers performed the
profession willingly was below 30, Mann-Whitney U was used while performing an analysis with this
independent variable (Can, 2016). Whether there was a significant relationship between school
principals’ ethical leadership behaviors and job satisfaction levels according to the perceptions of the
teachers was tested with Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient as the normality conditions
were met.

3.Findings
The findings obtained as a result of the research are given below as; the findings regarding the school
principals’ ethical leadership behavior levels according to the perceptions of the teachers, the findings
regarding the teachers’ job satisfaction levels, and the findings regarding the relationship between the
school principals’ ethical leadership behaviors and job satisfaction levels according to the perceptions
of the teachers.

The findings regarding the school principals’ ethical leadership behavior levels according to the perceptions
of the teachers
The findings regarding the school principals’ ethical leadership behavior levels are given in
Table 1.
Table 1.Ethical Leadership Behavior Levels of Secondary School Principals
Variable Dimensions �
𝐗𝐗 Ss
Ethics in Decision Making 4.16 .655
Ethical Leadership Communicative Ethics 4.13 .688
Behavioral Ethics 4.12 .687
Climatic Ethics 4.00 .678
General Ethics 4.10 .650
When Table 1 is analyzed, it can be seen that according to the perceptions of the teachers, the
school administrators exhibited ethical behavior in decision making at the highest level, and then
 337
The Relationship between Ethical Leadership and Job Satisfaction

exhibited communicative, behavioral and climatic ethical behaviors, respectively. General ethical
behavior level was relatively good.
No significant relationship was found both in the dimensions and overall regarding the school
principals’ ethical leadership behavior levels according to the teachers’ gender, age, seniority, branch,
and whether they perform the profession willingly (p>0.05).

The findings regarding the teachers’ job satisfaction levels

The findings regarding the teachers’ job satisfaction levels are given in Table 2.

Table 2.Job Satisfaction Levels of Secondary School Teachers

Variable Dimensions �
𝐗𝐗 Ss
Internal Satisfaction 4.01 .420
Job Satisfaction External Satisfaction 3.49 .628
General Satisfaction 3.80 .436

As can be seen in Table 2, it was found that secondary school teachers experienced internal satisfaction
at most, which was followed by external satisfaction. The teachers’ general job satisfaction levels were
at “I am satisfied” level.
No significant relationship was found both in the dimensions and overall regarding the teachers’
job satisfaction levels according to age and seniority (p>.05). However, it was found that the teachers’
job satisfaction levels showed significant differences according to the variables of gender, branch and
whether they performed the profession.
While job satisfaction levels of the teachers did not differ significantly in internal job satisfaction
dimension according to gender variable, it showed significant difference in external job satisfaction
dimension [t(386)= 3.535; p< .05] and overall job satisfaction[t(386)= 2.028; p<.05]. It was found that
external (X� =3.63; Ss=.60) and overall (X �= 3.86; Ss= .44) job satisfaction levels of male teachers were
�
higher than external (X=3.40; Ss=.63) and overall (X �= 3.76; Ss= .43) job satisfaction levels of female
teachers.
While job satisfaction levels of the teachers did not differ significantly in internal job satisfaction
dimension and in overall job satisfaction according to branch variable, it showed significant difference
in external [F(2-385)= 5.855; p< .05] job satisfaction dimension. Multiple comparative test was conducted
in order to reveal which branches this difference stemmed from and it was found that external job
satisfaction levels of the teachers in skill branches (X �=3.64; Ss=.614) were higher than those of the
teachers in numeric branches (X �=3.37; Ss=.613).
While job satisfaction levels of the teachers did not differ significantly in external job satisfaction
dimension according to the variable of whether they chose the profession willingly, it showed
significant difference in internal [U= 2804.5; p< .05] job satisfaction dimension and overall [U= 2995;
p< .05] job satisfaction. The mean ranks of the teachers who chose the profession willingly were found
to be higher in internal (R � = 197.8) and overall (R�= 197.3) job satisfaction levels than the mean ranks of
the teachers who chose the profession unwillingly in internal (R �= 138.9) and overall (R�= 147.6) job
satisfaction levels.
The findings regarding the relationship between the school principals’ ethical leadership behaviors and
job satisfaction levels according to the perceptions of the teachers
The Correlation test results regarding the relationship between the school principals’ ethical
leadership behaviors and job satisfaction levels according to the perceptions of the teachers are given
in Table 3.
 338
Erkan Kiral

Table 3.Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient Results Regarding the Relationship

between the School Principals’ Ethical Leadership Behaviors and Job Satisfaction Levels According
to the Perceptions of the Teachers
Variables CE CLE EDM BE GE IS ES GS
CE 1
CLE .861** 1
EDM .906** .839** 1
BE .933** .901** .886** 1
OE .974** .939** .943** .970** 1
IS .162** .161** .151** .165** .167** 1
ES .200** .244** .183** .212** .219** .503** 1
OS .209** .234** .193** .217** .223** .868** .866** 1
CE: Communicative Ethics; CLE: Climatic Ethics; EDM: Ethics in Decision Making; BE: Behavioral
Ethics; OE: General Ethics, IS: Internal Satisfaction; ES: External Satisfaction; GD: General
Satisfaction; p value is significant at .01** level.
When Table 3 is analyzed, it can be seen that there was a low level, positive, significant
relationship between secondary school teachers’ perceptions regarding school principals’ ethical
leadership behaviors and job satisfaction levels. Besides, according to the perceptions of the teachers,
a high level, positive and significant relationship was found between the dimensions of school
principals’ ethical leadership behaviors and general ethical leadership behavior. Also, there was
positive significant relationship between the teachers’ internal and external satisfaction levels,
and a high level, significant relationship with general job satisfaction.

4. Discussion, Conclusion and Recommendations

According to the perceptions of secondary school teachers, school administrators exhibit ethical
behaviors in decision making, and then communicative, behavioral and climatic ethical behaviors,
respectively. Their overall ethical behavior levels are relatively high. Together with the fact that there
are studies similar to this research (Emirbey, 2017; Toytok & Kapusuzoglu, 2016), there are also studies
with different conclusions (Guler, 2017; Helvaci, 2010). As a matter of fact, while Guler (2017) and Kalaz
(2016) revealed that school administrators exhibited behavioral ethics at the highest level; Buyukgokce
(2015) expressed that school administrators exhibited communicative ethics at the highest level;
Helvaci (2010) found that school administrators exhibited behavioral ethics at the lowest level; and
Kalaz (2016) found that school administrators exhibited ethics in decision making at the lowest level.
According to the results of this study, it can be said that school principals care about the ethical values
in the school and transform them into behaviors, and that the teachers accept school administrators as
the leaders attached to principles. The school principal is one of the important elements of the climate
in the school. The fact that the climate of the school is good or bad can show itself with the practices
of the school principal. Indeed, in a school, a principal may be the most important determinant and
practitioner of ethical behaviors. According to Yilmaz (2006), the school administrator has to have
ethical leadership skills and exhibit them. School administration requires individual ethical superiority.
For this, the school administrator must lead to his employees through ethical leadership skills and
personal ethical leadership behaviors. When the ethical leader makes decisions, he tries to make an
ethical decision rather than making an ordinary decision, takes the consequences into account
thoroughly and includes the employees into the ethical decision-making process when necessary (Kiral,
2015). One of the essential ethical skills that school administrators should have is to include teachers
in the decision-making process (Shapiro & Stefkovich, 2010). Therefore, the school administrator gives
responsibilities to teachers by exhibiting ethical leadership behaviors (Wahlstrom & Louis, 2008),
makes the decisions that may be problematic in the outcomes and thus, becomes an example to
teachers by doing the right job (Bennis, 1995, Stefkovich, 2013). The fact that school principals possess
ethical behaviors and exhibit them by including the employees in the decision making process in
practice, communicating with them and establishing a positive climate within school are important
 339
The Relationship between Ethical Leadership and Job Satisfaction

components that increase the effectiveness of the school. The teachers who are influenced by the
ethical behaviors of the school principal may feel better and perform better in order to achieve the
school's goals and objectives.
There was no significant difference between school principals’ ethical leadership behaviors
according to the teachers’ gender, age, seniority, branch, and whether they chose the profession
willingly variables. It can be said that the independent variables mentioned do not make any difference
in the ethical leadership behaviors of the school administrators. Similar results were obtained in the
study of Erdogan (2016). However, in the study of Emirbey (2017), it was found that female teachers,
rather than men, thought school administrators exhibited a higher level of ethical leadership behaviors.
In the studies of Kalaz (2016), it was revealed that older teachers perceived that the school
administrators exhibited higher levels of ethical leadership behaviors rather than younger teachers. In
the study of Celik (2013), vocational lesson teachers perceived school administrators’ behaviors in the
communicative ethics, climatic ethics and ethics in decision-making dimensions at a higher level than
culture lesson teachers. Tombak (2012) found in his study that the perceptions of class teachers
regarding school administrators’ ethical leadership behavior levels were higher than those of branch
teachers. According to these results, the perceptions of teachers’ regarding school administrators’
ethical leadership behaviors may differ according to independent variables.
It was found that job satisfaction levels of secondary school teachers were high in overall
satisfaction and in the dimensions of satisfaction. It was determined that they exhibited internal job
satisfaction the most, which was followed by external job satisfaction. Similar results were obtained in
the studies conducted by Ozkan (2017) and Basaran (2017). The fact that internal job satisfaction is
high can be an important indicator of that the teachers perform their profession willingly. The relatively
low level of external satisfaction may be a sign of the problems in the working environment,
unsatisfactory pay, experiencing difficulties in promotion, and the inadequacy and unreliability of
rewarding and promotion systems.
There was no significant difference in the teachers’ job satisfaction levels according to age and
seniority. Similar conclusions were obtained in the studies of Ozkan (2017), Basaran (2017), Yilmaz &
Kiral (2014), Diri & Kiral (2016) and Nagar (2012). However, in the research of Darmody & Smyth
(2011); while it was revealed that younger teachers had higher job satisfactions than older ones, in the
study of Sargent & Hannum (2005), this was just the opposite. In Erdogan's (2017) study, it was found
that as the age of the teachers increased, their job satisfaction increased, too. In the studies of Darmody
& Smyth (2011) and Gupta & Gehlawat (2013), it was found that job satisfaction levels of junior
teachers were higher than those of senior teachers. It can be said that job satisfaction levels of the
teachers decrease in time as their individual expectations in the first years of the profession cannot be
met as they progress in the profession.
It was found according to gender variable that external and overall job satisfaction levels of male
teachers were higher than female teachers. Similar results were obtained in the studies of Ozkan (2017)
and Basaran (2017). However, it was determined in the studies of Erdogan (2017), Akyurek (2016), Raj
& Lalita (2013) and Sargent & Hannum (2005) that the gender of the teachers did not make a significant
difference in their job satisfaction. The fact that external satisfaction levels of male teachers were
higher in this study may be caused by such factors as promotion opportunities, the additional tuition
fee earned by working overtime, the possibility of being able to participate more to long term
professional development courses rather than female teachers, and etc. Moreover, while the role of
women within the family may shop up as a relatively more important factor than their jobs, this
situation can vary for men and most of the time their jobs are more important. In the study of Ololube
(2006) it was found that job satisfaction levels of female teachers were significantly higher than male
teachers. The reason why it is different in the present study may be the fact that women have got to
struggle more to achieve the positions they are in within the organizations, and that they are more
satisfied internally with the success they have achieved at the end of the struggle.
It was found that external satisfaction levels of the teachers in the skill lessons branch were higher
than those of the teachers in the numeric branch. Similarly, it was determined in the researches of
Yilmaz & Kiral (2014) that the branches of teachers made differences in their job satisfaction levels.
 340
Erkan Kiral

However, it was found in the studies of Ozkan (2017), Erdogan (2017) that the branches of the teachers
did not make any difference in their job satisfaction levels. In this research, external job satisfaction
levels of the teachers may be low as the responsibilities of the teachers in the numeric branches are a
lot because of the fact that they prepare the students for the national tests, the expectations of the
families of these students are high and thus, the teachers feel pressure.
It was found that the teachers who chose the teaching profession willingly had higher levels of
internal and overall satisfaction levels than the teachers who did not chose the profession willingly.
Similar results were obtained in the studies of Yilmaz & Kiral (2014), Diri & Kiral (2016). However, in
the studies of Deregozu (2016) and Turkcapar (2012), there was no significant relationship between the
teachers’ job satisfaction levels and whether chose their profession willingly. The fact that the teachers
who chose the teaching profession voluntarily and who are willing to do their jobs are have positive
attitudes towards other teachers and school, that they make the job enjoyable and have fun doing it,
and that they are open to professional development may have caused their satisfaction to be high.
Hence, a person who does not choose his job willingly will, therefore, perform unwillingly, develop
negative attitudes towards work and even not want to be within the work environment. Those who do
not love their profession may not even want to create a friendship atmosphere at school and may have
driven themselves to loneliness. According to Yilmaz (2006), teaching is a profession where relations
are based on love and trust. People who choose their professions willingly do their jobs affectionately
and thus, satisfied with it. It can be said that doing the job willingly is an important factor that increases
satisfaction.
It was found that there was a low level, positive, significant relationship between the teachers'
perceptions regarding school principals’ ethical leadership behaviors and job satisfaction levels. Similar
results were obtained in the studies of Olcum & Ozcan (2004), Madenoglu, et al. (2014) and Basaran
(2017). It was also revealed that there were high level, positive, significant relationships among the
teachers' perceptions regarding school principals’ ethical leadership behaviors. Similar results were
found in the study of Mertler (2015). It was found that there was a positive, moderate level relationship
between the teachers' internal and external job satisfaction levels; and a high level, significant
relationship with overall job satisfaction. Similar results were obtained in the study of Basaran (2017).
According to these results, it can be said that ethical leadership behaviors of the school principals are
in relationship, though low, with the teachers’ job satisfaction. According to Simsek, Akgemci and Celik
(2011), the leadership styles of the administrators influence the employees’ job satisfaction. Hence, the
decisions that employees perceive as fair can influence employees’ satisfaction and performance by
increasing the trust in the administrator (Yukl, 2010). The positive effects of school administrators’
ethical leadership behaviors on teachers’ motivation can relatively increase teachers' job satisfaction
up to the desired level (Yilmaz & Kiral, 2014; Emirbey, 2017). By indigenizing universal ethical
principles such as justice, equality, respect, tolerance, faithfulness, honesty and responsibility, school
administrators should exhibit these with their behaviors at any moment (Stefkovich & Begley, 2007;
Aydin, 2001; Buyukgokce, 2015, Kiral, 2017). By demonstrating ethical principals in their behaviors,
school administrators can positively affect the employees in the school. In addition, the fact that
employees feel themselves safe, comfortable and happy while doing their jobs can increase their job
satisfaction. If inappropriate and non-ethical behaviors are exhibited, employees may become
dissatisfied.
School administrators’ ethical leadership behaviors can positively affect friendship relationships,
teachers' development opportunities, participation in the decisions, and self-expression in the school
environment. Taking the behaviors exhibited by school administrators as a model by the stakeholders
of the school can lead them to exhibit similar behaviors. According to Madenoglu, et al. (2014), school
administrators’ ethical leadership behaviors make a positive contribution to teachers’ job satisfaction.
In their study, Brown et al. (2005) found that the administrators’ ethical leadership behaviors perceived
by employees positively affect their job satisfaction, job commitment and solving their job-related
problems. School administrators’ ethical leadership behaviors can lead the teachers to become more
effective and efficient employees for their schools. According to Akyurek, it can be said that as the level
 341
The Relationship between Ethical Leadership and Job Satisfaction

of leadership functions of school administrators increases, teachers' job satisfaction increases, too
(2016).
As a result, according to the findings obtained; with the participation of all stakeholders, ethical
principles can be created for the school by taking into account universal and national values. In order
to increase the external satisfaction of teachers, reward and promotion systems can be revised
according to objective criterions. Promotion opportunities for female teachers can be presented bearing
in mind their circumstances (being a mother, family expectations, housework, etc.). What should be
done to increase the external satisfaction levels of numeric lesson teachers and the reasons why
teachers who did not choose such a sacred profession as teaching willingly but still continue to do can
be revealed with a qualitative research. The qualifications this profession requires and the risks
involved in it can be informed to people who will choose the teaching profession. Ethical committees
may be established within the school where school stakeholders are also involved so that school
administrators can improve their existing ethical leadership behaviors.

5. References
Akyurek, M. I. (2016). Ilkokul mudurlerinin dagitilmis liderlik ozellikleri ile ogretmenlerin is doyumu algilari
arasindaki iliski: Ankara ili ornegi [The relationship between the distributed leadership characterestics
of primary school principals and the teacher's perception of jobsatisfaction: Sample from
Ankara].(Yayinlanmamis Yuksek Lisans Tezi). Gazi University, Turkey.
Avolio, B. J.,& Gardner, W. L. (2005). Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive
forms of leadership. Leadership Quarterly, 16 (3), 315-338.
Aydin, I. P. (2002). Yonetsel, mesleki ve orgutsel etik. [Managerial, professional and organizational ethics],
Ankara: PegemA Yayincilik.
Balci, A. (2009). Sosyal bilimlerde arastirma: Yontem, teknik ve ilkeler [Research concepts, techniques and
methods in social sciences], Ankara: Pegem Akademi.
Bass, B. M. & Avolio, B. J. (1994). Improving organizational efectiveness through transformational
leadership. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Bass, B. M. & Steidlmeier, P. (1999). Ethics, character, and authentic transformational leadership
behavior. Leadership Quarterly, 10 (2), 181-217.
Bass, B. M. (1985). Leadership and performance beyond expectations. New York: Free Press.
Basaran, M. (2017). Okul yoneticilerinin yonetim bicimleri ile ogretmenlerin is doyumu arasindaki iliskinin
incelenmesi [Analysing the relationship between the management styles of schoolprinciples and job
satisfaction of teachers]. (Unpublished master thesis). Gazi University, Turkey.
Baycan, F.A. (1985). Farkli gruplarda calisan kisilerde is doyumunun bazi yonlerinin analizi.[Analiysis of
several aspects of job satisfaction between different occupational groups].(Unpublished master thesis).
Bogazici University, Turkey.
Bedir, G. (2017). Ozel okullardaki yoneticilerin etik liderlik davranislarinin kurum ogretmenlerinin
motivasyon duzeyi ile iliskisi [The relationship between ethical leadership behaviors of private school
administrators and motivation levels of teachers]. (Unpublished master thesis). Istanbul Sabahattin
Zaim University, Turkey.
Bennis, W. (1995). Leadership theory and administrative behavior: the problem of authority.
Administrative Science Quarterly, 4, 259-260.
Buyukgokce, A. (2015). Okul mudurlerinin etik liderlik davranislarinin incelenmesi: Bir karma yontem
arastirmasi, [Examination of ethical leadership behaviors of school principals: A mixed method
research]. (Unpublished master thesis). Mevlana University, Turkey.
Brown, M. E.,Treviño, L. K., & Harrison, D. A. (2005). Ethical leadership: A social learning perspective
for construct development and testing. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes,
97(2), 117–134.
Brown, M. E., & Treviño, L. K. (2006). Ethical leadership: A review and future directions. Leadership
Quarterly, 17 (6), 595–616.
Brown, M. E. & Mitchell, M. S. (2010). Ethical and unethical leadership: exploring new avenue for future
research. Business Ethics Quarterly, 20 (4), 583-616.
 342
Erkan Kiral

Can, A. (2016). SPSS ile bilimsel arastirma surecinde veri analizi. [ Data analysis in the scientific research
process with SPSS]. Ankara: PegemA Akademi.
Celik, N. (2013). Ortaogretim kurumlari yoneticilerinin etik liderlik anlayislari ile orgut calisanlarinin
orgutsel bagliliklari arasindaki iliski (Bursa ornegi).[The relationship between ethical leadership
perception of the leaders of the secondary education institutions and institutional commitment of the
institution employees].(Bursa Case). (Unpublished master thesis). Okan University, Turkey.
Cetin, M.,& Ozcan, K. (2004). Okul yoneticilerinin etik davranislarinin ogretmenlerin is doyumuna
etkisi [The ethical behavior of school administrators is the effect of teachers' job satisfaction].
Marmara Universitesi Ataturk Egitim Fakultesi Egitim Bilimleri Dergisi [Marmara University Faculty of
Education Journal], 20 (20), 21–38.
Darmody, M. & Smyth, E. (2011). Job satisfaction and occupational stress among primary school
teachers and school principals in Ireland. ESRI/ The Teaching Council: Dublin, Ireland.
Deregozu, A. (2016). Kamu ve ozel sektorde calisan ogretmenlerin is doyumu ve benlik saygisinin
incelenmesi [Public and private sector employees of investigation of teacher job satisfaction and self-
esteem], (Unpublished master thesis). Beykent University, Turkey.
Diri, M. S., & Kiral, E. (2016). Ortaokul ogretmenlerinin is doyumlarinin mesleki tukenmislik
duzeylerine etkisi. [The effect to secondary school teachers' job satisfaction to the occupational
burnout level]. Mehmet Akif Ersoy Universitesi Egitim Fakultesi Dergisi, [Mehmet Akif Ersoy University
Faculty of Education Journal],3(39), 125-149.
Erdogan, H. (2016). Ilkogretim kurumlarinda gorev yapan okul mudurlerinin etik liderlik davranislarinin
ogretmenlerin gorusleri acisindan degerlendirilmesi [The evaluation of ethical leadership behaviours of
the school principals working at the primary education i̇nstitutions with regards to teachers' views].
(Unpublished master thesis). Yuzuncu Yil University, Turkey.
Emirbey, A. R. (2017). Okul yoneticilerinin etik liderlik davranislari ile ogretmen motivasyonu arasindaki
iliski [The relationship between etichal leadership behaviours of school administrators with motivation
of teacher].(Unpublished master thesis). Usak University, Turkey.
Fiedler, F. E. (1964). A contingency model of leadership effectiveness. In L. Berkowitz (Ed.), Advances
in experimental social psychology, (pp.149-190). New York: Academic Press.
Gupta, M. & Gehlawat, M. (2013), Job satisfaction and work motivation of secondary school teachers in
relation to some demographic variables: A Comparative study, Educationia Confab, 2 (1), 10-19.
Guler, T. (2017).Ortaokul mudurlerinin etik liderlik davranislari ile ogretmenlerin orgutsel sessizlikleri
arasindaki iliski [The relationship between ethical leadership behaviours of secondary school managers
with organizational silences of teachers].( Unpublished master thesis). Usak University, Turkey.
Helvaci, M. A. (2010). Ilkogretim okulu yoneticilerinin etik liderlik davranisi gosterme duzeyleri. [The
level of primary school administrators showing ethical leadership behavior]. Journal of World of
Turks, 2(1), 391-410.
Kalaz, M. (2016). Ogretmen goruslerine gore okul yoneticilerinin etik liderlik ozellikleri ile ogretmenlerin
orgutsel adanmisliklari arasindaki iliskinin incelenmesi [Examination of the relationship between
school principals' ethical leadership characteristics and teachers' organizational commitment
according to teachers' opinions]. (Unpublished master thesis). Yildiz Teknik University, Turkey.
Kalleberg, A. L. (1977). Work values and job rewards: A theory of job satisfaction, American Sociological
Review,42(1), 124-143.
Kiral, E. (2017). Ulusal ve evrensel degerlere iliskin ogrenci gorusleri [Student views on national and
universal values]. Paper presented at the 12 th International Conference on educational
Administration, Ankara.
Kiral, E. (2015). Yonetimde karar ve etik karar verme sorunsali [Decision in Management and Ethical
Decision Making Problematique]. Adnan Menderes Universitesi Egitim Fakultesi Egitim Bilimleri
Dergisi [Adnan Menderes University Faculty of Education Journal], 6(2), 73-89.
Kim, W. G.,& Brymer, R. A. (2011). The effects of ethical leadership on manager job satisfaction,
commitment, behavioral outcomes, and firm performance. International Journal of Hospitality
Management, 30 (4), 1020-1026.
 343
The Relationship between Ethical Leadership and Job Satisfaction

Locke, E. A. (1976). The nature and causes of job satisfaction. In M. D. Dunnette (Ed.), Handbook of
industrial and organizational psychology. Chicago: Rand McNally.
Locke, E. A.,& Whiting, R. J. (1974). Sources of satisfaction and dissatisfaction among solid waste
management employees. Journal of Applied Psychology, 59, 145-156.
Madenoglu, C., Uysal, S., Sarier, Y., & Banoglu, K. (2014). Okul mudurlerinin etik liderlik davranislari
ile ogretmenlerin is doyumlarinin orgutsel baglilikla iliskisi [The relationship between ethical
leadership behaviors of school principals and teachers' job satisfaction with organizational
commitment]. Kuram ve Uygulamada Egitim Yonetimi Dergisi [Educational Administration: Theory
and Practice], 20 (1), 47–69.
Mertler, B. Z. (2015) Sinif ogretmenlerinin okul yoneticilerinin etik liderlik davranislarina iliskin gorusleri
[Primary school teachers' opinions on concerning ethical leadership behavior of school
administrators].(Unpublished master thesis). Okan University, Turkey.
Nagar, K. (2012). Organizational commitment and job satisfaction among teachers during times of
burnout. VIKALPA. 37 (2), 43-60.
Nanus, B. (1992), Visionary leadership: Creating a compelling sense of direction for your organization,
San Francisco: Jossey-BassInc.
Ololube, N. P. (2006). Teachers job satisfaction and motivation for school effectiveness: an assessment.
Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED496539
Ozkan, A. (2017). Ilkokul ve ortaokul ogretmenlerinin is doyumu duzeyleri (Balikesir ili merkez ilceler ornegi)
[Job satisfaction levels of the primary schools teachers and the secondary schools teachers (Balikesi̇r
central district sample)]. (Unpublished master thesis). Balikesir University, Turkey.
Polatkan, N. N., & Kiral, E. (2017). Ortaokul ogretmenlerinin duygusal emek davranislari ile is
doyumlari arasindaki iliski [The relationship between the secondary school teachers' emotional labor
and their job satisfaction]. Paper presented at the IVth International Eurasian Educational Research
Congress, Pamukkale.
Raj, T. & Lalita. (2013). Job satisfaction among teachers of private and government school: a
comparative analysis. International Journal of Social Science & Interdisciplinary Research (IJSSIR). 2
(9), 151-158.
Sargent, T. & Hannum, E. (2005), Keeping teachers happy: job satisfaction among primary school
teachers in rural north west china, Gansu Survey of Children and Families Papers, 174-204.
Shapiro, J. P. & Stefkovich, J.A. (2010), Ethical leadership and decision making in education: applying
theoretical perspectives to complex dilemmas (4th ed.), New York: Taylor & Francis Inc.
Spector P.E.(1985). Measurement of human service staff satisfaction: Development of the Job
Satisfaction Survey. American Journal of Community Psychol, 13 (6), 693-713.
Stefkovich, J.A. (2013). Best interests of thestudent: Applying ethical constructs to legal cases in education
(2nd ed.). New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Stefkovich, J. A. & Begley, P. T. (2007). Conceptualizing ethical school leadership and defining the best
interests of students, Journal of Educational Management Administration and Leadership, 32 (2),
205-225.
Stogdill, R. M. (1974). Handbook of leadership: A survey of theory and research. New York: Free Press.
Simsek, S., Akgemci, T. & Celik, A. (2011) Davranis bilimlerine giris ve orgutlerde davranis [Introduction
to behavioral sciences and behavior in organizations], Gazi Kitabevi: Ankara.
Tombak, N. (2012). Ilkogretim okulu yoneticilerinin etik liderlik davranisi gosterme duzeylerinin
incelenmesi: Mugla ili ornegi [Examining the levels of ethical leader ship behaviours of the primary
school adminisrators: the sample of Mugla provience]. (Unpublished master thesis). Dokuz Eylul
University, Turkey.
Toytok, E. H., & Kapusuzoglu, S. (2015). Influence of school managers’ ethical leadership behaviors on
organizational culture: Teachers’ perceptions. Eurasian Journal of Educational Research, 66, (1),
373-388.
Toytok, E. H. (2014). Ogretmen algilarina gore okul yoneticilerinin etik liderlik davranislarinin orgut kulturu
uzerine etkisi: Duzce ili ornegi [The effects of ethical leadership behaviors of school administrators
 344
Erkan Kiral

organisation culture according to teachers' perceptions: Sample of Duzce city]. (Unpublished doctoral
dissertation). Abant Izzet Baysal Eylul University, Turkey
Toytok, E. H., Korkmaz, M., & Anik, S. (2016). Environmental conditions of the city in which teachers
serve and their organizational commitment perception levels. The Anthropologist, 24 (1), 90-96.
Turkcapar, U. (2012), Beden egitimi ogretmenlerinin farkli degiskenler acisindan is doyumu
duzeylerinin incelenmesi [Study of job satisfaction level according to different variant among
physical education teachers]. Gazi Egitim Fakultesi Dergisi.[Journal of Gazi Education Faculty],32,
(2), 331-346.
Wahlstrom, K. L.,& Louis, K. S. (2008). How teachers experience principal leadership: the roles of
professional community, trust, efficacy, and shared responsibility. Educational Administration
Quarterly, 44, 458-495.
Weaver, G. R.,Treviño, L. K., & Agle, B. (2005). Somebody I lookupto: Ethical role models in
organizations. Organizational Dynamics, 34(4), 313–330.
Weiss, D. J.,Davis, R. V., England, G. W., & Lofquist, L. H. (1967). Manual for the Minnesota Satisfaction
Questionnaire. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota.
Yates, L. A. (2014). Exploring the relationship of ethical leadership with job satisfaction, organizational
commitment, and organizational citizenship behavior, The Journal of Values-Based
Leadership,7(1).
Redrived from https://scholar.valpo.edu/jvbl/vol7/iss1/4
Yildiz, H. (2016). Spor yoneticilerinin etik davranislari [Ethic behaviours of sports administrators].
(Unpublished master thesis). Selcuk University, Turkey.
Yilmaz, E. (2006). Okullardaki orgutsel guven duzeyinin okul yoneticilerinin etik liderlik ozellikleri ve bazi
degiskenler acisindan incelenmesi. [To Investigate the effect of school managers' ethical leadership
levels on the organizational trust level and to test whether the organizational trust level in schools
differentiate with respect to some variables or not]. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Selcuk
University, Turkey.
Yilmaz, E. (2005). Etik liderlik olceginin gecerlilik ve guvenirlilik calismasi. [Validity and reliability study of
ethical leadership scale]. Paper presented at the 14 th National Conference on educational
administration, Denizli.
Yilmaz, M. & Kiral, E. (2014). The relationship between motivation and job satisfaction of secondary
school teachers, International journal of psycho-educational sciences, 3 (3), 74 -90.
Yukl, G. A. (2010). Leadership in organizations (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: PrenticeHall.