The connection between the behaviors of school administrators and teacher job satisfaction

• In Event: Roots, Thorns and Shoots: Cultivating Teacher Perspectives to Reimagine Teaching for Collective Liberation

Abstract

With teacher turnover rate at a historical all time high in the United States, and schools across the nation struggling to fill vacancies with qualified individuals, it is paramount to consider what factors research suggests for sustaining teachers in their jobs. However, the hope is not simply to maintain their presence in the building, but to provide environments that create positive places for teachers to work as professionals.

To begin my review, I narrowed in my topic to focus on teacher and administrative relationships. Further, I wanted to read literature that focused on teacher experiences with administrators, and how these experiences either bolstered or weakened teacher satisfaction within their jobs. I searched empirical studies on google scholar, using terms such as “teacher retention”, “teacher sustainability”, “administrator's impact on teacher contentness” and “school culture and teacher professionalism”. I also read articles that cited each other, scanning their reference sections for words that matched my topic. I focused on work published within the last ten years.

After gathering the data, I categorized my findings into themes. Each theme surrounds the experiences of teachers in relationship to their leaders at their school site. One prevalent theme in the literature was that behaviors of school administrators had a direct influence on teacher emotional exhaustion (Becker & Grob, 2021; Amitai, A., & Van Houtte, M. 2022; Cano-Garcia et al., 2005; Frahm et al., 2021; Kaiser, Forest J, & Thompson, 2021; Madigan, D. J., & Kim, L. E. 2021; Weiland 2021). Additionally, administrator actions impacted teachers and their perceived self-efficacy (Buric & Moe 2020; Collie, 2023; Hayward & Ohlson, 2023; Moè, A., Pazzaglia, F., & Ronconi, L. 2010; Redman, 2015; Winn et al, 2021). The literature also showed a connection between school administrators who regarded teachers as working professionals and increased teacher retention rates (Ainsworth & Oldfield, 2019; Pietarienen et al., 2019; Skaalvik, E. M., & Skaalvik, S. 2009; Soini et al., 2010). Lastly, teachers who felt empowered by their administrators reported a greater sense of satisfaction in their work (Arthur & Bradley, 2023; Lloyd & Sullivan, 2012; Tankutay & Colak, 2025).
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In turn, these factors had a direct influence on the longevity of teachers staying in the classroom. For example, if a teacher experienced their administrator to be a leader who encouraged empowerment and professionalism in their school culture, teachers felt respected and valued as knowledgeable members of their workplace, causing a desire to stay in their jobs.

Author

• Beth Ann Thompson, University of Washington