How Is Professional Development Associated With Teachers' Job Satisfaction?

• In Event: Thriving Teachers: Factors Influencing Teachers’ Job Satisfaction and Efficacy

Abstract

Research suggests that teacher satisfaction is an important factor in improving public education. Although many school-level and teacher-level factors have been investigated to explain teachers' job satisfaction, few studies examine the association between professional development (PD) and teachers' job satisfaction. Hence, this study investigates the relationship between teachers' participation in PD activities and their satisfaction with their work environment, as well as which activities are positively related to increased teacher satisfaction. To examine this question, Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) 2013 USA data and two-level hierarchical modeling is used. Taking teachers' barriers to participating in PD and other controlling variables into account, results suggest that among PD activities, participation in courses and workshops contribute to increased teacher satisfaction.

Author

• Hana Kang, Michigan State University