Assessment of Job Satisfaction among Early Childhood Education Teachers in Edo State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study examined job satisfaction among early childhood education teachers in Edo State. Four research questions were raised for the study, and three were formulated into hypotheses. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. The study’s population comprises all the one thousand and twenty-one (1021) public early childhood education schools and one thousand two hundred and sixty-three (1263) early childhood education teachers in Edo State. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select a sample of one hundred and two early childhood schools and one hundred and twenty-six early childhood teachers in the three senatorial districts of Edo State. A questionnaire (JSAECETQ) validated with a reliability coefficient of 0.97 was used to collect data from the respondents. The research questions were analysed using mean and standard deviation while hypotheses were tested using Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient at 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that the level of job satisfaction among early childhood education teachers in Edo State is low and that there is a positive and significant relationship between working conditions, professional growth and advancement opportunities and job satisfaction among early childhood teachers in Edo State. The finding also revealed that there is no significant relationship between the involvement of early childhood teachers in school administration and job satisfaction among early childhood education teachers in Edo State. Based on the findings, the study recommended that the working conditions of early childhood teachers should be improved upon by the relevant stakeholders by making adequate provision for their “welfare needs such as car loans, accommodation facilities, study leave with pay, leave of absence when needed, provision of instructional materials to improve their job performance, protection from occupational hazards and regular promotion as at when due.