The relationship between middle school teacher leadership roles and job satisfaction in a selected school district

Florida, along with the entire United States, is facing a critical teacher shortage. The need to attract and retain qualified, motivated teachers is imperative if the education system is to continue to deliver quality instruction to all children. Studies (Jones & Hodgson, 1998; Kinman, 2001; Travers & Cooper, 1991) show that teaching is a high-stress occupation with teachers reporting the lowest levels of job satisfaction compared to many other occupations. Teachers report high levels of depression and anxiety, and are in poorer mental health in comparison to other occupational groups. Allowing teachers to be leaders within the education community may facilitate increased job satisfaction and therefore attract and retain the best people.;My study investigated the extent to which middle school teachers participate in leadership roles and how such participation affects individual job satisfaction. I examined personal demographics and school demographics, and the interaction of these variables with leadership and job satisfaction.;The population of this study included 827 teachers from 11 middle schools in a district in central Florida. The sample size was 207 teachers with a return rate of 69%. Questionnaires were given to determine personal demographics, amount of leadership hours served, and job 12 satisfaction. School demographics were obtained from the district. The sample contained 73% females, 90% of whom were white, non-Hispanic. The average years of experience was 16.11 years; 43% held an advanced degree. The mean job satisfaction for overall respondents was 3.6 on a Likert scale of 5.;The analysis of data showed no correlation between teacher leadership and overall job satisfaction. Multiple regression analyses showed male teachers more satisfied than female teachers. I found teachers in large schools more satisfied than teachers in small schools and those in the higher socio-economic schools were less satisfied. A curvilinear relationship was found for years of experience, with new teachers being the most satisfied and teachers with 8-20 years experience being the least satisfied. Teachers with advanced degrees were less satisfied than teachers with bachelor's degrees within the constructs of empowerment and autonomy.