A STUDY OF THE RELATIONSHIP OF SOCIAL SUPPORT TO JOB-RELATED STRESS AND JOB SATISFACTION AMONG SPECIAL EDUCATORS IN COSTA RICA

This study was designed to (1) determine the relationship between Costa Rican special education teachers' perception of job-related stress and job satisfaction and the nature and quantity of social support provided by the supervisor; and (2) to examine differences among the various professional groups in the relationship of job-related stress and job satisfaction to supervisors' social support.; Data were collected through three instruments: the Teacher Stress Inventory (TSI) (Fimian, 1982); the Job Satisfaction Questionnaire (JSQ) (Berguist, 1978); and the Social Support Questionnaire (SSQ), developed by the investigator for this study.; Pearson product moment correlations, ANOVAs, multiple regression analyses, and various post hoc procedures were used to statistically analyze the data.; Job-related stress and job satisfaction variables showed moderate, negative correlations beyond the.0001 level of significance. A job-related stress and social support correlational analysis indicated, non-significant negative correlations between the two variables. The variables social support and job satisfaction showed a low correlation at the.04 level of significance. The result further supported the role of support as a buffer rather than a main effect within the supervisory relationship. It also suggested the role of support as being a maintenance rather than a motivational factor within the job setting.; The one ANOVA conducted for each of the seven professional categories yielded statistically significant differences among the groups in terms of frequency of stress, job stress and frequency of instrumental support beyond the.05 level of significance. No statistically significant differences were found in terms of job satisfaction and social support. Post hoc analyses indicated lower levels of stress for teachers serving the hearing impaired population.; Results in terms of preference for various types of social support showed Costa Rican special educators would like to see increased support in the emotional and informational dimensions.; Age, teachers serving the hearing impaired, and teachers in training were the only variables which entered the regression model when testing for stress. In terms of job satisfaction, teachers serving the hearing impaired contributed the most to the variance. These results further support the fact that those who are older and experienced report the least amount of stress and the highest levels of job satisfaction.