An exploration of the interconnectedness between elementary teacher job satisfaction, school culture and student achievement: a study in two Canadian elementary schools

An exploration of the interconnectedness between
elementary teacher job satisfaction, school culture and
student achievement: a study in two Canadian elementary schools

This research study aimed to explore the interconnectedness between the job satisfaction of elementary teachers, school culture and student achievement. This study focused on the inter-relationship factors between elementary teacher job satisfaction and school culture. Further it examined the nature of the relational factors of school culture and elementary teacher job satisfaction that contribute to or hinder student achievement.

The school sites that participated in this research study were two high-performing elementary schools in Ontario, Canada (Junior Kindergarten to Grade 6), one from a lower socio-economic area and one from a middle to upper-middle socio-economic area. The principals and elementary teachers from these two schools were the participants in this research study.

By employing a sequential mixed-methodological approach, this research study looked at how collaborative school cultures conducive to learning affect teacher job satisfaction and motivation, which has the potential to contribute to student outcomes. The study used the mixed quantitative and qualitative data within the interpretivist perspective. This perspective helped to determine principals’ and elementary teachers’ views of how they perceive job satisfaction in relation to the school’s culture as well as their thoughts on the effect these two factors have on student achievement.

The findings of this research study led to a realization that elementary teacher participants are intrinsically motivated and have high levels of job satisfaction due to caring and collaborative relationships formed at work. The findings of this research study also indicated that both elementary teachers and principals enjoy autonomy as well as collaboration in their work settings which further ensures integrity and loyalty regarding their own careers and the careers of their colleagues. The significance of this research study has further emphasized the importance of collective action and distributed leadership (parallel leadership) on behalf of both elementary teachers and principals in order to sustain change and to further enhance student learning outcomes. This research study constructed a Cultural-Relational Leadership (CRL) model to further explain the relationship between elementary teacher job satisfaction, school culture and student achievement. The diagram below, (Figure I) outlines the model that emerged. The CRL Model is further discussed in Chapter seven of this research study.