LEADERSHIP PRACTICES, WORKPLACE CONDITIONS, AND THEIR IMPACT ON TEACHER SATISFACTION IN KILIMANJARO AND PWANI, TANZANIA

This study explored the influence of school leadership and working environment on teachers’ job satisfaction in Tanzania. The study was guided by two questions: how school leadership influences teachers’ job satisfaction and how the working environment influences teachers’ job satisfaction. Herzberg’s two-factor theory guided the study. A mixed method approach was employed where both qualitative and quantitative data were collected and analysed using a concurrent research design in which. The study focused on public secondary schools in Tanzania and involved 244 respondents who were selected using a simple random sampling technique. Questionnaires and interviews were used in data collection for the study. Qualitative data were analysed using content analysis while quantitative data were analysed using descriptive and linear regression analyses. The study findings reveal that school leadership influences teachers’ satisfaction with the job. Importantly, the linear regression results revealed that teachers’ collaboration significantly predicted commitment to the job (β=0.24, t (4, 239) = 3.77, p=0.000). The findings imply that the increase in teachers’ collaboration in various school matters stimulated their passion and engagement in school activities. On the other hand, a safe working environment at school accounts for 51.5 per cent in predicting teachers’ satisfaction with the job (p≤ 0.01). Therefore, collective leadership and a conducive environment at school help in increasing employees’ satisfaction with the job. It is recommended that school leaders should continuously be trained on collective leadership and improvement of the working environment.