Title:
ROLE OF TEACHER AUTONOMY, SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENT, DISCIPLINE PROBLEMS AND JOB OVERLOAD AS PREDICTORS OF STEM TEACHERS’ JOB SATISFACTION

Authors:
David Bull

Abstract:
The issue of teachers’ job satisfaction continues to receive growing attention in education but the effects of its predictive factors are inconsistent across disciplines and contexts. So far, limited studies have been conducted on TALIS 2018 data within the context of STEM teachers in Africa. Based on the job demands - resources model, factors such as teacher autonomy, supportive environment, discipline problems and job overload were examined. The regression analysis revealed that supportive environment and teacher autonomy positively predicted STEM teachers’ job satisfaction. It further emerged that supportive environment is most important factor that contributes favourably to job satisfaction. Conversely, discipline problems and job overload were negatively associated with job satisfaction. The study found no significant differences in the job satisfaction between male and female STEM teachers. Findings provide new perspective on the status of job satisfaction among STEM teachers, indicating moderate job satisfaction arising from the available job resources.

Keywords:
Job demands, job resources, job satisfaction, supportive environment, teacher autonomy

DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37500/IJESSR.2026.9416

Date of Publication: 17-08-2026