Work-Life Balance and Job Satisfaction Amongst Secondary School Teachers of Sikkim

Abstract

xvii Abstract Work-life balance and job satisfaction are explored continuously with the realization that the achievements of schools' several goals and objectives, including teachers' well being to a great extent, are determined by a certain degree of work-life balance, and job satisfaction teachers possess. With this understanding, the present study examined the level of work-life balance and job satisfaction among secondary school teachers of Sikkim. Moreover, the study also explored the difference in study variables across select demographic variables viz., gender, management, nature of appointment, experience, and subject taught, and traced the relationship between the study variables. The Board of Studies, Sikkim University, approved the studies and was carried out from 2018-2021. The study was essentially quantitative and adopted the Descriptive Research Method. Respondents included secondary school teachers (N=337) subcategorized as male (n=151), female (n=186), government school teachers (n=324), private (n=13), regular (n=164), ad-hoc (n=173), teachers with less than ten years of experience (n=212), between ten to twenty years (n=68), teachers with more than twenty years (n=57), science teachers (n=132), arts (n=136), language (n=69). A non probability Convenience Sampling technique was used to draw the samples. Structured close-ended questionnaires, namely the Job Satisfaction Scale of Meera Dixit (2013) and the Work-Life Balance Scale of Jeremy Hayman (2005), were used for data collection. To understand the level of teachers' work-life balance and job satisfaction, Cross-tabulation was performed. Moreover, parametric tests, i.e., t-test, F test, and multiple regression, were used to test the null hypotheses. Findings revealed a moderate level of work-life balance and job satisfaction for the majority of teachers. There were no significant gender differences in work-life balance. In contrast, male and female teachers differed in their overall job satisfaction. xviii Furthermore, government and private schools’ teachers did not differ in their overall work-life balance or job satisfaction; regular and ad-hoc teachers did not differ in their overall work-life balance but showed a difference in their job satisfaction. Teachers across different groups of teaching experience did not differ in their work-life balance but differed in job satisfaction. The study revealed no significant difference among teachers teaching science, arts, and language in their work-life balance and job satisfaction. Moreover, the study found no significant relationship between work-life balance and job satisfaction, and predictors explained 4%variance in the outcome variable. Findings from the studies can guide the stakeholders in planning, designing, and implementing strategies at the school level. The study is essential in developing preliminary insights about work-life balance and job satisfaction among secondary school teachers, considering the absence of such studies in Sikkim. Keywords: work-life balance, job satisfaction, secondary school teachers, gender, management, appointment, experience, subject.