A Study of the Perceptions of Job Satisfaction of General and Special Education Teachers in Selected Georgia Elementary Schools Implementing the Inclusion Model

The purpose of this study was to investigate perceptions of job satisfaction of general and special education teachers. Full-time teachers in grades K-5 in 26 randomly selected Georgia elementary schools were surveyed. Differences in job satisfaction were measured through the use of the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire – Short Form (MSQ) and a descriptive survey accompanying it. Differences in responses based on the descriptors were analyzed using the Mann Whitney U and multivariate analysis of variance at a confidence level of .05.

General education teachers reported greater levels of satisfaction than special education teachers on the MSQ scales of Achievement, Social Status, and Variety. These scales are all intrinsic in nature.

No statistically significant differences (.05, two-tailed) were found between general and special education teachers’ mean responses on the MSQ intrinsic, extrinsic, or general satisfaction scales.