Relationship between Teachers’ Involvement in Decision-Making and Their Job Satisfaction in Public Secondary Schools in Mandera North Sub-County, Mandera County

Abstract

Work satisfaction plays a vital role in entire commitment, which directly impacts productivity within the working environment. Teachers' satisfaction, thus, has a significant influence on their work relations with teachers who are satisfied feeling committed to their assigned roles at school. The main aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between the involvement of teachers in decision-making and teachers' job satisfaction in public secondary schools in Mandera North Sub-County, Mandera County. The study was anchored on Herzberg's theory and Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs theories. The study adopted a mixed methods methodology where both quantitative and qualitative methods were employed. Public secondary schools formed the unit of sampling for the study, and three schools were selected from a total of 9 public secondary schools in Mandera North Sub-County. Out of the target population of 104 teachers, 31 teachers were selected to serve as respondents. The Sub-County Director of Education (SCDE) in Mandera North Sub-County was selected purposively. The study found that most of the teachers were highly involved in decision-making (61.3%), 25.8% of teachers were moderately involved in decision-making, and 12.9% of teachers were poorly involved in decision-making. The mean score for involvement in decision-making was M=2.7152 and SD= 0.6937. Regression analysis was also conducted to determine the association between the variables. The findings show a significant positive relationship between teachers' involvement in decision-making and teachers' job satisfaction (P<0.05). The study concludes that involvement in decision-making improves satisfaction because it increases a sense of belonging when teachers are granted the opportunity to participate in crucial decision-making aspects within their educational institutions. These findings recommend that principals promote teachers' involvement in decision-making activities in school, such as workload planning, financial management, conflict resolution, and academic and co-curricular activities. Creating an environment where teachers feel valued and included in decision-making processes enhances their sense of belonging and increases job satisfaction.