Master of Arts (Educational Management)

As Singapore continues to turn to the People's Republic of China to fill the shortage of Chinese language teachers in Singapore schools, it is increasingly important to examine the job satisfaction of this group of teachers.

This study employed a four-part questionnaire, Part A to D, to examine PRC Chinese teachers' job satisfaction in Singapore schools. Parts A, B and C consist of Likert-scale instruments based on Herzberg's Motivator-Hygiene Theory, while Part D is made up of open-ended questions. In addition, interviews were conducted with 5 selected teachers.

A sample size of 56 PRC teachers was obtained for this study. The main findings are:

1. PRC teachers derive the most satisfaction from student-oriented achievements and having a sense of purpose in their job. They are not too concerned about recognition and advancement.

2. PRC teachers are most dissatisfied with the working conditions in their schools, and the fact that they are often not involved in policy-making. They get along well with their supervisors and are satisfied with their salary.

3. There is no significant relationship between PRC teachers' job satisfaction and their gender, marital status, location of children, location of spouse, age, academic qualification, level taught in China, number of years taught in Singapore, number of years taught in current school, and their present level of teaching. However, there is interaction effect between 'location of spouse' and 'location of children 'between the level taught in China' and 'level teaching in Singapore'.

4. PRC teachers are a pragmatic people who are concerned about material gains and their standard of living; many are willing to put aside their emotional needs temporarily in pursuit of tangible monetary gains

5. During the interview sessions, all the interviewees at some point touched on the need to go back to where they belong, be it China or Singapore (for those who have settled down in Singapore).