Guidelines for Supporting Factors of Teachers’ Work Happiness in Schools, the Secondary Service Area Office, Nonthaburi

Abstract

Background and Aims: Teachers play a vital role in driving the quality of education, and their job satisfaction directly affects their teaching effectiveness and quality of life. However, teachers today face increased workloads, staff shortages, and stress from their working environment, which negatively impact their job happiness. This study aims to 1) examine the factors influencing teachers’ job satisfaction in schools, 2) compare teachers’ perceptions of these factors based on gender, age, educational level, work experience, and school size, and 3) explore strategies to support and enhance teachers’ job satisfaction in schools.

Methodology: This research employed a survey methodology. Data were collected from a sample group consisting of 320 teachers under the Secondary Educational Service Area Office

Nonthaburi. Stratified random sampling was used to select participants. The research instruments included a questionnaire, which was validated for content validity with an Index

of Item-Objective Congruence (IOC) ranging from 67 to 1.00 and had a reliability coefficient

 of.99. Additionally, an interview.

Results: 1) The overall level of teachers' happiness at work in educational institutions was found to be at the highest level (\bar{x} = 4.50, SD = 0.55). When examined by specific aspects, the highest mean was found in the area of organizational relationships (\bar{x} = 4.58, SD = 0.81), followed by leadership (\bar{x} = 4.52, SD = 0.76), physical and mental well-being (\bar{x} = 4.51, SD = 0.77), and motivation (\bar{x} = 4.50, SD = 0.74), respectively. 2) The comparison of teachers' opinions on happiness at work classified by gender and educational qualification showed no statistically significant differences. However, age was found to have a statistically significant difference only in the aspect of communication at the 05 level. Work experience and school size showed statistically significant differences in several aspects at both the 01 and 05 levels. 3) The proposed guidelines for promoting teachers’ happiness at work include: fostering positive relationships within the organization; adopting leadership that encourages participation; promoting physical and mental well-being; providing appropriate motivation, ensuring effective communication; and managing the work environment and workload to support happiness.

Conclusion: Guidelines to support teachers’ job happiness include involving them in decisions, improving the work environment and communication, fostering good relationships, ensuring fair motivation, balancing workloads, and prioritizing their well-being.