Abstract

This study examined the relationship between personal and work-related factors and job satisfaction of teachers of pupils with special needs in special schools on the mainland in Lagos State, Nigeria. Ninety-three teachers from 8 special/inclusive schools participated in the study. Two research hypotheses were formulated for the study. The study employed the descriptive survey research design, while a structured research instrument “Teachers job Satisfaction Scale” (α = .78) was used for data collection. The data generated were analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics of Pearson Product Moment Correlation and hierarchical multiple regression at 0.05 level of significance. Job satisfaction of teachers of pupils with special needs significantly correlated with gender (r = -.415), workload (r = .342), work environment (r = .286), and organizational support (r = .526). Furthermore, gender –F (1, 91) = 18.899) –and organizational support –F (1, 87) = 4.532) –were the highest predictors of job satisfaction of teachers of pupils with special needs. It is recommended that teachers of pupils with special needs should be motivated to play active roles in special schools. It is also recommended to formulate such policies that will support development and retention of teachers in special schools.

Keywords: Job satisfaction, Organizational support, Teachers in special schools, Teachers’ attitude, Work environment, Workload.

Received: 8 June 2020 / Revised: 22 July 2020 / Accepted: 26 August 2020/ Published: 10 September 2020

Contribution/ Originality

This study contributes to the existing literature on job satisfaction among teachers of learners with special educational needs in Nigeria. This current study x-rays the contributory role of personal and work-related factors on teachers’ job satisfaction. Gender and organizational support were strong predictors of job satisfaction for teachers in special schools.

1. INTRODUCTION

Job satisfaction of employees has been a contentious issue (Khanna, 2010; Shaukat, Vishnumolakala, & Al Bustami, 2019) even among teachers of learners with special needs in some developing (Mocheche, Bosire, & Raburu, 2017)and developed countries (Ketheeswarani, 2015; Tsakiridou & Kolovou, 2018). Job satisfaction refers to employees (teachers) attitude towards their job (teaching pupils with special needs) vis-à-vis the organization in which they perform their duties (special schools). In other words, job satisfaction of teachers of pupils with special needs involves activities within and outside their job schedules in special schools. Generally, the success achieved by any educational institution largely depends on the level of job satisfaction of the teachers and other associated variables within the school environment (Mabekoje, 2009). While a pool of evidence on job satisfaction of teachers of learners without special needs exists (Mabekoje, 2009) there seems to be insufficient literature and data with respect to job satisfaction of teachers in special schools. However, it can be argued that the determinants of job satisfaction of teachers in the regular schools are applicable to their counterparts in special schools. Hence, it may be assumed that job satisfaction of teachers in special schools may be predicted by factors (suchas teachers’ gender and attitude, workload, work environment and or organizational support) resident in teachers themselves and or within their place of work.
Specifically, the issue of gender in relation to job satisfaction of teachers has been a paradox. Until the beginning of the millennium, Ribaric (2010) noted that the teaching profession was dominated by male with only a few exceptions of women who were missionaries or women monasteries largely because of the wide gap between boys and girls in their access to education. However, there seems to be a drastic change with the influx of female in to the teaching profession since the year 2000 after the various call to end gender disparity and need to create more opportunities for females in order to achieve gender equality as well as equal access to education (Patrick, 2010; UNESCO, 2002). In the past two decades, strategies and policies through scholarships and incentives to enhance the participation of female in education have yielded interesting results especially in rural and riverine communities in Nigeria. This has increased the percentage of female to male that have access to teacher education across the country (Fagbulu & Aderinoye, 2003; UNESCO., 2010). As indicated in the report of the Federal Ministry of Education (2011), the population of female at various colleges of education meant for teacher training increased by 51.1% between year 2000 and 2010. This implies that the population of female teachers in Nigerian schools has drastically increased. Although, this percentage population reported by Federal Ministry of Education (2011) is lesser than what is obtainable in some countries of North and South America, Asia and Europe where about 80% of teachers in primary schools in those countries are women(OECD, 2005; UNESCO, 2004).

In Nigeria, like many other African countries, the values placed on STEM subjects higher than subjects in humanities seems to have partly reduced the proportion of male enrolled in colleges of education while it increased male dominance in technology, mathematics, science and engineering subject and jobs. In other words, teaching is thus viewed as a ‘soft job’ or a job fit for women. According to Skelton (2009) and Ullah (2016) noted that the influx of women in the teaching profession can be attributed to their humane and soft spot for children as well as child-care with an opportunity that offer women some familiar identities and role as a mother. Based on the assertion ofSkelton (2009)and Ullah (2016) it can be assumed that female may be more satisfied than male teachers with their job as a teacher teaching particularly in primary schools. In the last decade, attempts have been made by researchers McCann (2002);Menon and Athanasoula-Reppa (2011); Njiru (2014);Gihar and Mishra (2018) to understand the correlation between gender (male and female) and job satisfaction of teachers. Studies designed to understand the implication of gender on job satisfaction of teachers by Menon and Athanasoula-Reppa (2011) andDemirel (2014) found a link between gender and job satisfaction but a recent study found no relationship between gender and job satisfaction among 600 teachers (Gihar & Mishra, 2018). In addition, some studies found males to be more satisfied with teaching (Crossman & Harris, 2006; Koustelios, 2001) whereas other studies found female teachers as most satisfied with their teaching jobs (Njiru, 2014; Ogedengbe, Adelekun, Eyengho, Ogunleye, & Bankole, 2018) butMcCann (2002) and Strydom, Nortjé, Beukes, Esterhuyse, and Van der Westhuizen (2012) reported no influence of gender on job satisfaction. While there is a plethora of studies which accessed gender implication on job satisfaction of teaching in the general classrooms, only a study by Willard (2004) was found to have examined gender implication on job satisfaction of teachers in special needs education. Therefore, this current study further provides additional information on the relationship between gender and job satisfaction among teachers of pupils with special needs.

The teaching profession is surrounded by several activities associated with non-conducive work environment, job stress, lack of organizational support systems, and workload with addition of extra-curricular activities for learners through their teachers (Herrington & Summers, 2014). It is characterized by high level of occupational demand and workload with variance in job satisfaction (Dhuryana & Hussain, 2018). Generally, the workload of teachers is higher than it is for other professionals Peters (2013) and such may have an association with how satisfied they are with their jobs. Studies have established a link between teachers’ workload and job satisfaction (Salmela‐Aro & Upadyaya, 2014; Usman & Kabir, 2019). While Herrington and Summers (2014) aver that job satisfaction of teachers is declining due to work pressure, studies on workload of teachers in special schools seems scarce despite the enormous challenges faced by special needs education but one may assume that teachers of learners with special needs with excess workloads may not be satisfied with their jobs. When teachers are dissatisfied with their jobs, difficulties may arise in coping with demands of workload (Dauber & Döring-Seipel, 2010) and their attitude towards teaching. Attitudes of teachers towards teaching differ across diverse learners and learning situations based on factors associated with value systems, school environment, conditions of service and satisfaction with teaching (Sandeep & Prahallada, 2015). Previous studies (Chimhenga, 2016; Offor & Akinlosotu, 2017; Protić-Gava, Bošković, Smajić, Simić-Panić, & Naumović, 2018) reported variations in attitudes of teachers towards teaching learners with special needs but the link between teachers’ attitude and how satisfied they are with their job is yet to be ascertained.

Irrespective of employees’ gender, workload or attitude towards teaching pupils with special needs, work environment seems to be proportional to how satisfied employees can be with their jobs. Work environment may influence mental and physical well-being as well as quality of work. As indicated by Agbozo, Owusu, Hoedoafia, and Atakorah, (2017) any of the components (psychological, social or physical) of work environment remains a sacrosanct indicator of motivation and levels of satisfaction of employees. But impact of this on the level of satisfaction among teachers in special schools is understudied. However, among Nigerian teachers in mainstream schools, studies have noted that teachers work under a harsh condition with little or no basic amenities and lower level of job satisfaction (Ahmed, 2003; Ekpoh, 2018). As indicated by Rezaee, Khoshsima, Zare-Behtash, and Sarani (2020) school environment remains one of the important elements that make teachers feel satisfied with their jobs, leading to improved performance, functionality and productivities. However, Ma and MacMillan (1999) claim that teachers’ work environment is independent of job satisfaction, while Nyamubi (2017) established a relationship between workplace conditions and job satisfaction among teachers in Tanzania.

The review of literature revealed that job satisfaction among teachers remains a contentious issue influenced by various factors, which include perceived organizational support, which has been identified as a catalyst to job satisfaction (Chinomona & Sandada, 2014). However, the connection between perceived organizational support and job satisfaction among teachers of pupils with special needs is yet to be ascertained. Yet most of the previous studies that examined the link between these constructs were conducted largely among people with white-collar jobs, compared to teaching (Chiang & Hsieh, 2012) with very few studies among teachers in mainstream schools (Chinomona & Sandada, 2014) in developing countries. Perceived organizational supporthas been described as “experienced-based attribute” attributed to organizational norms, actions, and procedures as they influence employees (Eisenberger, Armeli, Rexwinkel, Lynch, & Rhoades, 2001). Hence, employees with positive organizational support have been described as those with a higher level of job satisfaction (Eisenberger et al., 2001; Yoon & Lim, 1999). In a South African study, Chinomona and Sandada (2014) assert that perceived organizational support has a strong implication for job satisfaction. Other studies have also attributed positive perceived organizational support to job satisfaction (Bogler & Nir, 2012; Donald, Hlanganipai, & Richard, 2016; Nartey, Annan, & Nunoo, 2018; Rahaman, 2012; Shore & Tetrick, 1991) of teachers who were mainly teaching learners in regular schools. There is lack of comprehensive report on the role of perceived organizational support on job satisfaction of teachers in special schools. This is seen as a major drawback to the development of needed interventions to motivate teachers of pupils with special needs, especially in Nigeria.

2. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

Nigerian teachers teaching pupils in special schools have lamented the ill-treatment, meager salary and lack of motivation they receive as teachers (Alagbe, 2018). In fact, many of the teachers have requested for transfer to mainstream schools several times; others have consistently absented themselves from schools or even picked up another job because they were not satisfied with their status as teachers of pupils with special needs. Some studies have examined the causes of absenteeism among teachers in special schools (Obiero, Mwebi, & Nyang, 2017) while others focused on teaching strategies (Adebisi, Jerry, Rasaki, & Igwe, 2014; Aiyeleso, 2016) and structures of special schools (Odunsi, Preece, & Garner, 2017; Oluremi, 2015) in Nigeria. However, research is yet to focus on job satisfaction or dissatisfaction of teachers of pupils with special needs. Therefore, this present study examined job satisfaction of teachers of pupils with special needs as well as how personal factors and work-related factors predict job satisfaction of teachers of pupils with special needs.
This current study is hinged on the Herzberg’s motivator-hygiene theory (Herzberg, Mausner, & Snyderman, 1959). Motivated by the Maslow’s hierarchy of needsand the Herzberg’s motivator-hygiene theory, and tagging the “Two-factor theory” with their study, Alshmemri & Maude(2017)argue that employees’ dissatisfaction and satisfaction with their jobs do not have the same continuum, but the two concepts are separate and many times unrelated. According to the two-faceted paradigm, employees’ intrinsic and extrinsic needs, such as working conditions, organizational policies, interpersonal relations, as well as wages and salaries, can influence attitude to work and how satisfied or dissatisfied the employees can be (Herzberg et al., 1959). Hence, since job satisfaction or dissatisfaction is proportional to and believed to be important to teaching effectiveness and teachers’ efficiency.

This study examined the relationship between personal factors (gender and teachers’ attitude), work-related factors (workload, work environment and organizational support) and job satisfaction of teachers in special schools in Lagos State, Nigeria.

3. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Since 1976, after the establishment of the Department of Special Education, University of Ibadan, and the Federal College of Education (Special) Oyo in 1977, the awareness about educating children with special needs has significantly increased in Nigeria. In this study, “children with special needs” is conceptualized as those children with congenital or acquired disabling conditions significant enough to impact on their cognitive, affective and psychomotor functioning to the extent that they can only acquire educational instruction through specialized instructional models in special schools. The Salamanca Framework of Action (UNESCO, 1994) also contributed immensely to the development of special education in Nigeria, aiding the establishment of more public and private special educational/inclusive centres, especially in Lagos State, Nigeria. However, despite the growing trend and awareness of special needs education in the country, special education still lags behind in structure, content and output (Adebisi et al., 2014; Aiyeleso, 2016; Oluremi, 2015) . According to Aiyeleso (2016) special education in Nigeria suffers systemic challenges, inclusive of inadequate funding, dilapidated educational facilities, negative societal attitudes, policy and bureaucratic difficulties, poor service condition and lack of incentive for teachers in special schools. In recent times, the aforementioned challenges of special needs education have resulted in low morale, absenteeism (Luthans, 2002) frequent request for transfer, underperformance and dissatisfaction with teaching in special schools (Kinyua & Munyi, 2018). Previous studies have examined the causes and implications of such challenges (Adebisi et al., 2014; Bolu-Steve, Olawuyi, & Gbolade, 2017) but there is a dearth of studies on issues on the effect of personal and work-related factors on job satisfaction of teachers in special schools in Nigeria. Therefore, this study examined the relationship between personal factors (gender and teachers attitude), work-related factors (workload, work environment and organizational support) and job satisfaction of teachers of pupils with special needs as well as how personal factors and work-related factors predict job satisfaction of teachers of pupils with special needs. Based on the reviewed literature and specific aim of this study, it was hypothesized that there is a significant relationship between gender, work experience, workload, attitude, work environment, as well as organizational support and job satisfaction of teachers of pupils with special needs. It was further hypothesized that gender, work experience, workload, attitude, work environment, as well as organizational support will predict job satisfaction of teachers of children with special needs.

4. MATERIALS AND METHOD

4.1. Study Design

This study adopted the descriptive survey research design to collect data from teachers of pupils with special needs in public special schools in Lagos State, Nigeria between November 4 and November 29, 2019.

4.2. Sample and Sampling Procedure

Three (3) inclusive schools, 4 mainstream schools and 1 segregated school located within the mainland in Lagos State were purposively selected for the study and one hundred teachers of pupils with special needs from these schools were randomly selected for the study. One hundred copies of the research instrument were distributed among the teachers but 93 teachers (males, n = 33; females, n = 60) returned as completed and properly filled copies of the instrument. The response rate of 93%, based on the assertion of Bryman (2016)was considered adequate. All respondents and school authorities provided informed consent prior to completion of the research instrument.

4.3. Measuring Instruments

Copies of the research instrument tagged “Teachers’ Job Satisfaction Scale (TJSS)” (See Appendix) were given to the respondents which they responded to in the presence of the author and/ or research assistant that was stationed to provide information on any further clarification which the respondents may have required. The instrument ‘TJSS’ which takes an average of 17 minutes for completion was designed in English language being the official language in Nigeria and a medium of teaching in Nigeria Special Schools. The scale was subdivided into five sections A to E. Section A was a 9-item section which sought demographic information, such as gender, work experience, type of school and average number of working hours. Section B was a 20-item attitude towards teaching scale (Patchaivaziamman & Krishnamurthy, 2010) which was designed on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from “Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree”. Section C, The Working Environment Scale 10 (WES-10) (Rossberg, Eiring, & Friis, 2004) contained questions such as “Does what you do on the ward give you a chance to see how good your abilities really are?” The WES-10 gave the respondents opportunities to pick any of the options “Not at all”, “To a small extent”, “To some extent”, “To a large extent” and “To a very large extent”. Section D of the TJSS was the 8-item Perceived Organizational Support (Eisenberger, Cummings, Armeli, & Lynch, 1997) designed on the 4-point Likert scale of 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 4 (Strongly Agree). Lastly, the 20-item Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) (Weiss, Dawis, England, & Lofquist, 1967) formed Section E of the TJSS.

However, before the author could conclude on using the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) to assess job satisfaction of Nigeria teachers in special schools, other job satisfaction measuring instruments such as the 9-item Teachers’ Job Satisfaction Scale (Pepe, 2011), Teaching Satisfaction Scale (Ho & Au, 2006), Job Satisfaction Questionnaire (Singh, 1989)andJob Satisfaction Scale (Munir & Khatoon, 2015) were also carefully considered.Out of these job satisfaction measuring instruments, this study was comfortable with the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire because it addressed more than just the extrinsic and intrinsic variables by focusing more on general satisfaction. In addition the MSQ have being widely used in developing countries especially in Africa (Appiah-Agyekum, Suapim, & Peprah, 2013; Emoja, 2016; George, Louw, & Badenhorst, 2008; Gwavuya, 2010) with a reported high psychometric properties (Bolton, 1986; Larson, 2011) but there is a dearth of its usage to assess job satisfaction of teachers in special schools. Hence, Section E, the 20-item Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnairewas selected with five options of 5 = ‘Extremely Satisfied’, 4 = ‘Very Satisfied’, 3 = ‘Satisfied’, 2 = ‘Somewhat Satisfied’, and 1 = ‘Not Satisfied’. For this study, the Cronbach’s alpha for the TJSS was 0.78, while the 20-item attitude towards teaching scale, Working Environment Scale 10 (WES-10), 8-item Perceived Organizational Support and Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire had a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.76, 0.50, 0.77 and 0.83 respectively.

4.4. Data Analysis

The data collected was input into the IBM-SPSS version 23. Frequency count and simple percentages, Pearson Product Moment Correlation and hierarchical multiple regression were used for data analysis at 0.05 level of significance. Frequency count and simple percentages were used to describe the characteristics of the respondents, while the relationship between the independent variables (gender, workload, teachers’ attitude, work environment and organizational support) and the dependent variable (job satisfaction) was determined by Pearson Product Moment Correlation. Relevant assumptions of hierarchical multiple regression were tested before conducting the hierarchical multiple regression for this study. The sample size of 93 used in the study was considered adequate based on the five independent variables included in the analysis (Tabachnick & Fidell, 2001).

The analysis was initiated first by ensuring that the assumption of singularity was met and bivariate correlation analysis revealed Table 1 and that none of the independent variables were highly correlated. Also, it was ensured that the analysis met the assumption of collinearity statistics (Coakes, 2005). The Durbin-Watson test was used to confirm independence of error. A five-stage hierarchical multiple regression was conducted with job satisfaction as the dependent variable. Gender was entered at stage 1 of the regression, workload at stage 2, teachers’ attitude at stage 3, work environment at stage 4 and organization support at stage 5. Values of R were described as variance explained by each predictor variable, while the values of R square change were described as additional variance explained after controlling for other variables of the study. Beta values were described as proportion of unique contribution made by each variable when others were constant.

5. RESULTS

A total of 33(35.5%) male and 60 (64.5%) female teachers responded to the survey questionnaire. About 1.1% of the respondents had taught for about 5 years; 65.5% had teaching experience of 6-10years; 4.3% had about 11-15 years of teaching children with special needs; and 16.1% had also taught children with special needs for more than 16 years. Only 23.7% of the respondents described their workload as high, while others (76.3%) described their workload as moderate. Also, 22.6% of the respondents were currently teaching in inclusive schools; 38.7% in mainstream schools; and 38.7% in segregated educational institutions. Furthermore, descriptive statistics for the variables and bivariate correlations of gender, workload, teachers’ attitude, work environment, organizational support and job satisfaction of teachers of pupils with special needs were determined.

The correlation, as shown in Table 1, indicated that job satisfaction of teachers of pupils with special needs significantly correlated with gender (r (93) = -.415, p< 0.05), workload (r (93) = .342, p< 0.05), work environment (r (93) = .286, p< 0.05), and organizational support (r (93) = .526, p< 0.05), but not with teachers’ attitude (r (93) = -.038, p> 0.05). This implies that attitude of teachers towards teaching pupils with special needs has no connection with how satisfied they are with their job but other independent variables (gender, workload, work environment and organizational support) have strong affinity with job satisfaction among teachers of pupils with special needs in Lagos State.

Table-1. Inter-correlation between gender, workload, teachers’ attitude, work environment, as well as organizational support and job satisfaction.

Variables		1	2	3	4	5	6
1	Gender	1
2	Workload	-380**	1
3	Teachers’ Attitude	-.046	.253*	1
4	Work Environment	.085	-.262*	-.333**	1
5	Organizational Support	-.160	.035	-.359**	.250*	1
6	Job Satisfaction	-.415**	.342**	-.038	.286**	.526**	1
	Mean	1.65	2.24	40.677	30.419	21.397	58.516
	Standard Deviation	0.481	0.427	6.240	4.194	3.093	8.825

Note:**Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).
*Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed).

Furthermore, hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted to determine the relative contribution of the independent variables (gender, workload, teachers’ attitude, work environment, and organizational support) to the prediction of job satisfaction of the teachers. As shown in Table 2, the hierarchical multiple regression revealed at the first stage gender contributed significant to the regression model (F(1, 91) = 18.899, p< 0.05) and accounted for 17.2% of the variation in job satisfaction of the teachers. In stage 2, workload explained an additional 4% variance in job satisfaction (F (1, 90) = 4.532, p< 0.05). Adding teacher’s attitude to the regression model explained an additional 1.3% variance in job satisfaction but this change in R2 was insignificant (F (1, 89) = 1.439, p> 0.05). The addition of work environment to the regression model explained an additional 13.5% variance in job satisfaction (F (1, 88) = 18.528, p< 0.05). Lastly, the addition of organizational support to the regression model further explained an additional 16.3% variance in job satisfaction of the respondents (F (1, 87) = 4.532, p< 0.05). In stages 3, 4 and 5, teachers’ attitude was not significant when added to the regression model. The most important prediction of job satisfaction among the teachers was gender, which uniquely explained 17.2% of the variation in job satisfaction. This was closely followed by organizational support, which explained 16.3% variance in job satisfaction. Collectively, the five independent variables accounted for 52.3% variance in job satisfaction of the teachers.

Table-2. Hierarchical multiple regression with job satisfaction as dependent variable

Variable	Β	T	R2	Adjusted R2	R2 Change
Step 1			.172	.163	.172
Gender	-.415	-4.347*
Step 2			.212	.194	.040
Gender	-.333	-3.288*
Workload	.215	2.129*
Step 3			.224	.198	.013
Gender	-.326	-3.223*
Workload	.247	3.369*
Teachers’ Attitude	-.116	-1.199*
Step 4			.359	.330	.135
Gender	-.326	-3.526*
Workload	.323	3.327*
Teachers’ Attitude	-.003	-.029
Work Environment	.394	4.304*
Step 5			.522	.494	.163
Gender	-.259	-3.192*
Workload	.273	3.226*
Teachers’ Attitude	.147	1.732
Work Environment	.316	3.877*
Perceived Organizational Support	.449	5.443*

Note:*Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed).

6. DISCUSSION

This study determined the relationship between personal factors (gender and teachers’ attitude), work-related factors (workload, work environment and organizational support) and job satisfaction of the teachers of pupils as well as how personal factors and work-related factors predict job satisfaction of the teachers. The findings revealed a significant relationship between gender, workload, work environment, as well as organizational support and job satisfaction, while attitude of teachers had no correlation with how satisfied the teachers were with their jobs. This finding is consistent with the finding that attributed gender of employee to how satisfied or dissatisfied they can be with their jobs (Abushaira, 2012;Demirel, 2014;Menon & Athanasoula-Reppa, 2011; Ogedengbe et al., 2018) . However, the finding of this study does not support the report of Gihar and Mishra (2018) who indicated that gender and job satisfaction did not correlate. Consistent with earlier studies (Agbozo et al., 2017; Chinomona & Sandada, 2014; Ekpoh, 2018; Peters, 2013; Rezaee et al., 2020; Usman & Kabir, 2019) the current study showed that teachers’ workload, working environment and conditions as well as support received by teachers from their school administrators were linked to job satisfaction. While Abdalkrim and Elhalim (2016) exposed a strong correspondence between employees’ attitude at work and their satisfaction with their job, this study identified the role played by organizational support and how well teachers in special schools are satisfied with teaching pupils with special needs. Based on this finding, this study noted that, when organizational policies are encouraging and positive, teachers tend to stay longer on the job and seem satisfied with their job in special schools.The hypothesis which states that the independent variables will predict job satisfaction of teachers of pupils in special schools revealed that all independent variables, except attitude of the respondents, predicted satisfaction of the teachers.

In this study, gender also had the highest prediction of job satisfaction among teachers of pupils in special schools on the mainland in Lagos state, Nigeria. Based on this result and the availability of the population of female teachers in special schools to respond to study instrument and the population of females in various Special/Inclusive Unit of the Lagos State Universal Education Board, it is convenient to say that female teachers are favorably disposed to teaching pupils with special needs. The reason for this conclusion is not farfetched from the public opinion that teaching is a ‘woman’s job’ (Ullah, 2016). As indicated by Gruneberg (1979);Jorde (1984);Skelton (2009) and Ullah (2016) the implication of gender on job satisfaction of teachers can further be understood by the social phenomenon towards job satisfaction than with the aspect of career. In terms of social phenomenon, teaching is majorly concerned with caregiving which naturally is a part of social role of women. Women are socially ‘wired’ by nature to care and nurture children. Hence, the ‘soft spot’ in them may have endeared them to teaching pupils in special schools.

This study negates the 1994 report of Nwagwu who found a higher population of male than female teachers in Nigeria. Although, since the published report of Nwagwu (1994) a lot has changed in policies and framework that have led to the increase of females enrolled in various educational institutions in Nigeria and increased opportunities to be economically independent while engaging in a job that suited their status. Hence, based on this current finding, it is convenient to report in support of previous studies (Gligorović, Terek, Glušac, Sajfert, & Adamović, 2014; Kabungaidze, Mahlatshana, & Ngirande, 2013; Klassen, Usher, & Bong, 2010; Njiru, 2014; Popoola & Oluwole, 2007; Shaukat et al., 2019) that females may be more satisfied with teaching pupils with special needs than males.

In addition, organizational support was found as the second highest predictor of job satisfaction. This finding supports earlier studies (Chinomona & Sandada, 2014; Donald et al., 2016; Nartey et al., 2018) . In this study, workload of the teachers was found to be the second to the least predictor of job satisfaction. This implies that teachers of pupils with special needs may not be satisfied with their job when they are overloaded with tasks. Teachers generally have workloads considered as excess (Peters, 2013). Herrington and Summers (2014); Sugden (2010);Walker, Worth, and Van den Brande (2019) discuss the implication of excessive teachers’ workload on dissatisfaction with teaching and view it as a primary factor in request to leave the profession early. Teachers’ attitude towards teaching was found to be the least predictor of job satisfaction among the teachers. This implies that negative disposition towards job may be a turnoff for job satisfaction. Aziri (2011) asserts that job satisfaction is more of attitude than the other factors observed in this current study, while Armstrong (2006) avers that unfavorable or negative attitude of employees towards job is an indication of job dissatisfaction.

7. CONCLUSION

In conclusion, this study found a relationship between gender, workload, work environment, as well as organizational support and job satisfaction, while gender and organizational support were strong predictors of job satisfaction for the sampled teachers. Based on the foregoing, teachers of pupils with special needs should be encouraged through rewards and incentives in terms of rapid promotion, ‘special’ allowance, award of commendation and opportunities for training that will enhance human capacity. School administrators in special needs educational schools/facilities should strive to ensure positive work climate devoid of rancor among the teaching and non-teaching staff in special schools. Such school/work environment should promote social cohesion and motivation to support pupils with special needs. Most importantly, school administration, local and state education authorities should institute policies that will support professional development and reduce workloads of teachers of pupils with special needs. Organizational support systems that will motivate such teachers are highly recommended. A limitation of this study was that only teachers of pupils with special needs in the mainland of Lagos state were captured in this study, however, future studies that may seek to further explore job satisfaction among teachers of pupils with special needs in Nigeria should explore a larger population of teachers in special schools in all the six states of the South west Nigeria. Also, an African cross-country study of job satisfaction among similar population should also be initiated.

Funding: This study received no specific financial support.

Competing Interests: The author declares that there are no conflicts of interests regarding the publication of this paper.

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APPENDIX

Teachers’ Job Satisfaction Scale

Dear Respondent,

This questionnaire is designed to assess issues of job satisfaction among teachers of learners with special needs. All information given will be treated with absolute confidentiality.
Kindly, supply the required information as it applies to you.
Thank you.

Section A
Demographic features

Gender: Male ( ) Female ( )
Work experience: 0-5 years ( ) 6-10 years ( ) 11-25 year ( ) 16-20 years ( ) 21 and above ( )
Marital status: Married ( ) Single ( ) Separated/Divorced ( ) Widowed ( )
a. Type of school: Public ( ) Private ( )
b. Type of school: Inclusive school ( ) Mainstream school ( ) Segregated school ( )
What is the average number of hours you teach in a week? ________________
Do you have additional school assignment apart from teaching activities? Yes ( ) No ( )
How can you describe your workload? Low ( ) Moderate ( ) High ( )
Is your job stressful? Yes ( ) No ( ) I don’t know ( )

Section B
Attitude towards Teaching Scale(Patchaivaziamman & Krishnamurthy, 2010)
Instructions: Statements related to your Attitude towards teaching are given in this table. Read each statement carefully and give your answer according to your feeling. Your answer is in a 4-point scale from Strongly agree to Strongly disagree according to your state of agreement with that particular statement. The options are: SA-Strongly Agree, A-Agree, DA-Disagree, SDA-Strongly Disagree

	SA	A	DA	SDA
Classroom teaching is a joyful activity.
Teaching offers more power and authority than any other jobs.
Content taught in schools are relevant to students’ needs.
Students’ self-discipline is always better than enforced discipline.
Teaching profession gives me self-fulfillment.
I have chosen teaching as my career because of good number of holidays available in teaching profession.
I feel that I am gifted to be in the midst of teaching community.
Visual aids are time consuming and shortening lecture part.
Teaching profession always has good scope for enhancing one’s personality.
Appreciating students has no effect on their progress.
Continuous association with students makes me to forget my worries.
The best way of correcting a mischievous student is to punish him severely in front of others.
Students rarely create problems
Students should not be given responsibility as they don’t have prior experience.
Each student has specific ability in a particular subject.
I feel that classroom teaching periods are too long.
The principle of learning by doing can be implemented in classroom teaching.
Class room teaching should be teacher centered
Classroom teaching enables the students to develop reasoning ability.
There is no need to refer many books related to my subject for handling the classes.

Source: Patchaivaziamman and Krishnamurthy (2010).

Section C

1. Does what you do on the ward give you a chance to see how good your abilities really are?