Relationship Among Supervisors' Transformational and Transactional Leadership Styles, and Teachers' Job Satisfaction in Taiwan Higher Education

Author

Chi-Ling Sung, Lynn University

Date of Award

2007

Document Type

Dissertation

Granting Institution

Lynn University

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PHD)

Degree Program

Global Leadership - with a specialization in Educational Leadership

Department

College of Education

First Advisor

William J. Leary

Second Advisor

Debra L. Ainbinder

Third Advisor

Leah Kinniburgh

Abstract

This study examined the influence of supervisors' transformational and transactional leadership styles on job satisfaction of college and university in Taiwan. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between supervisors' transformational and transactional leadership styles, and the satisfaction of Taiwan's higher education instructors. The number of teachers at the university level in Taiwan rose 36.8% from 1951 to 2004; therefore faculty job satisfaction is an important issue. Schools want to keep their faculty and reputation to maintain a competitive edge. This non-experimental, quantitative, explanatory correlation and explanatory comparative survey research explores the relationship between supervisors' transformational and transactional leadership styles and the job satisfaction of Taiwan's college and university faculty.

This study utilized two questionnaires and five demographic and work profiles. The two questionnaires were: The transformational leadership and transactional leadership of the MLQ-5x short-form developed by Bass and Avolio (1995), and Teacher Job Satisfaction Questionnaire (TJSQ) developed by Lester (1984). In this study, 500 full-time teachers in Taiwan higher education were randomly selected. These questionnaires were mailed to them along with an introduction letter and a consent form.

One hundred and fifty-seven of the 500 survey instruments were returned, yielding a return rate of 31%. Thirty were excluded, leaving 127 valid-survey instruments. The data were analyzed using the statistical software program SPSS12.0. Data analysis consisted of descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis, independent t-test and multiple regression analysis.

The study found that teachers who perceived transformational leadership were the most satisfied with their jobs. In contrast, teachers who perceived transactional leadership reported less job satisfaction. In addition, Taiwanese higher education teachers with the most teaching experience were the more satisfied. Teacher job satisfaction increased with years of teaching experience. This study was limited to the relationship between supervisors' transformational and transactional leadership styles, and teachers' job satisfaction in higher education institutions in Taiwan. Future studies should add laissez-faire leadership to the research questions and hypotheses.

Recommended Citation

Sung, C. (2007). Relationship Among Supervisors' Transformational and Transactional Leadership Styles, and Teachers' Job Satisfaction in Taiwan Higher Education [Doctoral dissertation, Lynn University]. SPIRAL. https://spiral.lynn.edu/etds/170