Nuanced Relationships between Teacher Collaboration and Job Satisfaction

Olha Ketsman, Northern Illinois UniversityFollow
Todd Reeves, Northern Illinois UniversityFollow

Keywords

teachers, job satisfaction, collaboration, informal learning, structural equation modeling

Abstract

This explanatory correlational study examined nuanced relationships between teacher collaboration and teacher job satisfaction in two school districts in Illinois. A total of N=231 K-12 teachers responded to established measures of teacher job satisfaction and teacher collaboration from the 2018 Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS). Structural equation modeling revealed a small positive relationship between one form of collaboration among teachers—professional collaboration in lessons—and job satisfaction with the profession specifically. However, two other forms of collaboration, namely teacher exchange and coordination and professional learning community collaboration, were statistically unrelated to teachers’ satisfaction with both the workplace and the profession after conditioning on professional collaboration in lessons. Limitations, implications, and future directions for research are discussed.

Recommended Citation

Ketsman, Olha and Reeves, Todd (2025) "Nuanced Relationships between Teacher Collaboration and Job Satisfaction," Mid-Western Educational Researcher: Vol. 37: Iss. 1, Article 3.
Available at: https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/mwer/vol37/iss1/3