Parents’ counterproductive behaviors at school: an analysis of teachers’ job satisfaction and autonomy

Job satisfaction is a substantial topic in our daily lives. Kahneman and Krueger suggested that it is a strong predictor of general subjective well-being. Furthermore, teachers’ job satisfaction is an important protective factor from on job stress and it is able to mitigate situations of teachers’ distress managing parents’ counterproductive behaviors at school. As a matter of fact, the continual exposure to parents’ counterproductive behaviors can deplete teachers’ emotional and physical resources, reducing the levels of job satisfaction. The present study explores the relationship among teachers’ job satisfaction, parents’ counterproductive behaviors and other organizational and personal variables in a sample of primary and secondary teachers (N = 1025) of Lombardy region (Italy). Discriminant Analysis was conducted by using the job satisfaction variable. The results show that the discriminant function predicts 76.9% of cases in groups Uncooperative and uninvolved behaviors seem to characterize the unsatisfied group, while overprotective dimension does not contribute significantly to the discriminant function. The implications of the study are discussed in the light of empirical research on effects of teacher training courses. Specifically, in order to increase teachers’ job satisfaction it seems to be useful to concentrate organizational efforts on involving parents showing low level of cooperation. Keywords: teachers’ job satisfaction, counterproductive behaviors, parental involvement, discriminant analysis. Uncooperative and uninvolved behaviors seem to characterize the unsatisfied group, while overprotective dimension does not contribute significantly to the discriminant function. The implications of the study are discussed in the light of empirical research on effects of teacher training courses. Specifically, in order to increase teachers’ job satisfaction it seems to be useful to concentrate organizational efforts on involving parents showing low level of cooperation.

Keywords: Teachers’ job satisfaction, counterproductive behaviors, parental involvement, discriminant analysis.

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