1. Introduction

Teachers play an important role in enabling Kenya achieve the objective of education for all in 2020 (UNESCO, 2014). Babita & Gurmit (2014) point out that teachers who are not satisfied with their job might be less committed hence, perform below their capabilities and that the teaching profession is facing problems related to teachers’ job satisfaction. Parasuraman, Uli & Abdalla (2009) agree that the general perception is that teachers in the government schools are dissatisfied with their profession. Ogochi (2014)’s study in Transmara, Kenya also agrees that lack of job satisfaction has led to low performance in national examinations and that people cannot develop their full potential when their esteem is low and not appreciated.

Job satisfaction is a major concern in the world and Kinman & Wray (2014) describe teaching as an emotional activity and teachers experience emotional exhaustion, burnout and depersonalization. Concerns about teacher turnover and attrition are reported widely as global complex phenomenon whereby in Britain, teacher attrition is reported as a national. Similarly, in USA, teacher shortages as a result of turnover are widely reported in many states (Markley & Ingersoll, 2003). Farid & Akhtar (2013) argue that self-esteem is an overall evaluation of oneself in either positive or negative way and that the teacher plays a vital role in shaping the child’s perception of himself and his environment therefore the teacher is bound to have a low self-esteem while performing his duty while Salim, Nasir, Arip & Mustafa (2012) point out that to better understand what self-esteem will have a relation to, one should take a broader look of self and consider not only esteem level (high or low) but also self-esteem contingencies. A study in Ireland by Reilly & Eithne, (2012) revealed that teachers who are dissatisfied with their work exhibit lower commitment and therefore they are ultimately at a greater risk of leaving their profession. Reilly & Eithne (2012) further emphasize that while teaching may bring personal satisfaction, teachers with greater teacher stress have a lower self–efficacy, poor teacher-student relations and lower levels of effectiveness.

A study by Salim, Nasir, Arip & Mustafa, (2012) highlighted out that high esteem role of teachers has made teaching profession to be extremely challenging and demanding, a situation that has forced teachers into a hectic and busy schedule, resulting to experiencing high level of stress, unhappiness and job dissatisfaction. Salim et al., (2012) further argue that on one hand, job satisfaction enhances organizational commitment, organizational citizenship behavior and employee wellbeing. Teachers who are satisfied with jobs usually have a high degree of professional competence and teaching skills, and feel secured about classroom management.

In another study, Chang, Ferris, Johnson Rosen & Tan (2012) emphasized that core self-evaluation is an umbrella term which includes self-esteem, self-efficacy, locus of control and emotional stability for job satisfaction and if an employee feels bad and has failures at work, then they will think less of their job. In Nigeria, Akomolafe & Ogunmakin (2014) highlighted that consequences of job dissatisfaction are absenteeism from schools, turnover, aggressive behavior towards colleagues and learners, early exit from the teaching profession and psychological withdrawal from work.

Muguonga, Muguna & Muriithi (2015) study in Kenya indicates that compensation plays an important role in determining employees’ job satisfaction. According to Muguonga et al., (2015), the perception of being paid what one is worth predicts job satisfaction. Teachers in Kenya have always downed their tools lamenting about their compensation which has raised concern about their job satisfaction. However, it was not clear the influence self-esteem on teachers’ job satisfaction to cause the many stand offs. Similarly, a study in Kiharu Kenya, Njiru (2014) points out that effective teaching to realize educational objectives demanded motivated and satisfied teachers yet majority of teachers in Kenya have portrayed lack of motivation in their places of work. Njiru (2014) further points out that people could not develop their potential if their esteem was low and when they felt unappreciated.

In another study by Wachira & Gathungu (2013) explored job satisfaction factors that influence the performance of secondary school principals in their administrative functions in Mombasa district, Kenya. Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) and Kenya Union of Post Primary Teachers (KUPPET) frequent agitations, which revealed that teachers were not well paid and kept on bargaining for wage increases for their members. Research in the area of teachers' job satisfaction has focused on the contributors and consequences of satisfaction. It has been shown that job satisfaction is related to positive outcomes including teacher retention and increased performance. Conversely, low job satisfaction has been related to teacher attrition, absenteeism and poor performance among others (Ofuani, 2010). Otanga & Mange (2014) in Kenya revealed that teachers' job satisfaction was low. The Teacher Working Conditions Initiative Preliminary Report of Findings, Executive Summary (March 2003), a working paper developed from NCES (1997) showed that teachers were not satisfied with their conditions of work and felt least satisfied with the amount of time they had to do their jobs. Other studies (George, Louw & Badenhorst, 2008; Strydom, Nortje, Beukes & Van der, 2012) indicated that teachers had average job satisfaction which did not differ on grounds of gender.

Although several studies (Parasuraman et al., 2009; Jessen, 2010; Wachira & Gathungu, 2013; Njiru, 2014; Kabugaidezea, Mahlatshana & Ngirande, 2013 and Kinman & Wray, 2014) have been done in the education sector, and none has been done to investigate the influence of self-esteem on job satisfaction of secondary school teachers in Kisii Central Sub-County, Kenya. There have been demonstrations by teachers in Kenya, job dissatisfaction has not yet been solved and many at times one would not get teachers in their places of work where they are supposed to be (Wachira & Gathungu, 2013).

2. Research Methodology

This study adopted the Ex Post Facto research design which Lemmers & Badia (2005) define as a research design in which the independent variable or variables have already occurred and in which the researcher starts with the observation of the dependent variable or variables in retrospect for their possible relations to and effects on the dependent variable or variables. This research design was chosen because sometimes one wants to study things they cannot control, things they cannot ethically or physically control (Lemmers & Badia, 2005). In the present study, self-esteem has already occurred and could not be changed. In addition, the study adopted a mixed method approach in which both qualitative and quantitative data were collected. Combining both quantitative and qualitative data enabled the researcher to best understand and explain a research problem (Creswell, 2014). This procedure seemed to capture the complexity of teachers' perceptions of their workplace conditions. Interviews assisted in achieving a more behaviorally related assessment of the participants' lives at work and a better indication of the exact factors that contributed to their levels job dissatisfaction (George et al., 2008). The target population for this study comprised all public secondary school teachers in Kisii Central Sub-County. Kisii Central Sub-County has a total of 60 registered secondary schools (County Education Office, 2015) with a total of 903 secondary school teachers (Teachers’ Service Commission, Kisii, 2015). The total population in the study was 903 out of which 306 were sampled. Thirty-seven were sampled from a total of 110 in National Schools, 43 from 128 in the Extra County schools, 76 from 228 in County Schools and 150 from 437 in Sub County Schools.

The study further stratified the sampled 306 according to gender, to ensure that both female and male teachers were represented (Creswell, 2014). Twelve secondary school teachers were also purposively selected participated in the qualitative study (Guest, Arwen & Laura, 2013). The present study used questionnaire (Sorensen’s self-esteem Scale for Secondary School Teachers and job Satisfaction Questionnaire for Secondary School Teachers) and interview schedule for the Secondary School Principals to collect data. Questionnaires contained questions in which respondents described themselves on a 5-Point Likert Scale where (1) SA- Strongly Agree (2) A-Agree (3) N-Neutral (4) D-Disagree (5) SD-Strongly Disagree. Validity was ensured by the assistance of two supervisors’ judgment, and for reliability, Cronbach’s Alpha was found to be 0.764. Quantitative data was analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics while qualitative data was analyzsed using thematic Analysis according to Braun and Clarke, (2006). Verbatim quotations from interviews were transcribed and coded as themes emerged (Raburu, 2015).

3. Findings and Discussion

Self-esteem describes the person’s overall sense of self-worth or personal value and is often seen as a personality trait, which tends to be stable or enduring.

The hypothesis under study:

“There is no statistically significant influence of self-esteem on job satisfaction of secondary school teachers in Kisii Central Sub-County”.

The study showed that most teachers in Kisii Sub-County held a variety of beliefs about self, such as the appraisal of one’s own appearance, beliefs, emotions and behaviors, as indicated in Tables 1 and 2, which shows the summary of responses on Sorensen’s self-esteem scale which reveals that self-esteem level varies across the teachers who were surveyed for the study. The study showed that most teachers in Kisii Sub-County held a variety of beliefs about self. Such beliefs include; appraisal of one’s own appearance, beliefs, emotions and behaviors, as indicated in Table 1 showing the summary of responses on Sorensen’s self-esteem scale.

Table 1. Measure of Self-Esteem among the Respondents (N=262)

Table 2. Continuation of Measure of Self-Esteem among the Respondents (N=262)

Results on Table 1 show the teachers’ response that majority [210(80.1%)] of the teachers who participated in the survey generally felt anxious in new social situations where they did not know what was expected of them. In addition, although 127 (48.4%) of the teachers said they were never anxious and fearful most of the times, some 96 (36.6%) confirmed that they were always apprehensive and nervous most of the times, an indication of low self-esteem. Similarly, in a study in Canada, Sciangula and Morry (2009) established that high self-esteem individuals generally felt worthwhile as human beings, and respected themselves, yet they were aware of their faults. In another study in Ireland, Fitzmaurice (2012) revealed that individuals with low self-esteem often felt deficient, unworthy and inadequate as human beings, and in addition they allowed their perceived weaknesses to dominate how they felt about themselves. In contrast, in Singapore, Ferris, Lian, Pang, and Keeping, (2010) observed that although individuals may encounter successes and failures in many different domains during their lifetime, it is likely that only a small subset of these outcomes will have the ability of influencing how they felt about themselves.

On criticism, it emerged that many of the teachers seemed to be more sensitive on criticism. For example, whereas nearly half, 129(49.2%), of the teachers who took part in the study held a perception that other people were very focused on and critical of-what they said or did, 91(34.7%) others felt otherwise, as 42(16.0%) remained undecided on the issue. On the same note, the study findings revealed that while one out of four, 64(25.2%), of the respondents believed that they accepted criticism about themselves, majority of them confirmed that they found it difficult to hear and tolerate condemnation about themselves. However nearly one out of five, 38(19.5%), teachers in the study remained non-committal on how they would react on criticism. Results show that 154(58.8%) of the teachers who were surveyed often got defensive and striked back when they perceived that they were being critical. This implies that they may not have been criticized and did not know how they would behave when confronted with criticism. In a similar study in Singapore, Ferris et al., (2010) revealed in their study that, “individuals will be motivated to perform on a task or job in a manner which is consistent with [their] self-image,” suggesting a positive main effect of self-esteem level on job performance. In contrast, in Greece, according to Karavas, (2010) majority (almost 70%) found that teaching increased their self-esteem (68.8%) and did not show any intention of leaving the teaching profession since they expressed total commitment to teaching (72.1%), and did not regret their career choice (75.2%).

Results from the present study indicates that about a half 132 (50.4%) of the surveyed teachers bluntly agreed that they were critical of themselves and others, however, 46 (17.6%) of them remained non-committal on how they thought of themselves and others. Results show that most 186(70.9%) of the sampled teachers feared being made to look like fools and 130(49.6%) others alluded that they feared making a mistake which others might see. Self-esteem has been argued by researchers as yielding a suite of behavioral effects which are beneficial both to the individual and to society at large (Krueger, Vohs & Baumeister, 2008) Almost in an equal proportion many of the teachers agreed as others disagreed that they tended to magnify their mistakes and minimize their successes. Those who accepted to magnify their mistakes while minimizing their success mostly had a low self-concept and vice-versa. This finding revealed near equal ratio of high and low self-esteem among the teachers of Kisii Central Sub-County. In a similar study in Ireland, Fitzmaurice (2012) established that “a person with high self-esteem will view a challenging job as a deserved opportunity which he can master and benefit from, whereas a person with low self-esteem is more likely to view it as an undeserved opportunity or a chance to fail”. In addition, According to Pierce and Gardner (2004), individuals who believe themselves to be worthy and valuable in general are likely to believe that they are worthy and valuable in specific settings, such as the workplace.

It emerged that whereas 58(22.2%) of the sampled teachers denied, majority of 167(63.8%) of them accepted that they often felt depressed about things they said and did, or things they failed to say or do. On the same note, whereas 115(43.9%) of the sampled teachers confirmed that they always avoided making changes in their life because they were always fearful of making mistakes or failing, 68(26%), said they never minded make changes in their life because making mistakes never scared them. In a similar argument, the study findings established that 119(45.5%) of the teachers in Kisii Central Sub-County always easily got embarrassed even with very little provocation. Seventy- seven (29%) of the teachers strongly agreed that they had periods in which they felt devastated and/or depressed, however 68(25.9%) said they could not recall periods in their lives that felt devastated for no reason.

In a similar study in the U.S.A Bell (2009) established that African American children appeared to have higher rather than lower self- esteem than the white Americans. On trust, the study findings revealed that nearly a half, 129(49.2%), of the respondents alluded that they had difficulty in knowing who to trust and when to trust, 89(34.0%) of the study respondents said they occasionally trusted some people.

Further analysis of the respondents’ views on self-esteem revealed that, considerable population of secondary school teachers who were surveyed always suffered the effects of fear and lack confidence in themselves. For example, slightly over two thirds, 176(67.1%), of the respondents agreed that they had not accomplished what they were capable of doing due to fear and avoidance. In addition, 98(37.4%) of the respondents strongly agreed that they occasionally succumbed to fear and tended to let fear and anxiety control many of their decisions. One out of five, 53(20.2%), of the teachers expressed strong feeling that fear and avoidance had never hindered them from achieving what they were supposed to achieve. In contrast to the findings, a study in Switzerland by Ackerman Witt, Donnellan, Trzesniewski, Robins & Kashy (2011) reported that self-esteem involves feelings of self-acceptance and self-respect, in contrast to the excessive self-regard and self-aggrandizement characterizing narcissistic individuals. The findings of the study further revealed that failure to accomplish task by teachers on time was due to dawdling in execution of the tasks given to them.

This was confirmed by 90(34.4%) of sampled teachers who strongly agreed that they often procrastinated when given work to do, only 76(32.8%) of them insisted that they postponed work they were meant to do. About a quarter, 70(26.7%), of the teachers who participated in the study strongly agreed that they often felt like they didn’t know what was expected of them. However, some 59(22.5%) others alluded that when assigned any tasks they sought clarification of what was expected of them after which they got to know what was expected of them. In contrast, a study in Switzerland by Erol & Orth (2011) reported that individuals with particular personality traits were more likely to experience increases in their self-esteem as they went through life; specifically, individuals who were emotionally stable, conscientious, and extraverted tend to show more positive self-esteem development than those low on these traits

It emerged from the present study that, the proportion of teachers in Kisii Central Sub-County who expressed self-confidence was almost equal in proportion to those who had shown lack of confidence when it came to daily dealings. For example, 56(21.4%) of the respondents revealed that they often felt like they didn’t know the right thing to do or to say and another 54(20.2%) others said they never nursed feelings of incompetence. Nearly a fifth, 51(19.5%), of the teachers who exuded self-confidence believed that they had higher standards than others. Contrastingly to the study in Switzerland, a study by Orth, Robins, & Widaman (2012) reported that although individuals differed in the particular trajectory they followed, the longitudinal evidence suggested that self-esteem tended to increase from adolescence to middle adulthood, peak at about age 50 to 60 years, and then decreased at an accelerating pace into old age.

Despite majority, 163(62.2%), of the teachers in Kisii Central Sub-County aged 35 years and below, the study findings revealed that majority 178(67.9%) of the teachers indicated that they found it difficult to perform adequately or without embarrassment when involved in sex. About 11.5% of them strongly alluded that they had problems when involved in sex. On the same note, although 96(36.6%) of the teachers surveyed did not accept that they always felt inferior, a majority of 137(52.3%) of them agreed that they occasionally felt inadequate as children. In contrast, a study by Orth et al. (2012) reported that although individuals differed in the particular trajectory they followed, the longitudinal evidence suggested that self-esteem tended to increase from adolescence to middle adulthood, peak at about age 50 to 60 years, and then decreased at an accelerating pace into old age. Other studies have found that the self-esteem decrease in old age is small (Wagner, Gerstorf, et al., 2013; Wagner et al., 2014).

On the other hand, the findings of the study showed that a majority (66.0%) of teachers who participated in the study did not like to be involved in conflicts and would always avoid confrontations. About one fifth teachers interviewed confirmed that they were concerned about their appearance, while 76(29.0%) of them were not bothered about their appearance/image. Similarly, a study by Mozumdar (2014) showed that self-esteem and optimism were significantly positively correlated with job satisfaction. “The results meant that teachers who had high self-esteem had high job satisfaction. Results of the study indicated that self-esteem was significantly positively correlated with promotion and nature of work [r=.323, p<0.05]” (Mozumdar, 2014, P. 118). Further, optimism was significantly positively correlated with promotion, supervision, rewards, relationship with co-workers as well as nature of work and negatively correlated with operating procedure (Mozumdar, 2014). In addition to the quantitative data, findings from the qualitative data indicated that the some of the secondary school principals had issues to do with their self-esteem.

When asked if the current job had affected how she felt about herself a female principal indicated:

…There is a temptation to lose value but I resist it (P₈).

Respondent P₈ revealed through verbatim quotes that she was tempted to lose value but she resisted that temptation. Similarly, in Bangladesh, Mozumdar (2014) reported that those individuals who had high self-esteem performed effectively in order to maintain their positive self-image. In addition, in Iran by Ghafari and Samii, 2014)’s study results established that there was a significant difference between job satisfaction and self-esteem. In contrast, in Ireland Fitzmaurice (2012) results established that a negative relationship existed between self-esteem and job satisfaction. In addition, in Ireland, Eithne et al., (2014) found out that only occupational stress was found to lead to low levels of job satisfaction.

When asked if the current job had affected how he felt about himself, P₆ narrated:

The current job has affected how I feel about myself. I told you, you are looked down upon because you are a teacher. They know that as a teacher you get a salary increment; it is advertised everywhere. People know teachers don’t have money; they like begging and sincerely when you look at the situation you find that you are a nobody in the society (P₆).

Respondent P₆ narrated how the current job had affected the way he felt about himself; he was looked down upon because he is a teacher and had no money. He further appreciated that when he looked in the society, he realized that he was a nobody. Similarly, in a study in Pakistan by Anwer et al., (2015) the findings of the study indicated that there was a positive relationship between self-esteem and job satisfaction on the basis of gender and locale. In addition, in India a study by Sharma et al., (2012) results revealed a positive correlation between self-esteem and job satisfaction among teachers. Further in a study in Kenya a study by Juma et al., (2012) results reported that 66.67% of the female principals were dissatisfied with being principals. In contrast, a study in Ireland a study by Eithne et al., (2014) it was established that 22% of the variance of the teachers’ job satisfaction was accounted by the predictor variables. In addition, in a study in Iran by Ghafari and Samii (2014) results reported that there was a significant positive relationship between self-esteem and job satisfaction. On the other hand, in Switzerland a study by Askarian and Khorami (2014) where self-esteem predicted only 18% of the job satisfaction.

When asked if the current job had affected how he felt about himself, P₁₀ narrated:

I am among those principals who are doing very well because the kind of students I mould have achieved to our expectation, the level of discipline we have maintained is very high, the general performance in the county, infrastructure in the school, exposure on matters pertaining to education management is high therefore I rate myself among the top principals who are doing well in this country (P₁₀)

Respondent P₁₀ revealed through verbatim quotes that he was among the principals doing well in the county since he had produced students who were doing very well. This is an indication of high self-esteem as well as high job satisfaction. Similarly, in Ethiopia a study by Mengistu (2012) established that many of the secondary school teachers spoke positively about their profession and the value of their profession for the development of children.

This finding is consistent with the findings in studies by Bolin (2007), Jyoti and Sharma (2006), and Perrachione, et al., (2008). Jyoti and Sharma (2006) investigation revealed that the teachers found teaching interesting. The teachers in Perrachione, et al., (2008) study reported that working with students was one of the reasons for their satisfaction with teaching. However, this study contrasts with a study in Spain by Brioness et al., (2010) which indicated that the teachers were disillusioned by undisciplined and unmotivated students since corporal punishment was not allowed. In addition, in Iran Nahid (2012)’s study found that emotional intelligence was associated with higher level of job satisfaction and there existed a positive correlation between job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Further, in Kenya a study by Juma et al., (2012) results showed that 66.67% of the women principals were dissatisfied with being principals.

When asked if the current job had affected how he felt about himself, P₂ revealed:

Yes, the level of a principal if something that is worthwhile. It has always attracted esteem, prestige and respect from the society, but because of the changes which I have already enumerated, it is no longer something people value so much. Not only the position of the principal but teaching in general because initially you could meet a student on the street and they greet you, but nowadays you can brush shoulders. The esteem, has gone down because of the elevation of the teaching profession, it has affected the teacher adversely (P₂).

Verbatim quotes from P₂ revealed that the level of a principal was quickly losing value because initially one was accorded a lot of respect. Respondent P₂ further revealed that even students no longer valued their teachers and generally speaking the value accorded to the teacher was no longer there and this had adversely affected the how the teacher felt about himself. This is similar to a study in Nigeria by Akomolafe & Ogunmakin (2014) which indicated that self-efficacy had a positive relationship with teachers’ job satisfaction and life satisfaction. In addition, a study in Pakistan by Anwer et al., (2015) indicated a positive relationship between job satisfaction and self-esteem on the basis of gender and locale. Further, a study in India a study by Sharma et al., (2013) indicated there was a positive correlation between self-esteem and job satisfaction among teachers.

In contrast, a study in Switzerland by Askarian and Khorami (2014) indicated that self-esteem only accounted for 18% of the job satisfaction. In addition, in a study in Ireland by Eithne et al., (2014) part of the results of the study showed that predictor variables accounted for 22% of the variance of the teachers’ job satisfaction.

When asked if the current job had affected how he felt about himself, P₆ narrated:

A good example is the last time we were on strike, our salary was advertised everywhere and somebody in the private sector was complaining, “This is what the teachers earn, so the teachers are very poor?” You know that one affects their perception. The respect that was initially accorded to you is eroded and so you cannot command that respect (P₆).

Respondent P₆ was worried the way the teacher’s salary was advertised everywhere which had affected the way other people perceived teachers because they earned very little compared to the people in the private sector as shown in his narration. Similarly, a study in Britain by Brackett, Polamera & Salovey (2010) pointed out that teaching was one of the most stressful occupations where sources of stress and decreased job satisfaction included inadequate salary and perceived low status of the profession. In addition, a study by Ferris et al., (2010) established that the behavior of individuals with low self-esteem was more influenced by contextual variables than individuals with high self-esteem so long as such behaviors did not threaten domains upon which their self-esteem levels were based. Further, a study by Muguongo et al., (2015) established that teachers in Kenya had always downed their tools lamenting about their compensation. In contrast, in Ethiopia, a study by Mengistu (2012) found that many of the secondary school teachers spoke positively about their profession and the value of their profession for the development of children.

When asked if the current job had affected how he felt about himself, P₁₂ reckoned:

You go to a ‘matatu’ and if you are not able to pay, they say, so you are a teacher also. We can pay for you; you have not been paid. It has affected our esteem and you know generally our perception has been affected (P₁₂).

Respondent P₁₂ revealed that you boarded a matatu and if one were unable to pay they first enquired if you were a teacher; an indication of the low value attached to the teacher. Similarly, a study in Britain a study by Brackett, Polamera and Salovey (2010) established that teaching was one of the most stressful occupations where sources of stress and decreased job satisfaction included the following: inadequate salary and perceived low status of the profession. However, the study contrasts with a study in Ethiopia by Mengistu (2012) that established that many of the secondary school teachers spoke positively about their profession and the value of their profession for the development of children.

The hypothesis,

“There was no statistically significant influence of self-esteem on job satisfaction of Secondary school teachers in Kisii Central Sub-County” was to be tested.

These results were further subjected to a hypothesis testing using a Pearson’s Product Moment correlation model used was:

To establish the influence of self–esteem on job satisfaction, an inferential statistic was conducted. A correlative analysis was conducted by computing Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation Coefficient to establish the magnitude and direction of influence between the two variables (self-esteem and job satisfaction).

The correlation analysis established a weak but positive (r =.157; p=.011 < .05) correlation between teacher self-esteem and level of job satisfaction, with higher self-esteem associated with high levels of job satisfaction, as indicated in the SPSS output in Table 3. Hence, from these findings it was concluded that, although it was weak, there was significant positive relationship between self-esteem and job satisfaction of secondary school teachers in Kisii Central Sub-county (Mutai, 2014). Similarly, in a study in Bangladesh by Mozumdar (2014) established that self-esteem positively correlated with job satisfaction [r = .323, p<0.05]. Thus, the teachers who had high self-esteem had high job satisfaction.

Table 3. Correlation between Self-esteem and Job Satisfaction among Teachers (N=262)

The null hypothesis, “there was no statistically significant influence of self-esteem on job satisfaction of Secondary school teachers in Kisii Central Sub-County”, was tested and given that; correlation analysis had established a weak but positive (r =.157; p=.011 < .05) correlation between teacher self-esteem and level of job satisfaction, then it was necessary to conclude that there was a statistically significant relationship and this meant accepting the alternative hypothesis, H_a2: There was a statistically significant influence of self-esteem on job satisfaction among Secondary school teachers in Kisii Central Sub-County.

To estimate the level of influence of self-esteem on teaching satisfaction, a coefficient of determination was computed. This was done using of regression analysis and the results were as shown in Table 4.

Table 4. Model Summary on Regression Analysis of Influence of Self-Esteem on Teaching Job Satisfaction

From Table 4, a coefficient of determination, R²= .025, indicates that the two variables shared about 2.5 % of their variance. This implies that self-esteem accounted for 2.5% of the variation in overall adjustment of job satisfaction among the secondary school teachers. This was fairly small effect of a variable on the dependent variable.

However, to determine whether self-esteem was a significant predictor of level of job satisfaction among the teachers Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was computed as Table 5.

Table 5. ANOVA –Influence of Self-Esteem on Job Satisfaction

From Table 5, it can be noted that self-esteem was a significant predicator of teacher’s level of job satisfaction [F (1, 160) = 6.543 p = .011, R² = .025]. This means that self-esteem of a teacher really influences the level of teaching job satisfaction. From the results it was clear that self-esteem level explain a significant amount of the variance in the value of job satisfaction among teachers. Further, a linear regression was generated to find the magnitude of self-esteem on job satisfaction, as shown in Table 6.

Table 6. Coefficients of Linear Regression: Self-Esteem and Job Satisfaction

Table 6 shows that if the self-esteem was increased by one standard deviation, then perceived scores in level of job satisfaction of a teacher would increase by .157 standard deviation units. Although, this is a relatively small effect from the independent variable, it is significant.

Similarly, in a study in Switzerland by Askarian and Khorami (2014) results have indicated that self-esteem accounted for 18% of the academic advance. In addition, in a study in Ireland by Eithne et al., (2014) the results of the study showed that predictor variables (self-esteem and job stress) accounted for 22% of the variance of the teachers’ job satisfaction.

In contrast, in a study in Ireland by Fitzmaurice (2012) studied the role of self-esteem and optimism in job satisfaction and Pearson’s correlation analysis demonstrated a negative significant relationship (r= -0.390 p<0.05). This meant that as self-esteem increased, job satisfaction decreased.

To find the influence of self-esteem on job satisfaction from the interviews, a secondary school principal was asked if he had any difficulty in knowing whom to trust and when to trust; Principal P₁₁ narrated:

Very much, the Bible says the human heart is very deceptive. It is a big challenge in a working environment, we have competing interests, and we have diverse ideas and methodology of the reasoning. So converging all these things is sometimes a challenge which requires constant observation and evaluation of the personnel you are dealing with. So after sometime, if you understand the competencies of the staff, it can help you know to know who to conceal in and whom to trust (P₁₁)

Principal P₁₁ expressed that she had a challenge in knowing whom to trust and when to trust. It’s after sometime that she could know the people that she was dealing with. Similarly, in a study in Saudi Arabia by Alzaid (2008) has established that it included other sub-themes reflecting this notion which were procedures, responsiveness, work systems, trust, job security, support, head teachers’ training programmes, and the preparation of head teachers before fulfilling their role.

When asked if they had any difficulty in knowing whom to trust and when to trust secondary school principals revealed:

I have learnt people, a principle that can be of a community worker or a social worker. I know which information to divulge to people and which information to keep with myself because I am part of the training of the team that I work with; I have no difficulty (P₄)

I am an expert in that even giving my teachers responsibility, I know whom to give and when people suggest on somebody and I know they are going to have a challenge I always advise them indirectly. (P₅)

I always consult those whom I trust, the education office, my neighboring principal, my husband and I am very prayerful (P₈)

Respondent P₄ revealed that he had no difficulty in knowing whom to trust and when to trust because he had learnt to work with people. Principal P₅ revealed that that she was an expert in that even giving people responsibility she knew people who were going to be challenges and therefore she indirectly advised. Respondent P₈ revealed that she always consulted those that she trusted; the education office, neighboring principal and her husband. In addition, she was very prayerful and this had normally assisted her. Similarly, in a study in Saudi Arabia by Alzaid (2008) established that this was how they practiced their role in reality where this theme included other sub-themes which included: The head teacher’s role, human relationships, teacher’s professional development, setting up the school environment, the head teacher’s practical handbook, head teacher achievement, team building, the delegation of power, and learning development.

Further, Alzaid (2008) emphasized that job satisfaction regulated the relationship between the head teacher and the students and their parents in terms of the attendance, achievement and behavior of the former; in addition, it referred to the cooperation between head teachers and parents aimed at overcoming various obstacles. Further, in Ireland Fitzmaurice (2012) Pearson’s correlation analysis revealed a significant and positive relationship between self-esteem and job satisfaction. This meant that as self- esteem increased so did job satisfaction. In addition, Ghaffari and Samii (2014) in Iran where findings indicated a significant difference between job satisfaction and self-esteem. In another study in Bangladesh Ahmed et al., (2013) using Pearson’s Product Correlation, the findings indicated that self-esteem was positively correlated to job satisfaction. In contrast, a study in India by Sankar and Vasudha (2015) established that gender of school teachers had significant impact on the job satisfaction of primary school teachers where male teachers possessed higher job satisfaction than female teachers.

4. Conclusions

It was discovered from the analysis of the teachers’ response that slightly more than four out of five [80.1% (210)] of the teachers who participated in the survey generally felt anxious in new social situations where they did not know what was expected of them. In addition, although 48.4% (127) of teachers said they were never anxious and fearful much of the times, some 36.6% (96) others confirmed that they were always apprehensive and nervous most of the times. This was an indication of low self-esteem. The correlation analysis established a weak but positive (r =.257; p=.011 < .05) correlation between teacher self-esteem and level of job satisfaction, with higher self-esteem associated with high levels of job satisfaction. Hence, from these findings it was reasonable to conclude that, although weak, there was significant positive relationship between self-esteem and job satisfaction among secondary school teachers in Kisii Central Sub-county.

To get an idea of how much variance the two variables share, a coefficient of determination was calculated, r² = .025, indicating the two variables shared about 2.5% of their variance. This meant that there was an evident of overlap between the two variables- teacher self-esteem and teaching job satisfaction. The implication of this is that variation of teachers’ level of self-esteem explained nearly 2.5% of the variance in respondents’ scores on the job satisfaction. To find the influence self-esteem and job satisfaction from the interviews, the secondary school principals when asked whether their current job has affected the way they felt about themselves, the way they valued themselves and how they felt when given a new task to perform; The themes that emerged were: Looked down upon, salary advertised everywhere, know teachers don’t have money, they like begging and a nobody in society.

The hypothesis stated:

“There is no statistically significant influence of self-esteem on job satisfaction of secondary school teachers in Kisii Central Sub-County” it was rejected and this meant accepting the alternative hypothesis,

The study concludes: “There is a significant influence of self-esteem on job satisfaction of secondary school teachers”.