School and District Leadership and the Job Satisfaction of Novice Teachers: The Influence of Distributed Leadership

Abstract

This qualitative case study examined the perceived influence of distributed leadership on the job satisfaction of novice teachers in one Massachusetts school district. Dinham and Scott’s “Three Factor Theory” (1998), which emphasizes the role of school-based factors on job satisfaction, was utilized as a conceptual framework to guide the study. Data were gathered from interviews with novice teachers, school leaders, and district leaders and document review. The results of the study found that novice teachers involved in leadership activities via a distributed model perceived increased job satisfaction. Novice teachers who did not participate in leadership activities expressed a neutral or negative feeling towards their lack of involvement. A key determining factor in whether novice teachers participated in leadership activities was having a principal who encouraged this practice. However, all novice teachers interviewed reported that collegial staff relationships, regardless of their direct participation in leadership activities, positively influenced their job satisfaction. This study confirmed many of Dinham and Scott’s findings about the influence of school-based factors on job satisfaction; however, a conflicting finding about the relationship between school-based factors and intrinsic factors was identified. Recommendations include aligning school leaders’ practices in supporting the participation of novice teachers in leadership activities and mapping distributed leadership structures using a tool such as social network analysis.