Job Satisfaction in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, a case study with reference to female headteachers Ghadah Alghamdi A thesis submitted for the award of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy UCL Institute of Education July 2020 i DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP I, Ghadah AlGhamdi, declare that the thesis entitled Job satisfaction in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, a case study with reference to female headteachers and the work presented in the thesis is both my own and has been generated by me as the result of my own original research. I confirm that: • This work was done wholly or mainly while in candidature for a research degree at this University. • Where any part of this thesis has previously been submitted for a degree or any other qualification at this University or any other institution, this has been clearly stated. • Where I have consulted the published work of others, this is always clearly attributed. • Where I have quoted from the work of others, the source is always given. With the exception of such quotations, this thesis is entirely my own work. • I have acknowledged all main sources of help. • Where the thesis is based on work done by myself jointly with others, I have made clear exactly what was done by others and what I have contributed myself. • None of this work has been published before submission. Ghadah Alghamdi July 2020 i ABSTRACT This thesis investigated factors that influence job satisfaction in the eastern province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, based on a case study of female headteachers. This investigation has focused only on female headteachers as the laws and social circumstances of the country forbid cross-gender socialising outide of the immediate family. Instead, the research on headteachers in Saudi Arabia undertaken in this study was aimed at discovering what factors influenced their job satisfaction, bearing in mind that gender specific issues were limited by the context in which the investigation took place. General research on headteachers in the Kingdom was found to be an underexplored topic, but in contrast to previous Saudi studies, the sample used in this study was not restricted to one stage of school. In order to evaluate participants’ responses, this study used a sequential exploratory strategy employing a mixed methods approach. Building on semi-structured interviews, the first sample of the study gathered data from 20 head teachers to determine which factors led to job satisfaction or dissatisfaction. The research investigated various contributory factors such as rewards i.e. pay, recognition, promotion and training; the female environment and the relationship with workload and work-life-balance; the working environment i.e. school condition, school location and student headcount); relationships with teachers, students and parents; supervision, authority and autonomy; age and experience, and school-level issues. These factors were subsequently used to build a questionnaire, which was intended to be sent to 664 schools (numbers provided by the Ministry of Education). When starting the research, however, it was found that 186 of these schools did not have a headteacher in post. Consequently, the final sample size was 478 headteachers. Finally, in the third stage of the sequential research, semi-structured interviews were held with nine headteachers to verify the results of the survey. The overall level of job satisfaction for elementary, middle and high schools headteachers in the Eastern Province was generally low average. However, it was found that factors causing high and average job satisfaction derive from multiple demographic isues or independent causes in the workplace. Specifically, this study has identified several factors related to job satisfaction in the Eastern Province that have not been previously found in ii previous research in Saudi Arabia: work/life balance, the female leadership-environment, location, financial rewards and transportation. This study’s findings could inform the work of educational planners, helping them to improve their understanding of the most important aspects of the career of headteachers. In addition, this research provides a contribution that could assist public policy development in education; furthermore, it provides an understanding of what to avoid and what works most effectively. Future policy could be better informed by understanding the factors that affect levels of satisfaction or dissatisfaction and implementing more appropriate policy objectives that deploy resources more effectively. iii IMPACT STATEMENT The research conducted for this thesis demonstrated that generally female school headteachers in the Eastern region of Saudi Arabia were on average less than satisfied with their job. The impact of the research to academia can be seen in its contribution to the discipline and future scholarship in the field of job satisfaction studies. This can be seen for two reasons and allows for the development of some suggestions for future advancement in the improvement of job satisfaction for headteachers in the Kingdom Saudi Arabia (KSA). The first reason is that this research is the first time female headteachers in KSA have been investigated in this way and the second reason is that the findings can aid the development of the role. The benefits and impact of the research outside academia could occur locally, on workers' job satisfaction in Saudi Arabia in general and could be immediate or occur incrementally, in the context of a broader field of research. In addition, the benefits and impact of the research focus mainly on the conclusions of the study and the recommendations that follow. The conclusions are informative and applicable at the strategic and executive level, resulting in a number of recommendations which, if implemented, could have a significant impact in enhancing job satisfaction among (female) headteachers in the country. 1. The strategic level (policy and decision makers in the Saudi government) • Headteachers’ salaries, rewards and incentive packages need to become more competitive and enhanced/separate from those received by classroom teachers; • Preparation course/training is needed for headteachers to gain enough qualifications before they begin their positions. 2. The executive level (decision takers in educational administration) • Ensure there is formal and constructive positive communication between educational supervisors and the headteachers; • Develop the existing system for supplying school resources to overcome current bureaucratic difficulties; • Increase the school headteachers’ autonomy to lead their schools in a iv professional manner to improve job satisfaction; • Improve the structure for recognising outstanding performance through special awards, rewards and financial incentives. Recommendations for Further Research Inside of Academia Recommendations emerging from this study will be of interest to others who examine job satisfaction within the education profession in general and specifically among headteachers. Based on the present study’s results, discussion and conclusions, the following are recommended for further research: • As with most studies, the replication of this study is suggested for other cities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. • A replication of the present study using mixed methods for female headteachers of schools in the eastern province of Saudi Arabia is conducted by researchers in male schools as this would help improve our knowledge regarding the gender differences in terms of job satisfaction. • A comparison of the job satisfaction of headteachers of Aramco schools and other public government schools would help to identify the differences in the factors which impact on their job satisfaction. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Throughout this research journey my family has been an immense support. This project would not have been possible without the love and kindness of my father, Salem, and my mother, Fawziah. May God bless them. Also, I am sincerely grateful to my son Sultan and to my sibling and my friends for their understanding and support throughout the research journey. I owe all of them a great debt of thanks. My brothers, in particular, Salman and Abdullrahman were sources of amusement and inspiration and personal support whenever I faced a challenge. This project would not have been possible without the support of my sponsor. The Saudi Arabian government endorsed my studies and financed them, so I am grateful for having the opportunity to pursue post-graduate research. This study would not have been possible without the personal and professional support of the individuals mentioned above. I am indebted to all of you and immensely grateful. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Declaration of Authorship .................................................................................... i ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................ ii Acknowledgements ............................................................................................. vi Table of Contents .............................................................................................. vii List of Figures .................................................................................................... xi List of Tables .................................................................................................... xii Chapter 1: Introduction .....................................................................................