INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIP AND INSTITUTIONAL ENVIRONMENT AS PREDICTORS OF PRINCIPALS’ JOB SATISFACTION IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN IMO STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study investigated interpersonal relationship and institutional environment as predictors of principals’ job satisfaction in Imo State. Two research questions guided the study and two hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. It was a correlational study that involved all the public secondary school principals in the six education zones in Imo State. The School Principal Survey (SPS) and the Job Descriptive Index (JDI) modified by Mogaji for Nigerian professionals were used to collect data. Three research experts from the Faculty of Education, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka validated the SPS. The JDI was not submitted for validation as it is a standardized instrument whose validity had been established by Smith, Kendal and Hulin (1969) and Mogaji (1997) for Nigerian professionals. The two instruments were administered on forty public secondary school principals in Abia State. The reliability of the instrument was ascertained using Cronbach Alpha which yielded an overall reliability of 0.77. Pearson product moment correlation co-efficient was used to analyse data administered on the principals in Imo State. The findings of the study showed that principals’ interpersonal relationship and the institutional environment they work in Imo State public secondary schools had low positive relationships with principals’ job satisfaction. This is an indication that the low positive relationships are associated with principals’ low job satisfaction. Based on the findings, it was recommended among other that principals in Imo State public secondary schools should improve their interpersonal relationship with their fellow principals, students, teachers and other school members