Date of Award

1983

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Program

Higher Education Administration EdD

First Advisor

Bernard M. Lall

Second Advisor

George H. Akers

Third Advisor

Arthur O. Coetzee

Abstract

Problem. The purpose of this study was to determine what positive and negative motivating factors affect teachers at Seventh-day Adventist colleges, to determine if these factors are different for public university teachers as identified in a similar study by Morgan, and to determine what factors influenced teachers to accept an appointment at an Adventist college.

Method. Respondents were asked to describe positive or negative incidents that related to their jobs as teachers and to answer twenty forced-choice-structured questions to indicate their level of satisfaction of dissatisfaction. The critical incidents were coded within a set of categories adapted for this study from those used by Herzberg and refined by Morgan. The data were summarized into percentages and rank-ordered. Spearman's rank-order correlation coefficient was used to test the rank orders. Chi squares were used to test for relationships between subgroups.

Results. There were more incidents of satisfaction than dissatisfaction. Achievement and recognition combined for 50 percent of the satisfying incidents. System/college policy and administration and interpersonal relations--peers and staff combined for 47 percent of the dissatisfying incidents. Satisfying and dissatisfying incidents reported by teachers at Adventist colleges and teachers at the public university were found to be significantly positively correlated. Commitment to service influences teachers the most in their decisions to accept an appointment to teach at an Adventist college.

Conclusions. Some of the conclusions were: (1) Administrators who work toward creating good experiences in achievement and recognition will be providing a work climate that could stimulate and sustain positive motivation. (2) There exists a need for more effective communication in order to promote unity among faculty and between faculty and administration. (3) The factors that motivate or dissatisfy teachers in the public university and teachers in Adventist colleges are essentially the same. (4) Reported critical incidents support Herzberg's two-factor theory. (5) Although commitment to service ranks first as an influencer for teachers to accept an appointment, possibility for growth was found to be more important for teachers of junior age, degree, rank, and teaching experience.

Subject Area

Seventh-day Adventist universities and colleges--United States, College teachers--United States.

DOI

https://dx.doi.org/10.32597/dissertations/715/

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