Teachers’ time use and job satisfaction: a large-sample study in China

Effective time management is key to boosting teachers’ job satisfaction and making schools more appealing to educators. This study used a year and county fixed-effects model to explore the link between working hours, time distribution, and teachers’ job satisfaction. The sample included 15,978 teachers from 333 schools in China between 2018 and 2020. By using instrumental variables for working time and Lewbel’s method for causal identification, the authors found that teachers’ working hours significantly reduced job satisfaction. Specifically, the time spent on lesson preparation and homework grading was also negatively associated with teacher satisfaction. Moreover, the study recommends that schools maintain an appropriate student–teacher ratio and increase the share of teachers’ base pay and benefits to further improve job satisfaction.