Job satisfaction and burnout among Greek P.E. teachers. A comparison of educational sectors, level and gender.

The purpose of this study was to examine possible differences and relations in Physical Education (P.E.) teachers' perceived job satisfaction and burnout, in relation to educational sector (private vs public), educational level (primary vs secondary) and gender. Two hundred and eighty two P.E. teachers, aged from 24 to 65 years old (M = 43.6, SD = 5.45), both from elementary and secondary schools, participated in the study. One hundred of them served in private schools and 182 in public ones. Their working exprerience ranged from one to 37 years (M = 14.5, SD = 7.23). The Employee Satisfaction Inventory (Koustelios & Bagiatis, 1997) was employed to assess job satisfaction. For the measurement of burnout, Maslach Burnout Inventory The results revealed a negative relationship between job satisfaction and burnout. Private sector P.E. teachers seem to experience higher job satisfaction and lower burnout compared to their public sector colleagues. Furthermore, P.E. teachers who serve both in elementary and secondary schools, appear to experience higher job satisfaction. Finally, secondary P.E. teachers seem to experience lower burnout compared to their primary education colleagues. No statistically significant differences were found in relation to gender for both job satisfaction and burnout. Overall, it seems that P.E. teachers who work in private schools and/or in secondary education seem to be more satisfied and less burned-out. Implications of the aforementioned observed relationships are discussed.