Leadership Attributes of School Heads, Classroom Instructional Environment and School Facilities: A Structural Equation Model on Job Satisfaction of Public School Teachers in Region XI

This study aimed to identify the best-fit model for job satisfaction among teachers, focusing on the influence of leadership attributes of school heads, classroom instructional environment, and school facilities among 400 public school teachers in the Davao Region, Philippines. The research employed a quantitative approach to collect and analyze data, using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to assess the relationships between the variables. The results indicated very high levels for the leadership attributes of school heads and classroom instructional environment, a high level for school facilities, and very high job satisfaction levels among the teachers. The study further revealed significant statistical correlations between leadership attributes, classroom instructional environment, school facilities, and teachers’ job satisfaction. Additionally, the study showed that all exogenous variables strongly influenced the endogenous variable (job satisfaction). Model 3 emerged as the best-fit model, meeting the necessary criteria for model fitting based on various statistical indices. The model demonstrated excellent fit, confirming its applicability for understanding the factors affecting teachers’ job satisfaction. The leadership attributes of school heads were characterized by the retained indicators: professional credibility, communication, and influence. In terms of the classroom instructional environment, the key indicators included personalization and investigation. School facilities were described through the retained indicators: marketing education facilities, auditorium/stage facilities, teachers’ workroom, and the location/site of the school. Finally, the job satisfaction of teachers was measured using the following retained indicators: security, work environment, and job responsibilities. The study’s findings suggest that the Department of Education’s policy-making body should consider evaluating school facilities more thoroughly. Further investigation with standardized measurement tools is recommended to better assess the actual status of school facilities, as this could provide a clearer picture of how physical environments influence teacher satisfaction and performance.