A Comparative Analysis of Workplace Diversity, Burnout, and Coping Strategies Among Primary and Secondary Teachers in Different School Types and Localities

Abstract

Teacher job satisfaction is a critical determinant of educational quality and teacher retention. While existing research often examines factors like salary or workload in isolation, a significant gap exists in understanding the combined influence of structural and contextual variables. This study addresses this gap by investigating the individual and interactive effects of school type (primary vs. secondary) and geographical locality (rural vs. urban) on teacher job satisfaction. A 2x2 factorial research design was employed, with data collected from a stratified random sample of 120 teachers (n=30 per cell) from the Satara district of Maharashtra, India, using the standardized Job Satisfaction Scale by Dr. Meera Dixit. Analysis using Two Way ANOVA revealed no statistically significant main effects for school type (F=1.003, p>0.05, η²=.009) or locality (F=3.461, p>0.05, η²=.029). Furthermore, the interaction effect between school type and locality was also non significant (F=1.967, p>0.05). The overall model explained only 5.3% of the variance in job satisfaction scores. The findings conclusively indicate that, within this context, job satisfaction is not determined by these structural demographic categories. This underscores the need to shift research and policy focus towards more potent predictors, such as school leadership, intrinsic motivation, and professional support systems, to effectively enhance teacher well being and educational outcomes.