The Relationship between Guidance/Counseling Burden and Job Satisfaction of Elementary School Teachers: Mediating Effects of Guidance Efficacy and School Management Participation

Abstract

This study investigated the relationship between the guidance/counseling burden and job satisfaction of elementary school teachers, focusing on the role of guidance efficacy and school management participation to suggest ways to increase job satisfaction for elementary school teachers. To this end, first-year data from 905 elementary school teachers in the Seoul Education Longitudinal Study (SELS 2020) and structural equation modeling were used. The main results were as follows. First, the guidance/counseling burden had a direct negative impact on job satisfaction. Second, the guidance/counseling burden had a negative impact on job satisfaction through guidance efficacy and school management participation. Third, the guidance/counseling burden lowered guidance efficacy, which reduced school management participation and subsequently reduced job satisfaction. Based on these results, this study suggests the following. First, efforts to reduce the guidance/counseling burden are needed to restore job satisfaction. Second, since the guidance/counseling burden can have negative impacts on both individual teachers and school organizations, continuous attention is required. Third, efforts should be made to increase guidance efficacy and school management participation along with lowering the guidance/counseling burden.