Abstract
Purpose. The purpose of this study was to determine whether middle school teachers on interdisciplinary teams had greater job satisfaction than middle school teachers in departmentalized settings in the following areas: (a) teacher satisfaction with administrative support; (b) teacher satisfaction with student responsibility and discipline; (c) teacher satisfaction with co-workers; and (d) teacher satisfaction with school communication. Methodology. Descriptive research was the method selected for this study. The population consisted of 290 Riverside County middle school teachers on interdisciplinary teams and 169 Riverside County middle school teachers in departmentalized settings. A random sample of 167 interdisciplinary teachers from ten schools and 122 departmentalized teachers from seven schools were selected to participate in this study. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Program for the Social Sciences (SPSS) computer program. Information provided by SPSS included frequencies, mean, standard deviation, and percentages. The independent t-test with two-tail significance and analysis of variance methods (ANOVA) were used to determine significant differences for the four-part research question for this study. Significance was set at the.05 level of confidence. Findings. (1) Although not significant at the.05 level of confidence, teachers on middle school interdisciplinary teams were somewhat more satisfied and/or less dissatisfied with administrative support than departmentalized middle school teachers. (2) Middle school teachers on interdisciplinary teams had an easier time communicating with their school administrators than middle school teachers in departmentalized settings. (3) There was no significance difference found between the two groups of teachers in the area of student responsibility and discipline. (4) There was no significant difference found between the two groups of teachers in the area of satisfaction with co-workers. (5) There was no significance difference found between the two groups of teachers in school communication. Recommendations. Further study should explore and compare: (1) middle school teachers' perceptions of administrative support as it relates to middle school structure; (2) middle school teachers' perceptions of communication with school administrators as it relates to middle school structure; (3) the perceptions of middle school principals who have worked in departmentalized and interdisciplinary school structures; (4) student responsibility and discipline at the middle school; (5) the job satisfaction of interdisciplinary and departmentalized teachers at the middle school five years hence; and (6) the amount of time it takes teachers to work on interdisciplinary teams as compared to teachers working in departments.