The impact of involvement in educational politics on New Jersey teachers' job satisfaction, self-efficacy, and work locus of control: A survey research study

A paradigm shift has occurred for the field of education with a renewed focus on accountability and performance. This increase in accountability along with new mandates and regulations are factors that lead to low teacher retention, especially for young teachers with less than five academic years of experience (Shen et al, 2002). Unfortunately, teachers have little influence on the creation or implementation of new education reform initiatives. The purpose of this survey research was to explore the relationship between teacher involvement in educational politics, job satisfaction, self-efficacy, and work locus of control. This study measured these variables using the Brayfield-Rothe Index of Job Satisfaction (1951), Teacher Efficacy Scale (Gibson & Dembo, 1984), Work Locus of Control Scale (Spector, 1988), and Kalayciouglu and Turun's (1981) political participation scale that was modified to educational politics. Study participants were New Jersey teachers representing 20 of the 21 counties in the state. The findings suggest voting in national, state, and local elections to be a predictor of job satisfaction and self-efficacy. The implications for future research, policy, and practice are discussed.