Inside the School Ecosystem: Examining the Relationship Between School Culture and Teachers’ Job Satisfaction Through Stoll and Fink’s Framework

Abstract

This research investigated how school culture influences teachers’ job satisfaction across 19 secondary schools within the DepEd Schools Division of Siquijor. Anchored in Stoll and Fink’s School Culture Framework and Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory, the study explored the impact of various school culture types namely Moving, Cruising, Strolling, Struggling, and Sinking on teachers’ levels of job satisfaction. The findings underscore the critical role of school culture in shaping key organizational outcomes within the educational setting. The primary goal of this study was to assess the extent to which different cultural environments affect teachers’ overall job satisfaction. A descriptive correlational design was utilized, drawing data from teachers through a school culture assessment tool and a modified job satisfaction survey. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. Results show that Moving Culture stood out with a strong positive correlation to teachers’ job satisfaction. In contrast, Cruising Culture, Strolling Culture, and Struggling Culture all showed non-significant negative correlations. Finally, Sinking Culture shows the strongest negative correlation with teachers’ job satisfaction. These findings highlight the importance of school culture in cultivating supportive and motivating work environments for teachers. The study recommends targeted interventions concerning culture enhancement strategies for schools exhibiting less desirable cultural characteristics to elevate teacher morale and institutional performance.