Job satisfaction has been the subject of a great deal of research by a variety of professional disciplines. However, in school psychology, more speculation than empirical data exists on the topic. Although speculation in the profession has suggested a relatively high degree of job dissatisfaction among school psychologists, a 1982 nationwide study of members of The National Association of School Psychologists failed to substantiate the claims of such speculation.

The population of school psychologists in Virginia was chosen for the present study. The study was designed to answer the following four research questions:

1. What are the overall levels of job satisfaction among school psychologists in Virginia?

2. What degree of satisfaction do Virginia school psychologists express with each of 20 subfactors of job satisfaction?

3. What is the relationship between overall levels of job satisfaction and selected demographic variables?

4. How does the job satisfaction of Virginia school psychologists compare with school psychologists nationally?

Data were collected via mailed surveys using a demographic data form and a modified form of the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire {MSQ). Four hundred and thirty-nine school psychologists were initially mailed survey materials, and a response rate of 87.36% was obtained. Of this total, two hundred and sixty-seven met the requirements necessary to be included in data analysis.

Frequency counts of modified MSQ responses revealed that 84.27% of the school psychologists indicated that they were either satisfied or very satisfied with their jobs. Subscale means and 95% confidence intervals on the modified MSQ indicated that Virginia school psychologists were satisfied with 18 of the 20 subfactors of job satisfaction measured. Only the scales of school system policies and practices, and advancement had means and confidence intervals which fell completely within the dissatisfied range.

Multiple regression procedures were used to determine the relationships between overall job satisfaction scores and demographic variables. Three significant predictors of job satisfaction emerged: membership in the Virginia Association of School Psychologists (positively related), membership in the National Education Association (negative related), and contract length (negatively related). This model explained 9.25% of the total variance and overall job satisfaction scores.

Analysis of variance procedures were used to compare the job satisfaction of Virginia school psychologists with that of a national sample of school psychologists. Results indicated that Virginia school psychologists were more satisfied with their job security but less satisfied with their compensation, than were their national counterparts. Results of multi-group comparisons of covariance structures available in the computer program LISREL indicated that for the demographic variables studied with the exception of age, no differences existed between Virginia school psychologists and the national sample regarding the relationship of that variable with total job satisfaction scores.

Several implications were drawn from the results of the study leading to recommendations for school psychologists, trainers and employers of school psychologists, and professional school psychology organizations. The recommendations focused on development of advancement opportunities for school psychologists, methods for reducing dissatisfaction associated with school system policies and practices, and topics for additional research.