The comparison of job satisfaction and mental health of normal and exceptional school teachers of Zanjan city

The present study aimed to determine and compare job satisfaction and mental health of normal and exceptional school teachers of Zanjan city during academic year 2007-2008. The sampling was done by stratified and cluster sampling method. The samples were 305 teachers of normal schools (120 men and 185 women) and 74 exceptional school teachers (34 men and 40 women). The samples responded Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) (Weiss, 1967) and SCL-90-R test (Dragotis, 1976). For data analysis, t-test was used for independent groups, correlation, one-way variance analysis and Scheffe’s test. The statistical results showed that the exceptional school teachers had low job satisfaction and mental health in two dimensions of paranoid ideation and interpersonal sensitivity compared to normal school teachers. There was s directly significant correlation between job satisfaction and mental health dimensions of normal and exceptional school teachers. Female teachers of normal schools compared to female and male teachers in exceptional schools and male teachers in normal schools compared to male teachers of exceptional schools had more job satisfaction. The normal school female teachers had more interpersonal sensitivity, paranoid ideation and hospital compared to male teachers in exceptional schools.

Exceptional, Teacher, Job satisfaction, Mental health, Normal