School principals’ job satisfaction: individual, structural, and macroeconomic factors: a multilevel analysis using TALIS 2018 data

A study utilizing international TALIS 2018 data examines the factors influencing school principals' job satisfaction, a critical element for the sustainability of educational leadership. The analysis reveals that individual and school-context factors explain the majority of job satisfaction variance, with only a small portion attributable to country-level differences. Key predictors include satisfaction with the profession and perceived support, while macroeconomic factors like the Gini index and teachers' starting salaries also play a role at the country level.

Why it matters

Understanding the drivers of job satisfaction among principals is strategically important for ensuring stable and effective leadership within educational systems. High principal satisfaction can lead to improved school outcomes and sustained engagement, which directly impacts the quality and continuity of education. This research identifies actionable levers at individual, institutional, and policy levels to address leadership retention and development challenges.

Key insights

• Principals' job satisfaction is crucial for the sustainability of educational leadership in a global context of increasing demands and challenges.
• A multilevel analysis of TALIS 2018 data indicates that 7.2% of the variance in job satisfaction is between countries, with most variance explained by individual and school-context factors.
• Robust predictors of job satisfaction include individual satisfaction with the profession and perceived support.
• At the country level, significant effects on job satisfaction were observed for the Gini index (a measure of income inequality) and teachers' starting salaries.

Source

Frontiers in Education — https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2026.1882760