Job satisfaction is one of the most measured variables in Nigerian projects, because every organisation has staff and every department can reach some of them. A strong project on it has a clear definition, one theory, one validated instrument you have permission to use, a design that fits your access, and a title that names the staff and the setting. The eight steps below take you from that definition to the analysis.
Step 1: What Does Job Satisfaction Mean in Your Study?
Start by deciding what you mean. One of the most widely used definitions in organisational research is that of Edwin A. Locke (1976), who defines job satisfaction as “a pleasurable or positive emotional state resulting from the appraisal of one’s job or job experiences” (page 1304). Others define it more simply as how content a person is with their job. Pick one, cite it from the source you have read, and use it consistently. Our guide to the definition of terms shows how to pair this conceptual definition with an operational one that names your instrument.
Then decide whether you are measuring satisfaction as one overall feeling (a global measure) or as a set of facets such as pay, supervision and the work itself. A global measure is shorter and suits a simple descriptive project. A facet measure lets you say which parts of the job drive the result, which gives you more to discuss in Chapter Four and Chapter Five.
Step 2: Which Theory Should Frame It?
The theory in your framework explains why the factors you measure should affect satisfaction. The most common choice is Herzberg’s two-factor theory, also called motivation–hygiene theory. It states that certain workplace factors cause job satisfaction while a separate set of factors causes dissatisfaction, and that the two sets act independently. For a project this gives you a ready structure: motivators such as achievement, recognition, responsibility and the nature of the work, and hygiene factors such as pay, working conditions and supervision. The theory has been criticised for not considering individual differences and for not specifying how its factors should be measured, so say so in your literature review and explain how your instrument handles it.
Whichever theory you choose, draw it into a diagram of your own variables. Our article on the conceptual framework shows how, and the business administration research proposal example shows a leadership-and-satisfaction study written out from Chapter One to Chapter Three.
Step 3: Which Instrument Will You Use?
Do not write your own questions for a satisfaction project unless your supervisor insists. A published instrument comes with a history of validity and reliability evidence, and your panel will ask for it. Three well-known options are compared below. Each fact in the table comes from the instrument’s publisher, its author’s site or its original publication.
| Instrument | Facets | Format | Notes for a student |
|---|---|---|---|
| Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS), Spector | Nine: pay, promotion, supervision, fringe benefits, contingent rewards, operating procedures, coworkers, nature of work, communication | 36 items, six-point scale from strongly disagree to strongly agree | Developed for human service, public and nonprofit organisations (Spector, 1985, American Journal of Community Psychology, 13(6), 693–713). The author permits use in return for sharing results, citing the source and including the copyright notice. Available in more than 30 languages. |
| Job Descriptive Index (JDI) | Five: pay, promotions, coworkers, supervision, the work itself | Respondents answer yes, no or can’t decide to whether each statement describes their job | A cognitive measure of satisfaction. Check the current publisher’s terms before you use it. |
| Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) | Twenty facets, plus intrinsic and extrinsic satisfaction scores | Long and short forms exist | Often used when you want intrinsic and extrinsic scores that map onto Herzberg’s two sets of factors. Check the current publisher’s terms before you use it. |
For most Nigerian student projects the JSS is the practical choice, because its author states the conditions of use clearly and its nine facets cover the factors a business, health or school setting will recognise. Read the conditions page on the author’s site before you start, include the copyright notice in your appendix, and share the results with the author if the conditions ask for it. Whichever instrument you choose, state its number of items, its dimensions, its scale, its source and its reported reliability in Chapter Three, and report your own reliability from your sample. Our article on what a good Cronbach’s alpha is explains how.
The instrument paragraph for Chapter Three
Here is an illustrative paragraph for a student who has chosen the JSS. Adapt every detail to your own study and check each one against the manual.
“Job satisfaction was measured with the Job Satisfaction Survey (Spector, 1985), a 36-item instrument covering nine facets: pay, promotion, supervision, fringe benefits, contingent rewards, operating procedures, coworkers, nature of work and communication. Respondents rate each statement on a six-point scale from strongly disagree to strongly agree. Negatively worded items were reverse-scored before facet and total scores were calculated, following the scoring instructions that accompany the instrument. The instrument is used here with the author’s stated conditions of attribution and inclusion of the copyright notice. Internal consistency for the present sample was assessed with Cronbach’s alpha and is reported in Chapter Four.”
Notice what the paragraph does: it names the instrument, its source, its structure, its scale, the scoring step and the reliability plan, in that order, and it leaves the reliability figure for the results chapter where it belongs.
Step 4: Write the Objectives, Questions and Hypotheses
Here is an illustrative set for a bank-staff study. Replace the setting and variables with your own.
- Objective 1: to determine the level of job satisfaction among staff of the selected bank. Question: what is the level of job satisfaction among staff of the selected bank?
- Objective 2: to examine the relationship between supervision and job satisfaction. Hypothesis (null): there is no significant relationship between supervision and job satisfaction.
- Objective 3: to compare job satisfaction between staff in different length-of-service groups. Hypothesis (null): there is no significant difference in job satisfaction between staff with different lengths of service.
Notice that every objective names a variable that your instrument measures. If an objective mentions something the instrument does not capture, change the objective or add a measure. The Chapter Three guide shows where each of these ends up in the method.
Step 5: Choose the Design, Population and Sample
The usual design is a cross-sectional survey of staff in one organisation or a small set of organisations. Your population is the staff of that organisation, and the sampling frame is the staff list the human resources office holds. Because satisfaction is personal and sometimes sensitive, access and anonymity matter more than the sample size formula. Get permission in writing, say in the information sheet that responses are anonymous and that no individual will be identified, and decide in advance how you will return or destroy the forms. If the organisation has not replied, our article on what to do when the company has not replied gives you options for your design.
A group comparison, such as nurses against doctors or junior against senior staff, needs enough respondents in each group to test the difference, so plan the sample around the smallest group and agree the number with your supervisor.
Step 6: Score and Analyse
- Reverse-score any negatively worded items exactly as the instrument’s manual says, before you add scores.
- Calculate facet scores and a total score following the scoring instructions that come with the instrument.
- Report reliability for your sample for the total and for each facet you analyse.
- Describe with means and standard deviations per facet, so you can say which facets are highest and lowest.
- Test your hypotheses with the test that matches the question: correlation for a relationship, an independent-samples test or analysis of variance for a group difference, regression when several predictors are tested together.
Match each test to the data type before you collect it, and write the choice into Chapter Three so the panel can see that the analysis was planned rather than improvised.
What a facet results table looks like
The numbers below are fictitious and exist only to show the layout. With 36 items across nine facets, each facet has four items rated 1 to 6, so a facet score runs from 4 to 24 and the total from 36 to 216. Check the scoring key in the manual for your version.
| Facet | Mean score (fictitious) | Possible range |
|---|---|---|
| Pay | 11.8 | 4–24 |
| Promotion | 12.6 | 4–24 |
| Supervision | 17.9 | 4–24 |
| Fringe benefits | 13.2 | 4–24 |
| Contingent rewards | 12.1 | 4–24 |
| Operating procedures | 13.5 | 4–24 |
| Coworkers | 17.2 | 4–24 |
| Nature of work | 18.4 | 4–24 |
| Communication | 14.3 | 4–24 |
| Total | 131.0 | 36–216 |
The nine facet means add up to 131.0, which is the total shown. In a discussion you would say that, in this fictitious sample, nature of work, supervision and coworkers were rated highest while pay and contingent rewards were rated lowest, then link that pattern to Herzberg’s hygiene and motivator factors and to earlier studies you have read. Do not copy these numbers; they illustrate the layout only.
Step 7: Pick a Title That Names the Staff and the Setting
A researchable title names the construct, the group and the place. The ten below are illustrative starting points; confirm with your supervisor that each is allowed and that you can reach the respondents.
- Job satisfaction among nurses in a tertiary hospital in Lagos State
- Supervision and job satisfaction of staff in selected deposit money banks in Abuja
- Pay and job satisfaction among secondary school teachers in a named local government area
- Work environment and job satisfaction of staff in a federal university library
- Length of service and job satisfaction of civil servants in a state ministry
- Job satisfaction and intention to leave among staff of a telecommunications company
- Job satisfaction among resident doctors in a teaching hospital
- Recognition and job satisfaction of hotel staff in Port Harcourt
- Job satisfaction of lecturers in a state polytechnic compared by gender
- Communication and job satisfaction of staff in a manufacturing firm
Titles 1, 2 and 7 sit well in nursing, banking and medicine; titles 3, 4 and 9 in education; and titles 5, 6, 8 and 10 in business administration or public administration. Each can be answered with one of the instruments in Step 3.
Step 8: Avoid the Mistakes Supervisors Flag
- Using an instrument without permission or citation. Read the terms and attach the notice.
- Mixing up satisfaction with motivation, commitment or performance. Define each and measure only what your objectives need.
- Treating one organisation’s result as national. State the limit in your delimitations and recommendations.
- Reporting only the total score. If your instrument has facets, show them.
- Forgetting reliability for your own sample. The published value is not a substitute.
- Anonymity that is not really anonymous. A form that asks for department, grade and years of service in a team of eight identifies people.
Tesify helps you structure and organise your project, and the text is 100% written by you. Start your project with Tesify — 9,000+ students have written 15,000+ chapters with Tesify.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best instrument for a job satisfaction project?
For most student projects the Job Satisfaction Survey is practical: it has 36 items across nine facets, a six-point scale, and its author states the conditions of use. Choose the one your supervisor accepts and whose terms you can meet.
Can I use job satisfaction in a nursing or education project?
Yes. The construct applies to any workforce. Choose an instrument suited to the setting and name the staff group and the place in the title.
Which theory is most often used?
Herzberg’s two-factor theory is a common choice because it separates motivators from hygiene factors and gives your framework a clear structure. Explain its criticisms and how your instrument handles them.
How many respondents do I need?
There is no single number. It depends on the size of the population, the tests you plan and the smallest group you want to compare. Agree it with your supervisor and justify it in Chapter Three.
Do I need ethics approval?
Many institutions require approval or at least written permission from the organisation before you collect data from staff. Ask your department what applies, and give respondents an information sheet that explains anonymity and voluntary participation.
What is the difference between job satisfaction and motivation?
Satisfaction is how positive a person feels about their job, while motivation is what drives their effort. They are related but are measured with different instruments, so define each before using it.
Should I report the total score or the facets?
Report both if your instrument supports it. The facet scores show which aspects of the job are rated highest and lowest, which gives you more to discuss.
Can I translate or adapt an instrument?
Only within the author’s terms. Many instruments are already available in several languages, so check for an existing version before you adapt wording yourself, and report any change you make.
What should I do if the organisation refuses access?
Switch to another organisation, or use a different design such as a study of former employees or students on industrial placement. Talk to your supervisor early rather than the week before data collection.