Life Satisfaction of Physical Education Teachers in Relation to Teaching One or Two Subjects and to Extracurricular Sports Activities

Abstract

This research, which had the character of a pilot study, assessed the relations between life satisfaction (LS) and one and two subject teaching, as well as LS and extracurricular sport activities of secondary school teachers of Physical Education (PE).We studied the relations within each gender. The sample comprised 42 subjects with a minimum 20 years of experience in teaching. The average age of men was 53 and of women 49,9 years of age. We assessed LS through the Satisfaction with Life Scale (Diener et al., 1985). We utilized a tailor-made non-standard questionnaire to identify extracurricular sport activities and basic sociographic data. The data was processed with the statistical relation Chi Square analysis. The LS level of the women is higher than the level of the men but there is no significant difference. Very minor differences were revealed in the evaluation of LS in relation to the teaching of one or two subject teaching. Women have a tendency to be much more active in extracurricular sport activities and sport activities that have the character of being organized. This variable does not appear to be the determinant in relation to their LS. The frequency of extracurricular sport activities and LS have a statistically significant relation for the men. We recommend to observe the LS in relation to the participation in extracurricular sport activities by using substantially larger sample of male and female PE teachers. Motivation aspect with regard to interests and workload compensation should be taken in to account.