The research, published in the International Journal of Management and Business Intelligence (IJMBI), found that the three organizational factors collectively explained 53.5% of the variation in teachers’ job satisfaction. Organizational culture made the largest relative contribution, closely followed by organizational commitment, while the work environment also showed a significant positive relationship with satisfaction.
Why Teacher Job Satisfaction Matters
Teachers do more than deliver lessons in the classroom. They manage learning activities, communicate with students and parents, collaborate with colleagues, complete administrative responsibilities, and adapt to changing educational demands. These responsibilities make job satisfaction an important consideration for school management.
Job satisfaction reflects how positively teachers evaluate their work, including their responsibilities, rewards, working conditions, and relationships with colleagues. When teachers feel supported and connected to their schools, they may develop more positive attitudes toward their work. Conversely, concerns about recognition, workplace relationships, or inadequate facilities can affect how teachers experience their professional responsibilities.
The issue is particularly relevant in schools managed by educational foundations, where institutional values and organizational expectations help shape daily activities. At the YPK St. Yoseph schools examined in this research, the institutional values include faith, responsibility, sincerity, obedience, and perseverance.
These values can provide a common foundation for professional conduct, but their influence depends on how consistently they are reflected in everyday school practices. A school culture becomes meaningful when its values are demonstrated through leadership decisions, communication, cooperation, and the treatment of teachers.
The researchers also identified preliminary concerns regarding rewards, support from colleagues, organizational commitment, the internalization of institutional values, and aspects of the physical and social working environment. These observations provided a practical reason to examine the three organizational factors together.
How the Researchers Studied Teachers’ Job Satisfaction
The study involved 40 permanent foundation teachers from three junior high schools in Pematangsiantar City: SMP Cinta Rakyat 1, SMP Cinta Rakyat 2, and SMP Cinta Rakyat 3. The schools contributed 25, seven, and eight teachers, respectively.
Because the total population was relatively small, the researchers included all 40 permanent teachers as respondents. Data were collected through questionnaires, interviews, and documentation. The questionnaire used a five-point rating scale to measure organizational commitment, organizational culture, work environment, and job satisfaction.
Before the main analysis, the questionnaire was tested with 30 teachers outside the research sample. The researchers evaluated the instrument's validity and reliability to check whether its questions were suitable for measuring the variables.
The responses were then analyzed using multiple linear regression, a statistical method that estimates how several factors relate to an outcome while accounting for the other factors in the model. The researchers also conducted statistical tests to assess the individual and combined relationships between the three organizational factors and teachers’ job satisfaction.
Three Factors Linked to Higher Job Satisfaction
The results showed that organizational commitment, organizational culture, and work environment each had a positive and statistically significant relationship with teachers’ job satisfaction.
1. Organizational culture made the largest relative contribution.
Organizational culture recorded a standardized regression coefficient of β = 0.377, the highest among the three factors, although its difference from organizational commitment was very small.
This finding highlights the importance of shared values, behavioral expectations, and a sense of belonging within schools. In the YPK St. Yoseph context, institutional values can help guide teachers’ professional behavior and encourage cooperation when they are consistently practiced throughout the school community.
For school managers, the implication is that organizational culture should extend beyond written rules and formal statements. School leaders can reinforce it through fair decision-making, constructive communication, recognition of teachers’ contributions, and consistent professional expectations.
2. Organizational commitment was almost equally important.
Organizational commitment recorded a standardized coefficient of β = 0.376, with a statistical significance value of 0.004.
Commitment refers to teachers’ attachment to their school and their willingness to remain involved in its goals and responsibilities. Teachers who identify with their institution may be more willing to contribute to shared objectives and maintain a positive outlook on their professional roles.
The findings suggest that school management should pay attention to teachers’ sense of belonging, involvement in institutional decisions, and confidence in the school's direction. Clear communication about school goals and meaningful opportunities to participate in school activities may help strengthen that connection.
3. The work environment also mattered.
The work environment recorded a standardized coefficient of β = 0.285, with a significance value of 0.020.
Although its relative contribution was lower than those of organizational culture and commitment, the result confirms that workplace conditions remain important. The work environment includes physical facilities, teaching resources, communication, interpersonal relationships, cooperation, and administrative support.
Schools can respond by maintaining adequate teaching facilities, improving coordination among staff, encouraging respectful relationships, and ensuring that teachers receive appropriate support in carrying out their responsibilities.
Combined Factors Explained 53.5% of Job Satisfaction Differences
The study's overall statistical model was significant, with an F-statistic of 14.629 and a p-value below 0.001. This indicates that organizational commitment, organizational culture, and work environment were collectively associated with teachers’ job satisfaction in the sample.
The coefficient of determination, or R², was 0.535. In practical terms, the three factors together accounted for 53.5% of the observed variation in job satisfaction among the participating teachers.
The remaining 46.5% was associated with factors not included in the model. These could include other aspects of teachers’ professional experiences, but the study did not establish which additional factors were responsible.
The findings therefore support an integrated approach to school management rather than treating culture, commitment, and working conditions as isolated concerns. Improving facilities alone may not address problems involving organizational belonging, while communicating institutional values may have limited impact if teachers do not experience supportive working conditions.
The results are consistent with earlier research on teacher job satisfaction. Sitepu, Restu, and Purba (2024), for example, reported a significant relationship between school culture and job satisfaction among junior high school teachers in Karo Regency. International evidence reported by Eryilmaz and colleagues (2025) also highlights the importance of school working conditions in teachers’ job satisfaction.
Together, these findings reinforce the relevance of organizational culture, workplace support, and institutional commitment when school leaders assess teachers’ professional experiences.
Practical Implications for School Management
The research offers several practical considerations for educational foundations and school administrators.
First, school leaders can strengthen organizational culture by ensuring that institutional values are reflected in daily decisions and professional interactions. Regular communication, consistent standards, and recognition of constructive behavior can help translate organizational principles into workplace practices.
Second, schools can foster organizational commitment by involving teachers in appropriate decisions, communicating institutional priorities clearly, and creating opportunities for professional participation. Teachers should understand how their responsibilities contribute to the school's broader educational mission.
Third, school management can improve the work environment by reviewing classroom facilities, teaching resources, staff communication, interpersonal relationships, and administrative support. Attention to these everyday conditions can help teachers carry out their responsibilities more effectively.
The findings should nevertheless be interpreted within the study's scope. The research covered 40 permanent foundation teachers at three schools in one city and used questionnaire-based, cross-sectional data. The statistical relationships do not establish that the three factors independently cause changes in job satisfaction, nor can the results automatically be generalized to all schools in Indonesia.
Future research involving larger samples, different educational foundations, and additional variables could provide a broader understanding of the factors shaping teachers’ job satisfaction.
About the Authors
The article was written by Juniarto Leonardus Sidabutar, Marisi Butarbutar, Efendi, Sherly, and Liper Siregar, affiliated with the Master of Management program at Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Ekonomi Sultan Agung, Indonesia.
Their study focuses on organizational commitment, organizational culture, work environment, and job satisfaction in the management of junior high schools. Juniarto Leonardus Sidabutar is the corresponding author and can be contacted at juniarto.leonardus@gmail.com.
The supplied article information does not specify the authors’ individual academic degrees or detailed areas of expertise, so those credentials are not listed here.
Research Source
Sidabutar, J. L., Butarbutar, M., Efendi, Sherly, and Siregar, L. (2026). “The Effect of Organizational Commitment, Organizational Culture, and Work Environment on Teachers’ Job Satisfaction in Junior High Schools Under the Auspices of YPK St. Yoseph Medan in Pematangsiantar City.” International Journal of Management and Business Intelligence (IJMBI).
DOI: https://doi.org/10.59890/ijmbi.v4i5.67
Journal website: https://journalijmbi.my.id/index.php/ijmbi
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