Periodicity in seniority—Job satisfaction relationship

Abstract

The objective of this study was to specify the nature of the function relating seniority to job satisfaction. Questionnaire responses of 900 teachers with 23 or less years of seniority, in a representative sample of Israeli junior high schools, were analyzed for year-to-year differences in job satisfaction. The results, and a spectral analysis performed on the data points, suggest that the first 23 years of seniority may be characterized by a periodic modulation of job satisfaction by seniority, with peaks of the former occurring on the 2, 7, 11–12, 17, and 21–22 years; that is, with a periodicity of about 5 years. The findings are interpreted as possibly representing the effects of major moves, in and out of the labor market and between schools, which occur in a teacher's worklife.