Date of Conferral

9-3-2025

Degree

Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.)

School

Business Administration

Advisor

Irene Williams

Abstract

The educational sector in the United States experienced substantial workforce changes during the Great Resignation, a period following the COVID-19 pandemic when many employees left their jobs. In response, school leaders were encouraged to understand the relationship between their leadership styles and teacher job satisfaction. This quantitative correlational study used Job Satisfaction Theory as its theoretical framework to examine the relationship between three leadership styles—transactional, transformational, and laissez-faire (passive-avoidant)—and teacher job satisfaction in the post-pandemic context. Eighty-two teachers participated by completing the Job Satisfaction Survey and the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ). Results from the multiple linear regression analysis were statistically significant, F (3, 79) = 7.860, p < .001, with an R² of .237, indicating a good model fit. Notably, transformational (t = 1.847, p = 0.069, β = .2.66), transactional (t = .456, p = 0.650, β = .092), and laissez-faire (t = 1.927, p = 0.058, β = .200) were not statistically significant predictors of teacher job satisfaction. A key recommendation for school administrators and educational policymakers was to adopt a flexible leadership approach rather than committing exclusively to a single style. The implications for positive social change included the potential for school leaders to adjust leadership strategies in ways that reduce teacher job dissatisfaction and enhance retention, thereby improving educational stability.

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