Date of Conferral

12-11-2025

Date of Award

December 2025

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Social Work

Advisor

Alice Yick

Abstract

The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate the relationship between job demands and resources and job satisfaction among school social workers in North Carolina. School social workers are vital members of the school ecosystem, supporting the development and well-being of students, families, and communities. Grounded in the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) theoretical framework, the impact of years of experience, caseload size, role ambiguity, burnout, and job autonomy on job satisfaction among school social workers was examined. The current study included 92 school social workers from twelve counties in the Sandhills and Research Triangle regions of North Carolina who completed an online survey comprising questions from the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey, the Areas of Worklife Survey, the Role Conflict and Ambiguity Scale, and the Michigan Organizational Assessment Questionnaire-Job Satisfaction Subscale. The results from the ordinal regression analysis revealed that job autonomy (p < .001) and personal accomplishment (p = .004) were positively associated and statistically significantly correlated with job satisfaction. Autonomy and job satisfaction were moderately and positively correlated (p = <.001). The variables of years of experience and caseload size did not have any statistically significant impact on job satisfaction. This study contributes to positive social change by providing actionable steps that enhance autonomy, clarify roles, and promote employee growth, thereby improving service delivery and employee retention and potentially improving outcomes for school social workers, students, and the communities they serve.

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