The impact of expectations on faculty job satisfaction

Although job satisfaction of nurses within the clinical area has been heavily studied, the satisfaction of nurse faculty members has seldom been examined. This study looks at the relationship of the role of the department chairperson to the satisfaction of faculty. The sample was composed of 163 faculty in eight state supported baccalaureate/masters programs. Age, length of service, size of the department, and the size of the program served as control variables. Two self-designed instruments (CPQ-E and CPQ-P) based on Need Fulfillment Theory created an Expectation Discrepancy Score for each faculty member. Job satisfaction was measured by the JDI. The relationship between the Expectation Discrepancy Score and job satisfaction was found to be significant (Fg = 15.786, p less than 05). Several recommendations were suggested.