From Classroom to Screen: Impact of Teaching Modes on Work-Life Balance and Job Satisfaction of Married Female Secondary School Teachers in Kolkata

Description

Arunima Mitra¹ and Atanu Kumar Dogra² (Department of Education, St. Xavier’s College (Autonomous), Kolkata, West Bengal¹ and Department of Psychology, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, West Bengal²)

This study examined job satisfaction and work-life balance among married female secondary school teachers in Kolkata who taught in both online and traditional classroom settings. Using a pre-post design, 30 married female teachers in early adulthood with children, employed in private schools, were selected through snowball sampling. Data were collected at two points-during the period of online teaching and again six months after returning to in-person teaching. Standardized tools included the Dixit Job Satisfaction Scale (Dixit, 1993) and a modified version of the Work-Life Balance Questionnaire (Hayman, 2005). Semi-structured interviews were also conducted to capture contextual experiences and teaching mode preferences. Results indicated significantly higher job satisfaction scores in the traditional mode across all sub-domains. Work-life balance was also more favorable in the traditional teaching mode, with participants reporting greater interference between work and personal life during online teaching. Dependent t-tests confirmed significant differences between the two teaching modes. Interview responses emphasized reduced physical strain in online teaching but also revealed challenges such as screen fatigue, lack of student engagement, emotional disconnect, and technical hurdles. Concerns over job security were also raised. Overall, most teachers preferred traditional classroom teaching for its pedagogical effectiveness, emotional rapport, and professional satisfaction.