You are on page 1of 43

UNIVERSITY OF GHANA

DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN WORK COMMITMENT AND JOB SATISFACTION

AMONG GHANAIAN NATIONAL SERVICE PERSONNELS.

A COMPARISON AMONG PRIVATE SECTOR AND PUBLIC SECTOR NATIONAL

SERVICE WORKERS.

BY

SAMUELLA MAWUENAM

STUDENT ID: 10827797

SUPERVISOR: DR. JOHN DOTSE.


THIS DISSERTATION IS SUBMITTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF GHANA

DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY, IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE

REQUIREMENT FOR PSYC 490-RESEARCH PROJECT.

September 2023

DECLARATION

I hereby declare that this research project is my own work towards the award of marks for

grading in PSYC 490– Research Project; and that to the best of my knowledge, it contains no

material previously published by another person nor material which has been accepted for the

award of any other marks or grades of the University elsewhere, except where due

acknowledgement/citation has been made in the text.

……………………………. …………………………….

NAME: DATE

SAMUELLA MAWUENAM

(STUDENT ID: 10827797)


……………………………. …………………………….

NAME OF SUPERVISOR: DATE

DR. JOHN DOTSE


ACKNOWLEDGMENT

I would like to thank the Almighty God for his guidance and protection throughout this project.

If it had not been for him, I wouldn’t have reached this far. In successfully completing this, many

people have helped me and I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all of them. Dr. John

Dotse. Without his guidance, completing this project would have been difficult. I would like to

also thank all friends and course mates who supported me and always wished me well in this

project. I say God bless you all so much for availing yourself to make this work a success. I owe

you many thanks.


DEDICATION

I dedicate this work to every single Lecturer at the University of Ghana Department of

Psychology. It is through your impactful knowledge that we have come this far. We are forever

grateful to you all.


ABSTRACT

Job commitment and job satisfaction has long been recognized as a key factor in boosting

organizational happiness. In this study, the relationship between job commitment and job

satisfaction of National Service Personnels (NSPs) was studied. The focus was on National

Service Personnels in the public sector as well as the private sector. NSPs from both sectors

were assessed for their level of commitment and satisfaction. In this quantitative cross-sectional

research, closed-ended questionnaires were used to gather the data, which was then statistically

analyzed with SPSS using descriptive statistics, independent T-test as well as correlation test.

Results show that Job Commitment had a strong negative insignificant relationship with Job

Satisfaction. This means that, higher levels of Job satisfaction are not associated with Job

Commitment. Also, Job Satisfaction in relation to public and private sectors showed that, private

sector participants would more likely have Job Satisfaction as compared to the public sector

participants. Job Commitment in relation to gender showed that, male participants would be

more likely have Job Commitment as compared to the female participants.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE........................................................................................................................1

INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................................1

1.0 Background of Research...................................................................................................1 - 3

1.1 Problem Statement................................................................................................................3

1.2 Aims and objectives of the research......................................................................................4

1.3 Relevance of the study..........................................................................................................4

CHAPTER TWO.......................................................................................................................5

LITERATURE REVIEW..........................................................................................................5

2.0 Theoretical Framework.....................................................................................................5 - 6

2.1 Review of Related Studies..............................................................................................6 - 8

2.2 Statement of Hypothesis........................................................................................................8

2.3 Operational Definitions..........................................................................................................9

CHAPTER THREE.................................................................................................................10

METHODOLOGY...................................................................................................................10

3.0 Resarch Design....................................................................................................................10

3.1 Setting..................................................................................................................................10

3.2 Population, Sample and Sample Size...........................................................................10 - 11

3.3 Sample Technique................................................................................................................11

3.4 Research Procedure.....................................................................................................11 - 12


3.5 Ethical Considerations.........................................................................................................12

3.6 Instruments/Tools used........................................................................................................12

3.7 Measurement................................................................................................................13 - 14

3.8 Proposed analysis of Data....................................................................................................14

3.9 Conclusion...........................................................................................................................14

CHAPTER FOUR...................................................................................................................15

RESULTS................................................................................................................................15

4.0 Introduction..........................................................................................................................15

4.1 Demographic Information of Participants...........................................................................16

4.2 Hypothsis Testing................................................................................................................17

4.3 Summary of Findings..........................................................................................................19

CHAPTER FIVE......................................................................................................................20

DISCUSSION...........................................................................................................................21

5.0 Introduction..........................................................................................................................21

5.1 Explanation of Findings....................................................................................................21

5.2 Recommendations................................................................................................................23

5.2 Limitations...........................................................................................................................24

5.3 Conclusion...........................................................................................................................24

References .................................................................................................................................26

Questionnaire ...........................................................................................................................29
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.0 Background of Research
Industrialization is on an increasing level, and has resulted in a larger market for the

demand of human capital. Since a country's economic growth is mainly dependent on the

efficiency of its work force, labor has evolved over time into a crucial component of economies

in all countries. The ever-increasing interest in the study of the concepts of job commitment and

job satisfaction among workers in organizations has resulted from the existing competition

among various firms and organizations throughout the world. Researchers have concentrated

their research in this area because of the relationship between these elements (i.e., job

commitment and job satisfaction) and other organizational aspects. The results will be used to

enhance employee performance and overall corporate performance.

Despite the fact that manufacturing requires operable machinery, humans are still needed

to manage the organization's affairs, operate the machines, and ensure their proper functionality.

Because employee commitment helps firms achieve their goals, it is crucial to focus on

employee commitment and happiness in every organization (Adeyinka, Ayeni, & Popoola 2007).

According to Adeyinka, Ayeni, & Popoola (2007), every serious organization will ensure that its

employees are strongly devoted to their jobs by creating a decent work environment and ensuring

that the employees are satisfied.

According to Segbenya et al (2021), ‘’countries have adopted the mandatory national

service as a practical training period to reduce the skill mismatch and enhance employability

among tertiary graduates transiting from school into the job market” This method of enhancing

employable skills could play a complementary role to the work applied management methods

1|Page
such as work-based learning in the form of apprenticeship undertaken by these graduates when

they were in school.

Ghana, Israel, South Korea, Singapore, Nigeria, Switzerland, Turkey, Norway, Sweden, North

Korea, and Eritrea are just a few of these nations. The Government of Ghana, along with the

other 20 African nations, makes sure that all postsecondary institution graduates under the age of

40 perform a one-year mandatory national service in both the private and public sectors of the

economy. Therefore, it is crucial for all parties involved, including the government and the

leaders of these organizations, to make sure that the national service individuals who work there

are dedicated to the initiatives of the latter and are happy with the work they are carrying out.

Employee commitment, a crucial topic in organizational psychology, is defined as an

employee's level of enthusiasm for the task that is assigned to him or her at work or an

employee's sense of responsibility for the organization's goals, mission, and vision (Wainwright,

2009).

The three elements of organizational commitment, according to Allen and Meyer (1996), are

affective, continuation, and normative commitment. The term "affective commitment" (AC)

relates to how an employee feels about their emotional connection to or identity with the

company. The term "continuance commitment" (CC) describes how an employee feels about the

expense of leaving the company for another location. Normative commitment (NC) refers to how

employees view their regular duty to the company. Employee commitment has the extra benefit

of making them more dedicated to their work, more productive, and more aggressive in

providing assistance (Wainwright, 2009).

2|Page
Additionally, job satisfaction can be seen as a pleasant emotional state that results from

an analysis of one's employment experiences and how many employees are given a positive,

upbeat introduction to work by the company (Rajak & Pandey, 2017).

According to McNeese-Smith (1996), job satisfaction refers to how employees feel about their

work. In a larger sense, it refers to a worker's attitude toward their employment generally or

toward particular facets of their profession. Job satisfaction has been defined as a pleasurable

emotional state resulting from the appraisal of one’s job; an affective reaction to one’s job; and

an attitude towards one’s job (Kumari & Pandey, 2011). The contentment of employees leads to

increased productivity, a high value of care, and a desire to remain in the position, claim Rajak &

Pandey (2017). While job discontent leads to higher absenteeism, stress levels, and turnover.

1.1 Problem Statement.

A number of studies on has been conducted on job commitment and job satisfaction in various

sectors, including the commercial and public sectors, as well as specific professions such as

nurses, teachers, receptionists, and telecommunications employees, among others. However, just

a little amount of study has been done to look into the link between job commitment and job

satisfaction among national service personnel’s specifically in Ghana. As a result, this study will

concentrate solely on Ghanaian National service personnel’s, looking into the relationship

between their commitment to their job and how satisfied they are with their jobs and all other

aspects of their work.

3|Page
1.2 Aims and objectives of the research.

The goal of this study was to investigate the relationship between job commitment and job

satisfaction among Ghanaian national service personnel.

Specifically, the objectives were:

1. To investigate the relationship between job commitment and job satisfaction among

Ghanaian national service personnel.

2. To identify the underlining factors affecting job commitment and job satisfaction

Ghanaian national service personnel.

3. To identify the best predictor of job satisfaction among Ghanaian national service

personnel.

1.3 Relevance of the study.

This study has been significant because it focused on national service personnel to

examine the relationship between their level of commitment to their jobs and how satisfied they

are with their jobs; and also investigated the best indicators of job satisfaction and to design

appropriate measures to help them, improve their productivity and performance while also

helping to improve the productivity of the organization in which they work and the economy of

the country at large.

4|Page
CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.0 Theoretical Framework

Expectancy theory by Vroom 1964

Expectancy theory is based on four assumptions (Vroom, 1964).One assumption is that people

join organizations with expectations about their needs, motivations, and past experiences. These

influence how individuals react to the organization. A second assumption is that an individual’s

behavior is a result of conscious choice. That is, people are free to choose those behaviors

suggested by their own expectancy calculations. A third assumption is that people want different

things from the organization. A fourth assumption is that people will choose among alternatives

so as to optimize outcomes for them personally. The expectancy theory based on these

assumptions has three key elements: expectancy, instrumentality, and valence. A person is

motivated to the degree that he or she believes that (a) effort will lead to acceptable performance

(expectancy), (b) performance will be rewarded (instrumentality), and (c) the value of the

rewards is highly positive (valence). Expectancy is a person’s estimate of the probability that

job-related effort will result in a given level of performance. Expectancy is based on probabilities

and ranges from 0 to 1. Instrumentality is an individual’s estimate of the probability that a given

level of achieved task performance will lead to various work outcomes. As with expectancy,

instrumentality ranges from 0 to 1. Valence is the strength of an employee’s preference for a

particular reward. Thus, salary increases, promotion, peer acceptance, recognition by

supervisors, or any other reward might have more or less value to individual employees. Unlike

expectancy and instrumentality, valences can be either positive or negative. The model provides

5|Page
guidelines for enhancing employee motivation by altering the individual’s effort-to-performance

expectancy, performance-to-reward expectancy, and reward valences (Gori & Topino, 2020).

Discrepancy Theory

Locke (Locke, 1969), the effects of positive and negative discrepancies depend on the specific

combination of job facet and standard of comparison being considered to produce dissatisfaction.

Locke believed that only unfilled desires can cause dissatisfaction and the satisfaction results

from comparing fulfillment of a job facet with the desired or ideal state for that facet (Wanous &

Lawler). In other words, when pay is the job facet considered and the amount received by

coworkers is the standard of comparison, workers receiving less pay than coworkers are likely to

be dissatisfied and workers receiving higher pay than coworkers are pleased with the positive

discrepancy (Lawler, 1971). In this case the employee determines if the job provides equitable

outcomes by comparing his outcomes with others (Jiang et al., 2012).

2.1 Review of Related Studies

Job commitment and job satisfaction play vital roles in the productivity of an organization.

Similar studies that have supported these findings are elaborated below.

(Eslami & Gharakhani, 2012) conducted a study on Organizational Commitment and Job

Satisfaction to investigate the role of job satisfaction in organizational commitments. The survey

questionnaire method was used to collect data from 280 Iranian workers and statistical analysis

was performed using the regression model. The study found that all three job satisfaction factors

6|Page
(promotions, personal relationships, and favorable working conditions) have a positive and

significant effect on organizational commitments.

Also, (Carmeli & Freund, 2003) conducted an empirical study to examine the

relationships between joint work commitments, job satisfaction, and job performance of lawyers

employed by private law firms in Israel. Morrow's (1993) concept of five universal forms of

commitment was used, and their interrelationship was tested with respect to Randall and Cote's

(1991) commitment model. The study found that job satisfaction plays a mediating role in the

relationship between joint and individual performance.

(Leite et al., 2014) studied the relationship between organizational commitment and job

satisfaction in the Military Police. The study sought to compared two different structural models

regarding the direct or mediation role satisfaction has in the prediction of commitment bond, in

the context of a public and traditional Brazilian organization, the Military Police. The study

surveyed 10,052 workers and used a mixed approach to measure relationships between variables

and contextualize the findings. The study found that relationship satisfaction is a predictor of

commitment, which in turn mediates its relationships with other variables such as work and

personal characteristics.

Commitment and job satisfaction were investigated by (Freund, 2005) as potential

indicators of welfare workers' intentions to leave their jobs. The study was an umbrella project

because it covered two major topics. The first investigated the concepts of organizational

commitment and job involvement in Israeli welfare organizations. Second, research the impact of

these factors on job satisfaction and withdrawal intentions in welfare organizations. The study

included 330 employees from a community-based welfare organization, but only 220 responded.

The findings revealed that ongoing and affective organizational commitments have an impact on

7|Page
job satisfaction, both in terms of the number of people who have decided to do so and in terms of

their withdrawal intentions.

(Jenkins & Paul Thomlinson, 1992) also conducted research on Organizational

Commitment and Job Satisfaction as Predictors of Employee Turnover Intentions. The study

aimed to broaden people's perspectives on commitment and turnover by focusing solely on

voluntary and avoidable turnover. Although 750 workers were sampled, only 183 responded to

the survey. Analyses revealed significant correlations between each Job Descriptive Index

subscale and both measures of commitment. However, the relationships differed markedly

depending on the type of commitment being measured.

2.2 Statement of Hypothesis

Based on the literature reviewed, this study was based on the hypotheses below:

1. There will be a significant positive correlation between Job Commitment and Job

Satisfaction among national service personnel in Ghana.

2. Job Commitment will be significantly higher among Private sector national service

personnel’s than public sector national service personnel.

3. Job satisfaction will be significantly higher among public sector national service

personnel’s than Private sector national service personnel’s

4. Job commitment will be significantly higher in females than males.

5. Job satisfaction will be significantly higher in Males than females.

8|Page
2.3 Operational Definition

Job commitment: A person's sense of responsibility for an organization's mission and goals is

referred to as their commitment to their job.

Job satisfaction: A measure of a worker's contentment with their job, whether they like the job

or specific features or facets of occupations.

9|Page
CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

The methodology section of this proposal discussed the setting, population and sample size.

Sampling technique, design of the study, the proposed procedure for collecting data, materials or

instruments, ethical procedures, scoring and statistical test for the analysis of data were all

discussed in this chapter.

3.0 Research Design

A quantitative cross-sectional research design was be used for this research. Data was

obtained at a large population at a specific period of time using a set of equipment monitoring

three variables. This enabled the researcher to precisely quantify the study's variables and ensure

that data is methodically obtained to describe and assess their characteristics. The quantitative

approach that was employed in this study allowed the researcher to examine the various

connections that exist between these variables and how they affect one another, in keeping with

the objectives of the study. The study’s goal examined the correlation between variables and

strength of this relationship.

3.1 Setting

The University of Ghana and its environs in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana was the

setting for this cross-sectional research. Data was collected in the confines of this location.

3.2 Population, Sample and Sample size.

The total number of units being studied in any area of study is referred to operationally as

the population. National Service Personnels (NSPs) of University of Ghana's main campus as

10 | P a g e
well as NSPs from other private sectors made up the study's population. Only 150 NSPs were

chosen as the sample size for this research..

3.3 Sample Technique

Non-probability sampling techniques was used for this study's sampling methods. On the

main campus of the University of Ghana, a group of NSPs were selected using the purposive and

convenience sampling technique. This technique was applied because the researcher sought to

explicitly draw NSPs in public and private sectors in Ghana, specifically the Greater Accra

Region. The method also enabled the investigation's goal, which was to examine the relationship

between work commitment and job satisfaction among public and private sector National Service

Personnels.

3.4 Research Procedure

Permission was granted from the Supervisor at the University of Ghana Department of

Psychology to collect data from various NSPs on the University of Ghana campus and private

companies and firms in the Greater Accra Region. Various Heads of Department on University

of Ghana Campus were asked for permission, and participants were made aware of the

requirements for completing the surveys. Before participants started answering the

questionnaires, they were given an oral explanation of the study's nature and objectives and were

asked to provide their informed permission. In addition, the researcher used electronic mediums

to collect data particularly google forms to gather the data from participants virtually.

Participants were contacted via social media and received the evaluation as an electronic form.

The information gathered were be kept confidential and anonymous while electronically saved

on a password-protected device.

11 | P a g e
3.5 Ethical Considerations

Participants had to read and sign an informed consent form before taking part in the

study. They were made aware of the goals of the study so they may actively select whether or not

to participate. Participants were also informed that they are free to withdraw from the study at

any time and without explanation, and that no one will have access to their personal data. The

researcher upheld ethical standards throughout the study in accordance with the 2016 APA code

of conduct's rules and principles for conducting research involving human participants.

3.6 Instruments/Tools used

Data was obtained using a questionnaire. A questionnaire is a type of research tool that

asks a set of pertinent questions of respondents in order to gather information. These tests have

an interview-style approach and either written or oral questions. The questionnaire will have

three sections. The first section asked for the demographic information of participants. The

second section delved into the measurement of job commitment among participants. The third

section was employed to measure the job satisfaction level of the participants.

3.7 Measurement

Two scales were used in the study to measure the variables of interest. They included

measures of work commitment, and job satisfaction, measures designed to collect demographic

information about the subjects, including sex, educational level and length of employment.

Measurement of Commitment.

The Mowday, Steers and Porter (1990) Organizational Commitment Questionnaire (OCQ) was

used. The Organizational Commitment Questionnaire assessed an individual's identification with

and involvement in a specific job. The OCQ was created with 14 questions ranging from 1

12 | P a g e
strongly disagreed to 5 strongly agreed. The items on the scale were added together and divided

by 14 which produces an overall OC index that can be used to assess an individual's

commitment. The scale was created to assess three factors: 1) a strong belief in and acceptance

of the organization's goals and values, 2) a willingness to put forth significant effort on behalf of

the organization, and 3) a strong desire to remain a member of the organization. The scales have

Cronbach alpha coefficients of 0.87 for the affective organizational subscale, 0.75 for the

continuance subscale, and 0.79 for the normative scale (Allen & Meyer, 1990). Kwela (2001)

determined the scale's alpha coefficient to be 0.87.

Measurement of job satisfaction.

The 6-item instrument developed by Hatfield, Robinson, and Huseman (1985) was used

to measure job satisfaction from the Job Perception Scale will be used to collect data (JPS). The

job satisfaction scale measures the participants' work satisfaction, promotion satisfaction,

supervision satisfaction, coworker satisfaction, and pay. This scale's sample items included

"How satisfied are you with your work?" and "How satisfied are you with your competitors?" On

a 7-point Likert scale, there were six items ranging from extremely dissatisfied to extremely

satisfied. For the most recent study, the scale had an alpha coefficient of 0.76.

3.8 Proposed Analysis of Data

The Statistical Program for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used for the study's computations

and data processing. The relationship between work commitment and job satisfaction was

determined using the Pearson Correlation coefficient and Independent T-Tests

13 | P a g e
3.9 Conclusion.

The chapter concentrated on all things concerning how the research was done ranging

from the approval and permission seeking to collect data to how meaning was made out of the

collected data.

14 | P a g e
CHAPTER FOUR

RESULTS

4.0 Introduction

The research findings from the statistical analysis of the data gathered for this study, using both

descriptive and inferential statistics, are presented in this chapter. The Statistical Package for the

Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26.00 was used to analyse the data. The data analysis was done

mostly in accordance with the hypothesis, utilizing the statistical techniques judged appropriate

for each hypothesis. The results are displayed in proper tables, and explanations are provided

beneath each table. The demographic characteristics of the participants are first present; and this

is followed by the relationship between Job Satisfaction and Job Commitment among national

service personnels. The frequencies between gender and Job Satisfaction and Job Commitment

are also illustrated below.

4.1 Demographic Characteristics of Participants

In total, 140 Ghanaian National Service personnel from the public sector and private sector

participated in the study and completed the questionnaires. About 27.1% of respondents were

females and the remaining 72.9% males. The participants were between the ages of 20 and 27

years with an average age of 23.9 years (SD = 0.90). 45.7% of them belonged to the private

sector and 54.3% in public sector. Over 50% of the participants have been working for 8 months

and about 52.9 receive a monthly salary of ₵559.00 and below. The other socio-demographic

characteristics of the students are presented below in Table 1.

15 | P a g e
Table 1. Socio-demographic characteristics of participants (n=140)

Characteristics Frequency Percentage (%)

Gender

Female 38 27.1

Male 108 72.9

Age

20 1 0.7

21 4 2.9

22 63 45.0

23 47 33.6

24 11 7.9

25 10 7.1

26 3 2.1

27 7 0.7

Type of work

Private Sector 64 45.7

Public Sector 76 54.3

Duration of work

5 months 3 2.1

6 months 26 18.6

7 months 36 25.7

16 | P a g e
8 months 75 53.6

Highest Academic level

JHS/SHS 2 1.4

Diploma 3 2.1

Bachelor’s 135 96.4

Monthly allowance

₵559 or below 74 52.9

₵560 to ₵1000 37 28.4

₵1100 to ₵2000 12 8.6

Above ₵2000 17 12.1

4.2 Hypothesis Testing

Correlation or Relationship among Variables

Relationship among Job Satisfaction and Job Commitment

The correlations between the job satisfaction (JS) and job commitment (JC) are presented in

Table 2. The results showed that Job Commitment had a strong negative insignificant

relationship with Job Satisfaction (r [-.122] = .149; p < 0.01). This means that, higher levels of

Job satisfaction are not associated with Job Commitment. The strong negative correlation yet

insignificant proves that this occurred by chance and there is not enough evidence to support that

correlation exists between the two variables in the population. Therefore, H1 is rejected.

17 | P a g e
Table 2. Correlation between Job Satisfaction and Job Commitment

Variables 1 2

1. Job Satisfaction 1 -.122

2. Job Commitment - 1

Note: results are significant if p < 0.01

INDEPENDENT T-Test

Gender difference in Job Commitment

The gender differences on Job Commitment among National Service Personnels are presented in

Table 3. The results of an independent sample t-test which compared the difference in the mean

scores of Job Commitment in relation to gender shows that, male participants (M = 2.8901, SD

= .35175) would be more likely have Job Commitment as compared to the female participants

(M = 2.9586, SD = .42360). This difference was statistically significant (t [-.969] = .334, p <

0.05). Therefore, H4 is also rejected because males experienced higher levels of Job

commitment.

Table 3. Gender differences on Job Commitment

Gender Mean SD t-test p-value

Male 2.8901 .35175 -.969 0.005

Female 2.9586 .42360

Note: results are significant if p < 0.05

18 | P a g e
Public and Private Sector on Job Satisfaction

The public and private sector on Job Satisfaction among National Service Personnels is

presented in Table 5. The results of an independent sample t-test which compared the difference

in the mean scores of Job Satisfaction in relation to public and private sectors shows that, private

sector participants (M = 5.3281, SD = 1.34910) would be more likely having Job Satisfaction as

compared to the public sector participants (M = 4.4868, SD = 1.01389). This difference was

statistically insignificant (t [4.207] = 138, p < 0.05). Therefore, H3 is accepted proving that

private national service personnels experience higher levels of job satisfaction than public

national service peraonnel.

Table 5. Public and Private Sector on Job Satisfaction

Type of work Mean SD t-test p-value

Private sector 5.3281 1.34910 4.207 0.005

Public sector 4.4868 1.01389

Note: results are significant if p < 0.05

4.3 Summary of Findings

1. Job Commitment had a strong negative insignificant relationship with Job Satisfaction.

This means that, higher levels of Job satisfaction are not associated with Job

Commitment.

2. Job Satisfaction in relation to public and private sectors shows that, private sector

participants would be more likely having Job Satisfaction as compared to the public

sector participants.

19 | P a g e
3. Job Commitment in relation to gender shows that, male participants would be more likely

have Job Commitment as compared to the female participants.

20 | P a g e
CHAPTER FIVE

DISCUSSION

5.0 Introduction

According to Key et al. (1999), the purpose of discussion in research is to interpret and

characterize the relevance of findings in light of the body of knowledge already available on the

research topic at hand, as well as to explain any new knowledge or insights that have emerged on

the topic as a result of the evaluation of the findings.

5.1 Explanation of Findings

There have been several researches on job satisfaction and job commitment; one of them by

Kreitner, R., Kinicki, A., & Buelens, M. (1989). The result of their research demonstrates that

there is a positive relationship between Job commitment and Job satisfaction. This means that

commitment to the organization will increase if employees have high levels of job satisfaction,

and vice versa. According to other studies, like the one by Porter et al (1974), there is a

significant link between organizational commitment, work satisfaction, and volatility. People

who are more dedicated to an organization are also less likely to leave their jobs.

In the summary of findings, Job Commitment has a strong negative insignificant relationship

with Job Satisfaction. This means that, higher levels of Job satisfaction are not associated with

Job Commitment. This outcome could be as a result of some factors. Utilizing one's talents and

skills, working circumstances, benefits, and income are some factors that might affect job

21 | P a g e
satisfaction. Everyone reacts to many factors differently, and happiness is relative. It is crucial to

comprehend the extent of the factors influencing employees' job satisfaction. This means that,

someone being committed to their job doesn’t mean they are satisfied.

According to the theory that "happiness is relative" being satisfied is the outcome of comparison.

It is expected that standards of comparison will change, making a sustained increase in happiness

or satisfaction above neutral impossible.

Three premises form the basis of the argument that happiness is a relative concept: (1)

Comparison leads to enjoyment. Standards of comparison are arbitrary creations, (2) they adjust,

and (3) they change.

The 'myth' that lives among national service personnels that those working at the private sectors

are more devoted cannot be proven. According to the study, the type of work differs for

personnels in both sectors. This means there is the possibility that private sectors national service

workers who are believed to be satisfied with their jobs are not. For government organizations,

keeping employees has become a top priority because many of them have already experienced a

rise in staff turnover as a result of regular public servant layoffs. This can also be a factor to

explain the negative relationship between job commitment and job satisfaction among these two

sectors.

Also, the findings can be explained from the research by Eslami & Gharakhani (2012) stated in

the review of related studies in chapter 2. 280 Iranian workers were surveyed using

questionnaires, and statistical analysis was carried out using the regression model. According to

the study, attractive working circumstances, personal relationships, and promotions all have a

positive and significant impact on organizational commitments. This means that no relationship

22 | P a g e
was found between job commitment and job satisfaction among national service workers in

Ghana because possibly, there are no attractive work circumstances, personal relationships do

not exist (perhaps as a result of the service being one year or less) and also there is nothing like

promotion or even incentives to boost and motivate these young workers.

In the same vein, Leite et al (2014) studied the relationship between organizational commitment

and job satisfaction in the Military Police. The study sought to compared two different structural

models regarding the direct or mediation role satisfaction has in the prediction of commitment

bond, in the context of a public and traditional Brazilian organization, the Military Police.

Results were that, satisfaction is a predictor of commitment, which in turn mediates its

relationships with other variables such as work and personal characteristics. This means that

commitment in Ghanaian National Service Personnels would be boosted if there is a certain level

of satisfaction; and satisfaction comes about as a result of a lot of factors or variables.

5.2 Recommendations

At the end of the study, these are some suggestions and recommendations that came up.

1. Future study should consider using job commitment variable as a performance mediator.

In order to have a good perception when responding to the questionnaire, it is also

advised to use other variables, such as workplace discipline, training assignment

delegation, loyalty and developing an emotional connection.

2. Another idea is to apply the same variable to numerous additional studies and research

topics. This will help to validate and also replicate the findings of these research.

23 | P a g e
3. Obtain new abilities: Commitment at the workplace and enthusiasm may increase as you

pick up skills to make your job of higher quality. This can be done by organizing

seminars to help NSPs pick up new skills and obtain new abilities.

4. For self-improvement and to help one become more committed at work as well as

satisfied, comments post can be made in various organizations so that NSPs can bring up

their various recommendations and suggestions managers which will reach the

management for the betterment of the company.

5.3 Limitations

This study aimed to highlight the relationship between job commitment and job satisfaction

among private sector and public sector national service workers. In this study, the authors did not

discover a significant relationship between the two variables. The study was carried out as

wholly as possible while adhering to the design concept and methodology. However, its

shortcomings persisted, including the fact that majority of the respondents were service

personnels from the public sector. This didn’t allow for even collection of data from both sectors.

Private sector National Service Personnels were just a few. Also, one of the limitations is time

and resources. The study had limited time as well as limited resources and as such, even though

the data gathered could represent the population, more time and resources would have allowed

for more data. Accuracy in data science challenges will be improved if we had had a lot of data;

and getting additional data calls for more time and resources.

5.4 Conclusion

Job commitment and job satisfaction has long been recognized as a key factor in boosting

organizational happiness. In this study, the relationship between job commitment and job

24 | P a g e
satisfaction of National Service Personnels (NSPs) was studied. The focus was on National

Service Personnels in the public sector as well as the private sector. NSPs from both sectors were

assessed for their level of commitment and satisfaction. In this quantitative cross-sectional

research, closed-ended questionnaires were used to gather the data, which was then statistically

analyzed with SPSS using descriptive statistics, independent T-test as well as correlation test.

Results show that Job Commitment had a strong negative insignificant relationship with Job

Satisfaction. This means that, higher levels of Job satisfaction are not associated with Job

Commitment. Also, Job Satisfaction in relation to public and private sectors showed that, private

sector participants would more likely have Job Satisfaction as compared to the public sector

participants. Job Commitment in relation to gender showed that, male participants would be

more likely have Job Commitment as compared to the female participants.

25 | P a g e
REFERENCES

Adeyinka Tella, C.O. Ayeni, S. O. Popoola, P. (2007). Work Motivation, job satisfaction, and

Organizational Commitment of Library Personnel in Academic and Research Libraries

in Oyo State, Nigeria. ACADEMIA,

Adeyinka, T., Ayeni, L. & Popoola, S.O. (2007). Work motivation, job satisfaction and

organizational commitment of library personnel in Academic and Research libraries in

Oyo State, Nigeria. Library Philosophy and Practice.

Allen, M & Meyer, J (1996). Affective, Continuance, and Normative Commitment to the

Organization: An Examination of Construct Validity. ELSEVIER, 252-276.

Carmeli, A., & Freund, A. (2003). Work commitment, job satisfaction, and job performance: An

empirical investigation. International Journal of Organization Theory & Behavior, 7(3),

289-309.

Eslami, J., & Gharakhani, D. (2012). Organizational commitment and job satisfaction. ARPN

journal of science and technology, 2(2), 85-91.

Freund, A. (2005). Commitment and job satisfaction as predictors of turnover intentions among

welfare workers. Administration in social work, 29(2), 5-21.

Gori, A., & Topino, E. (2020). Predisposition to Change Is Linked to Job Satisfaction: Assessing

the Mediation Roles of Workplace Relation Civility and Insight. International journal of

environmental research and public health, 17(6). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17062141

26 | P a g e
Jenkins, M., & Paul Thomlinson, R. (1992). Organisational commitment and job satisfaction as

predictors of employee turnover intentions. Management Research News, 15(10), 18-22.

Jiang, J. J., Klein, G., & Saunders, C. (2012). Discrepancy Theory Models of Satisfaction in IS

Research. In Information Systems Theory (pp. 355-381). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-

4419-6108-2_18

Keys, C. W., Hand, B., Prain, V. & Collins, S. (1999). Using the science writing heuristic as a

tool for learning from laboratory investigations in secondary science. Journal of research

in science Teaching, 36(10), 1065-1084.

Kreitner, R., Kinicki, A., & Buelens, M. (1989). Organizational behavior. Homewood, IL: Irwin.

Kumari & Pandey (2011). Job satisfaction in Public and Private sector. A comparison study.

Journal of Innovation, Management and Technology.

Lawler, E. E. (1971). Pay and organizational effectiveness: A psychological view.

Leite, N. R. P., Rodrigues, A. C. d. A., & Albuquerque, L. G. d. (2014). Organizational

commitment and job satisfaction: what are the potential relationships? BAR-Brazilian

Administration Review, 11, 476-495.

Locke, E. (1969). What is job satisfaction? . Organizational Behavior & Human Performance,

4(4), 309-336.

McNeese-Smith (1996). Relationship between Job satisfaction and Job commitment. A

comparative study among Nurses. Institute of Psychological Research.

Rajak. B & Pandey, (2017). Exploring the relationship between Job Commitment and Job

satisfaction through review of literature. Management Insight.

Segbenya-M, Frimpong .S., Oppong . Y. N. (2021). Effect of Covid-19 on Acquisition of

employability skills among national service personnel in Ghana.ResearchGate.Net.

27 | P a g e
Vroom, V. H. (1964). Work and motivation. Jossey-Bass.

Wainwright, B. (2009). what is employee commitment? my Effectory. Retrieved from

http://www.effectory.com/knowledge/what-is-employee-commitment/

Wanous, J., & Lawler, I. E. Measurement and meaning of job satisfaction. Journal of applied

psychology, 56(2), 95-105.

28 | P a g e
QUESTIONNAIRE

This is a survey designed to elicit your personal opinions on issues such as your commitment to

your job, and your job satisfaction. Your name is not required, and the information you provide

will be kept strictly confidential and used only for academic purposes. As a result, it is hoped

that you will be as truthful as possible in your response to the following question.

Section A: DEMOGRAPHICS

1. Please state your AGE:

2. SEX: Male ( ) Female ( )

3. Type of work ……………………………………….

4. How long have you been doing this work ………………………………………

5. What is your highest academic / Professional qualification

[ ] a. no formal education [ ] b. JSS/JHS [ ] c. SSSCE / WASSCE

[ ] d. Diploma [ ] e. Bachelor‘s Degree [ ] f. Others

6. What is your monthly Profit?

29 | P a g e
[ ] a. Below GH¢ 600 [ ] b.GH¢ 600 – GH¢1000 [ ] c.GH¢ 1000 - GH¢2000

[ ] d. Above .GH¢ 2000.

SECTION B.

Listed below are a series of statements that represent possible feelings that individuals might

have about the organization for which they work. Concerning your findings of particular jobs for

which you are now working please indicate the degree of your agreement or disagreement with

each statement by circling one of the five alternatives below each statement.

Strongly disagree (SD), disagree (D), neutral (N), agree (A), and strongly agree (SA)

No SA A N D SD

Affective Commitment

1 I would be very happy to spend the rest

of my career in this work.

2 I enjoy discussing my work with

people outside it.

30 | P a g e
3 I feel as if this work's problems are my

own.

4 I do not feel 'emotionally attached to

this work.

Continuance Commitment

5 I am not afraid of what might happen if

I quit my work without having another

one lined up.

6 It would be very hard for me to quit my

work right now, even if I wanted to.

7 Too much in my life would be

disrupted if I decided I wanted to quit

my work now.

8 It wouldn't be too costly for me to quit

my work now.

9 I feel that I have too few options to

consider quitting this work.

Normative Commitment

10 I think that people these days move

from one work to another too often

11 Jumping from work to work does not

seem at all unethical to me.

12 One of the major reasons I continue

31 | P a g e
this work is that I believe that loyalty is

important and therefore feel a sense of

moral obligation to remain

13 I was taught to believe in the value of

remaining loyal to one work.

14 I do not think that wanting to be a 'one

work man' or 'one work woman' is

sensible anymore.

Section C: JOB SATISFACTION.

Below are questions about several aspects of your job and career. Please express your
satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the various aspects of your job indicated below using the
following scale. how you may think about yourself right now. [1= Extremely dissatisfied; 2=
very dissatisfied; 3= moderately dissatisfied; 4= not sure; 5= moderately satisfied; 6= very
satisfied; 7 = Extremely satisfied]

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

1. How satisfied are you with your


work?

2. How satisfied are you with your


fellow workers?

3. How satisfied are you with your


leaders at your work place?

4. How satisfied are you with your


competition within the work
place?

5. How satisfied are you with your


overall remuneration package

32 | P a g e
(profit, pension, allowances and
other benefits)?

6. Considering how satisfied are you


with your job in general?

33 | P a g e

You might also like