The impact of teachers' characteristics on their self-efficacy and job satisfaction: a perspective from teachers engaging students with disabilities

The study investigated the impact of Pakistani special education teachers' characteristics like gender, age, background qualification, teaching experience and professional qualification on their self-efficacy beliefs and job satisfaction. The study employed a quantitative research design comprising 94 female and 24 male teachers from five public schools located in the district of Lahore. The findings from self-efficacy and job satisfaction measures indicate that teachers' characteristics like gender, age, academic education and teaching experience had significant influence on self-efficacy beliefs and job satisfaction. Female teachers exhibited higher level of self-efficacy beliefs and job satisfaction to teach students with diverse needs as compared with their male counterparts. However, a significant correlation between self-efficacy and job satisfaction was not found. This study suggests professional training programs tailored to enhance male and female teachers' self-efficacy beliefs and job satisfaction while addressing the needs of children with disabilities.