Measuring Happiness at Work Among Teachers: Survey from a Senior High School in Gowa Regency, Sulawesi Selatan
Abstract
Happiness at work is an important aspect of teacher well-being that contributes to the effectiveness of the teaching and learning process and the achievement of educational goals. Therefore, this study aimed to describe the level of happiness at work among senior high school teachers in Gowa Regency, South Sulawesi. This study employed a quantitative approach with a descriptive survey design involving 100 senior high school teachers selected using purposive sampling. The instrument used consisted of three dimensions, namely engagement, job satisfaction, and affective commitment. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics with the assistance of Jamovi software. The results showed that happiness at work among senior high school teachers in Gowa Regency was generally categorized as high. High levels of engagement, job satisfaction, and affective commitment were also found among teachers. These findings indicate that teachers tend to experience positive feelings toward their work, demonstrate active involvement in carrying out their professional responsibilities, perceive their profession positively, and possess a strong emotional attachment to their schools. Therefore, maintaining teachers' happiness at work is important to support positive work attitudes and sustain the quality of education.
Keywords
Full Text:
PDFReferences
Abdullah, A.G.K., Ling, Y.L., & Ping, C.S. (2017). Workplace happiness, transformational leadership and affective commitment. Advanced Science Letters, 23(4), 2872-2875. https://doi.org/10.1166/asl.2017.7588
Adusei, H., Sarfo, J. O., Manukure, P., & Cudjoe, J. (2016). If I should stop teaching now, where will I go? Turnover intentions among high school teachers in Ghana. European Journal of Contemporary Education, 17(3), 263-271. https://doi.org/10.13187/ejced.2016.17.263
Bansal, G., Punia, B. K., Girdhar, R., & Punia, V. (2025). Mindfulness, organizational identification, work-life balance, and family support in female happiness. Harnessing Happiness and Wisdom for Organizational Well-Being (pp.38). 10.4018/979-8-3693-8457-2.ch016
Beneve, P., Ittan, M. M., & Cortini, M. (2018). Self-Esteem and happiness as predictors of school teachers’ health: the mediating role of job satisfaction. Frontiers Psychology, 9:933. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00933
Bhandari, S., & Bhalla, P. (2024). Job stress and workplace happiness: artificial intelligence as a buzzword. Proceedings International Conference on Emerging Innovations and Advanced Computing, INNOCOMP. https://doi.org/10.1109/INNOCOMP63224.2024.00029
Bhandari, S., Mishra, M.K., Bhalla, P., Gupta, S. (2025). Understanding the effect of personality types on workplace happiness using structural equation modelling approach. International Journal of Work Innovation, 6 (1), 1-21. https://doi/org/10.1504/IJWI.2025.144326
Bhatia, A., & Mohsin, F. (2023). Role of workplace happiness in achieving teachers’ sustainable academic performance: a study on selected private universities in Delhi NCR. World Review of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development, 19(3-5), 416-429. https://doi.org/10.1504/WREMSD.2023.130614
Bekhet, A. K., Zauszniewski, J. A. B., & Nakhla, W. E. (2008). Happiness: Theoretical and empirical considerations. Nursing Forum, 43 (1), 12.
Bakker, A. B., & Oerlemans, W. G. M. (2016). Momentary work happiness as a function of enduring burnout and work engagement. The Journal of Psychology, 150(6), 755-778. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00223980.2016.1182888
Delya, A., Na’imah, T., Wibowo, U., & Wahidah, F. (2023). Islamic religiosity as a moderator of the effect of organizational climate on happiness at work in islamic school teachers. Al-Tanzim Journal of Islamic Education Management, 7(3), 793-805. https://doi.org/10.33650/al-tanzim.v7i3.3999
Dreer, B. (2024). Teachers’ well-being and job satisfaction: the important role of positive emotions in the workplace. Educational Studies, 50(1), 61-77. https://doi.org/10.1080/03055698.2021.1940872
Fitriana, N., Hutagalung, F. D., Awang, Z., & Zaid, S. M. (2022). Happiness at work: A cross-cultural validation of happiness at work scale. PLoS ONE, 17(1). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0261617
Fredrickson, B. L. (2001). The role of positive emotions in positive psychology: The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions American Psychologist. American Psychologist, 56(3), 218-226. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.56.3.218
Galván Vela, E., Mercader, V., Arango Herrera, E., & Ruíz Corrales, M. (2022). Empowerment and support of senior management in promoting happiness at work. Emerald Group Holdings Ltd, 22(3), 536-545. 10.1108/CG-05-2021-0200
Hardianto, H., Hidayat, H., & Setiawan, M.N.A. (2025). The influence of reward, transformational leadership and motivation on job satisfaction of primary school teachers. Journal of Pedagogical Research, 9(4), 67-80. https://doi.org/10.33902/JPR.202534916
Li, Y., Huang, L., Naseem, S., & Shen, Q. (2025). How emotional intelligence affects college teachers’ wellbeing in China? The mediating role of work-family support. Frontiers in Psychology, 16:1517842. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1517842
Mansir, F. (2020). Teacher welfare and quality as the spearhead of national education in the digital era. Journal of IKA PGSD (PGSD Alumni Association) UNARS,2, 293-303. https://doi.org/10.36841/pgsdunars.v8i2.829
Mertika, A., Mitskidou, P., & Stalikas, A. (2020). “positive relationships” and their impact on wellbeing: a review of current literature. Psychology the Journal of the Hellenic Psychological Society, 25(1), 115. https://doi.org/10.12681/psy_hps.25340
Nguyen-Thi, H.-P., Le, M.-D., Van Van, B., Duplàa, E. (2024). Happiness of high school teachers: research in da nang city and quangnam province, central region of Vietnam. Journal of Educational and Social Research, 14(6), 104-117. https://doi.org/10.36941/jesr-2024-0159
Nithya, L. (2025). Cultivating happiness and insight for enhanced organizational health: The science of happiness at work. Harnessing Happiness and Wisdom for Organizational Well-Being (pp. 203-234). 10.4018/979-8-3693-8457-2.ch008
Nurwahyuni., Mustari., & Hasan, M. (2024). Analisis tingkat kesejahteraan ekonomi dan kesejahteraan psikologis guru mengaji desa sebagai pelopor pendidikan non-formal di Desa Sengka, Kecamatan Bontonompo Selatan, Kabupaten Gowa. Penelitian Ilmu Pengetahuan Sosial, 1(2), 103-110. https://doi.org/10.61511/pips.v1i2.2024.1002
Prasetyo, A. R., Kadiyono, A. L., Sulastiana, M., & Abidin, Z. (2025). Enhancing Innovative Behavior of Indonesian Secondary School Teachers Through Happiness at Work: An Implementation of ICT-Based Training. Wiley Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies, 1, 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1155/hbe2/6602366
Rachmadi, D., Yanto, H., Sukestiyarno, Sutopo, Y. (2024). Navigating the dynamics of teacher job satisfaction: leadership, supervision, and performance.Journal of Ecohumanism, 3(7), 1271-1298. https://doi.org/10.62754/joe.v3i7.4290
Rehwaldt, R., & Kortsch, T. (2022). What makes people happy at work?: Development and validation of a multidimensional scale for measuring happiness at work. Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology A&O, 66. https://doi.org/10.1026/0932-4089/a000373
Salas-Vallina, A., & Alegre, J. (2021). Happiness at work: Developing a shorter measure. Journal of Management and Organization, 27(3), 460-480. https://doi.org/10.1017/jmo.2018.24
Salazar, C. F. R. (2020). Happiness at work through recognition and reward programs: Cases in Colombian and American companies.Handbook of Research on International Business and Models for Global Purpose-Driven Companies. 10.4018/978-1-7998-4909-4.ch017.
Sakshi, & Dhand, S. (2025).Theories and concepts of well-being and happiness in the workplace: Foundations and practical applications. Insights on Well-Being and Happiness in the Workplace (283-303). DOI: 10.4018/9798369329399_14.
Sarzhanova, G., Nurgabdeshov, A. (2025). Mapping psychological well-being in education: A systematic review of key dimensions and an integrative conceptual framework. Journal of Pedagogical Research, 9(3), 327-349. https://doi.org/10.33902/JPR.202534832.
Seligman, M. E. P. (2011). Flourish: A visionary new understanding of happiness and well-being. Free Press.
Septiani, S., Sutarto, J., Utomo, C. B., & Widiyanto. (2024). Happy teachers, quality schools: Improving teacher performance through happiness, motivation, and quality of work life. Prospects of Science and Education, 72(6), 733-746. https://doi.org/10.32744/pse.2024.6.46
Singh, S., Kshtriya, S., & Valk, R. (2023). Health, hope, and harmony: a systematic review of the determinants of happiness across cultures and countries. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(4), 3306. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20043306
Tunc, M.F., Uygun, E.G., Ozgenel, M. (2025). Multiple mediating roles of self-efficacy and hope in the relationship between teachers’ spiritual well-being and job satisfaction in turkiye. Journal of Religion and Health, 64(3), e200. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-024-02211-4
Yusoff, S.M., & Tengku-Ariffin, T.F. (2020). Looking after teacher wellbeing: Does teacher empowerment matter? Malaysian Online Journal of Educational Management, 8(4), 43-56. https://doi.org/10.22452/mojem.vol8no4.3
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17509/jpm.v11i2.93323
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
Copyright (c) 2026 Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia (UPI)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Jurnal Pendidikan Manajemen Perkantoran View My Stats

