دور الإثراء الوظيفي في تطوير أداء مديري مدارس التعليم الأساسي بمحافظة ظفار
The purpose of the study is to recognize the reality of the performance of the basic education directors from the perspective of the directors themselves. It aims at finding whether there will be any improvement if the characteristics of job enrichment are applied considering five basic factors; (diversity of tasks, specification of tasks, importance of tasks, autonomy and feedback). Other factors considered are: variables of gender, school, age, academic qualifications and years of experience. The study sample was taken from 138 government school directors and 19 private school directors. A questionnaire was used to ascertain the reality of the school’s performance improvement system. The questionnaire consists of 53 items distributed over the five principles. The Descriptive Analytical Method was used in this study. Answers to research questions were obtained via the standard deviation, repetition, and percentage. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was used to determine the reliability. Additionally, the Independent Sample T-Test and the One-Way- ANOVA were performed. Study findings include the following: 1) Job enrichment valuation is high among basic education directors in Dhofar Governorate. In addition, the findings show that the highest score was given to the factor of task diversity with a mean of 3.99. There are no significant differences between male and female directors in terms of job enrichment in the total score of the questionnaire or in the single score for each factor. 2) No significant differences exist in job enrichment between government schools and private schools. No significant differences could be found in the total score of either the questionnaire or the score of each factor (diversity of tasks, specification of tasks, autonomy and feedback) except for the factor of the importance of tasks, which shows that private schools are higher in job enrichment than government schools. 3) The results revealed statistical differences in the average enrichment in the total score for the questionnaire between the directors from different age groups. We can conclude that the directors who are age 26-35 enjoy a higher level of job enrichment than those who are 36-44. The results showed statistical differences in the average enrichment in the total questionnaire score between the directors in terms of years of experience. The average enrichment for the directors who have 15 + years of experience was greater than the average for those with 11-14 years of experience. 4) The results show significant differences in the job enrichment average within the variable of academic qualifications. It was found that directors who hold a diploma have more job enrichment than those with a bachelor’s degree and also more than holders of master’s degrees. The average job enrichment among the bachelor’s degree holders is higher than those with Master’s degrees considering the total score of the questionnaire as well as the factors of “specification of tasks and the importance of tasks.” 5) The study provided a number of recommendations including: Increasing the means of communication between the directors and the concerned parties in the Ministry of Education. Focus on developing specific criteria for career progression and promotions that allow opportunities for the directors’ professional growth. A job enrichment orientation program for the directors should be prepared that discusses career factors that lead to lack of job enrichment in the light of the results of the current study and other pertinent studies. A revised pay scale for directors should be considered as well as annual bonuses and end of the service gratuity. (Author’s abstract)