Introduction. The meaning of work have been the the focus of researchers from diverse disciplines as it has a fundamental role in people’s lives with its economical function and other important roles such as  self-esteem, fulfilment, identity, social interaction and status (Harpaz and Fu, 2002). Morse and Weiss (1955) in their early study about the meaning of work argued that considering the notion of work as simply a means toward the end of earning a living is a dangerous error. They claim that for most men having a job serves other functions than the one of earning a living. As Wrezesniewski (2003) reported, while defining the meaning of work, researchers conceptualize this construct with a number of dimensions  such as work centrality (Dubin, 1956, MOW, 1987), work commitment (Loscocco, 1989), job involvement (Lodahl&Kejner, 1965), work involvement (Kanungo, 1982), extrinsic/intrinsic motivation (Kanungo, 1981; Kanungo & Hartwick, 1987) and work values (Nord, Brief, Atieh&Doherty, 1990).

According to Andersson (1992), the meaning of work consists of conditional variables such as personal and family situations, macro socio-economic environment, work and career history; central variables such as centrality of working as a life role, societal norms about working, valued working outcomes, importance of work aspects, semantic working life descriptions, work role identification. Weisskopf-Joelson (1968: cited in Morin, 2008) defines the meaning of work with three components, namely significance, orientation and integration. It can be proposed that even if the attempts to conceptualize the meaning of working is changeable, the meaning of work studies is an attempt and an analytical tool to interpret the meaning of work beyond people’s economical deals. People attach importance to their work not only for earning money but also for social and personel motivator factors. From this point on, the purpose of this study is to carry out this sociological debate to educational context by analyzing the perceptions of primary and secondary scool teachers about the meaning of work.

In line with this general purpose, the following questions guides the study:

1)      If by some chance you inherited enough money to live comfortably without working, do you think you would work anyway or not?

2)      What does “working” mean to you (economical, social and psychological)? Please, list it starting from the most important for you.

3)      When you consider the other activities (like hobbies, sports, with friends, family) in your life, how central is “working” for you?

4)      Suppose you didn't work, what would you miss most?

5)      Are the any times you think that working has lost its meaning? Why?

6)      What kind of a change would make the meaning of working more positive for you?

7)      "Taking into consideration all the things about your job (work), how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with it?"

References Harpaz, I. ve Fu, X. (2002). The Structure of the Meaning of Work: A Relative Stability Amidst Change, Human Relations, 55 (6), 639-667. Morin, E. M. (2008). The meaning of work, mental health and organizational commitment, Studies and research/ Report R-585, IRSST, 62 pages. (With the collaboration of F. Aranha, Fundação Getulio Vargas – Escola de Administração de Empresas de São Paulo). Morse, N. C. & Weiss, R. S. (1955). Function and Meaning of Work and the Job. American Sociological Review, 20 (2), 191-198. Wrezesniewski, A. (2003). Finding positive meaning in work. In: K. Cameron, J. Dutton, and R. Quinn, eds. Positive organizational scholarship: Foundations of a new discipline. San Francisco: Berrett-Kohler, 296-308.