Job Turnover Intentions and Contributing Factors of Elementary and Junior High School Teachers

Abstract

This study examines job turnover intentions and contributing factors of elementary and junior high school teachers in order to formulate preventive measures to decrease the rate of turnover intentions. The participants consisted of 71 elementary school teachers and 99 junior high school teachers who completed a survey regarding the factors that influenced their turnover intentions. The results of a factor analysis conducted on 67 respondents reveal three factors: “interpersonal relationships with students and parents,” “work environment,” and “anxiety about the job of teaching.” In addition, a two-way ANOVA was conducted with the turnover intention score as the dependent variable and three factors as independent variables: (“always thinking” and “thinking relatively often”)×subscales (“interpersonal relationship,” “work environment,” and “anxiety”). Overall, this study shows three significant relationships: 1) the “work environment” factor is associated with significantly higher turnover intention scores compared with the “interpersonal relationships with students and guardians” or “anxiety toward teaching profession” factors; 2) turnover intention scores associated with the “interpersonal relationships with students and guardians” factor are significantly higher than those associated with the “anxiety about the teaching profession” factor; and 3) those who are “always thinking” about turnover intention have higher scores on the turnover-intention scale compared to those who are only “thinking relatively often” about leaving their position. Therefore, to help ameliorate teacher turnover, work environments should be enhanced at the organizational level for teachers to improve their pedagogical skills as well as provide their students with better guidance.