Workplace predictors of secondary school teachers’ intention to leave An exploration of career stages

• Published in: Educational management, administration & leadership Vol. 43; no. 4; pp. 561 - 581
• Main Authors: You, Sukkyung, Conley, Sharon
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01.07.2015; Sage Publications Ltd
• Subjects: Career Development; Careers; Commitments; Factor Analysis; Faculty Mobility; Job Satisfaction; Measures (Individuals); Perceptions; Predictor Variables; Resignations; Schools and Staffing Survey (NCES); Secondary School Teachers; Secondary Schools; Statistical Analysis; Statistical Distributions; Structural Equation Models; Teacher Attitudes; Work Attitudes; United States > US; work commitment; Career stage; career commitment; intent to leave; job satisfaction; organizational conditions
• ISSN: 1741-1432; 1741-1440
• DOI: 10.1177/1741143214535741

The subject of teachers’ intentions to leave has recently captured the attention of researchers and practitioners. This paper reports on a study that examined the workplace predictors of teachers’ intentions to leave for teachers in different career stages. Structural equation modeling was used to assess the plausibility of a conceptual model specifying hypothesized linkages among secondary school teachers’ perceptions of workplace predictors, satisfaction and commitment, and teachers’ intent to leave. Using the USA Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) data set, two mediational models were tested, one reflecting partial mediation and the second representing full mediation. Results indicated that the workplace variables had significant meaningful indirect effects on teachers’ intent to leave through three mediators: job satisfaction, work commitment, and career commitment. Furthermore, the effect of administrative support on work and career commitment was uniform and significant for teachers in the three career groups. Some differences across the three teacher career groups were discussed.