Unravelling Teacher Turnover: Exploring Factors at the Province, School District and School Levels

Abstract

This study aimed to determine how teachers ranked the reasons for turnover at the province, school district, and school levels based on their importance. For this purpose, the most important reasons for turnover at the province, school district and school levels were determined based on teachers' judgments. At the same time, it was determined how teachers' opinions differed in terms of gender, marital status, tenure status and years of seniority. The results showed the psychological dimension of the problems faced by teachers and provided an opportunity for a comprehensive analysis of the teachers' acceptance area. Within this scope, a general survey model was conducted during the 2022-2023 academic year with 722 teachers working in official institutions in the Şehitkamil and Şahinbey districts of Gaziantep Province. To identify reasons for teacher turnover, a literature review was conducted, interviews were conducted with teachers, and expert opinions were obtained. The identified turnover reasons were classified at the province, school district, and school levels, and a “Teacher Turnover Reasons Ranking Form” was created after the pilot study. Teachers were asked to rank the reasons for turnover according to their priorities and judgments. Based on the teachers' perspectives, at the city level, Future Plans and Distance from Family; at the school district level, people’s Approaches to Education, People's Negative Attitudes and Behaviours; and at the school level, Student Behaviour Problems and High Student Numbers were identified as the most important reasons for teacher turnover. According to the research findings, teachers prioritized their individual and family needs at the city level, the attitudes and behaviours of stakeholders at the school district level, and problems stemming from students at the school level as significant reasons for turnover. The research findings reveal that teachers perceive their individual and familial needs at the provincial level, the attitudes and behaviours of stakeholders at the school district level, and student-related issues at the school level as significant factors contributing to turnover.