Understanding Teacher Turnover: An Agentic Perspective

A robust and high-quality teaching force is essential for the success of any education system. Elevated teacher turnover rates can lead to adverse effects, particularly in underprivileged schools and for disadvantaged students. The issue still needs to be solved despite previous efforts to identify factors influencing teacher turnover. This dissertation aims to facilitate a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of teacher turnover. The three studies in this dissertation investigate the impact of pre-service training, in-service professional support, and teachers’ stress experiences during crises, respectively. Results indicate that, compared with their counterparts, alternatively prepared teachers often feel less equipped for daily tasks but benefit significantly more from regular mentoring, coaching, and high-quality professional support. Teachers’ pre-service preparation influences their turnover intentions through their perceived preparedness. Additionally, regular mentoring and coaching, coupled with high-caliber in-service support, can reduce teachers’ turnover intentions, while heightened stress levels potentially intensify them. Furthermore, teachers in schools with supportive working conditions tend to report lower stress levels during challenging times. The findings of this dissertation enrich the existing knowledge on teacher turnover by highlighting the importance of teachers’ self-evaluation and job appraisal in their career decision-making processes. This dissertation also underscores the value of adopting an agentic perspective to better understand and address critical educational challenges.