WHAT MAKES TEACHERS CONSIDER LEAVING? WORKING CONDITIONS AND TURNOVER INTENTION IN NAIROBI’S PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS
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Abstract
Teachers’ intention to leave has implications for school staffing and continuity of learning. This study examined the relationship between satisfaction with working conditions and turnover intention among teachers in public secondary schools in Nairobi County, Kenya. Guided by Herzberg’s two-factor theory, the study adopted a convergent parallel mixed methods design. Of 125 questionnaires distributed, 121 were returned by teachers in national, extra-county and county schools; eight principals were interviewed. Teachers assessed class size, learner discipline, communication, water and sanitation, physical facilities, and alignment of teaching subjects with their training. National school respondents generally rated favourable conditions more highly than county school respondents. In the reported simple regression of 120 observations, greater satisfaction with working conditions was associated with lower turnover intention (b = −1.014, 95% CI [−1.100, −0.928], p < .001; R² = .823). Principals’ accounts of large classes, resource shortages, and deteriorating facilities helped explain the quantitative pattern. The findings point to working conditions as an important consideration in teacher retention planning.
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References
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