The Critical Role of Teacher Wellbeing on Intention to Leave

Teachers are leaving the profession at an alarming rate, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. Attention and funding have shifted to address student mental health and recovering from academic achievement delays. However, those supports and focus are slow to incorporate teachers. Recently, research has called for new perspectives on teacher wellbeing, particularly with its relation to retention. Thus, this study sought to evaluate if self-efficacy, resilience, job satisfaction, and sense of safety predicted teacher wellbeing and if teacher wellbeing then predicted intention to leave. Researchers hypothesized that the four factors would predict wellbeing and that higher wellbeing decreases teachers’ intention to leave.

Data was collected using a cross-sectional survey design. Six standardized instruments measured the main constructs: teacher wellbeing, self-efficacy, resilience, job satisfaction, sense of safety, and intention to leave. The sample consisted of 1,037 certified, public, K-12^th grade, general education classroom teachers. Teachers were recruited via a closed social media group and through randomly sampling of publicly available emails from one elementary, middle, and high school from 10% of the counties in each state. The survey was distributed via email or scanning a QR code on a flier. Analysis included descriptives, bivariate tests of group mean differences, and multiple linear regression. Next, a mediation model was tested to see if wellbeing explained the relationship between predictors and intention to leave.

Sample demographics included mostly white, female, middle-aged, high school teachers with graduate degrees, 16 or more years’ experience, and living in the Southern region of the U.S. Results of the analyses revealed that of the four predictors, resilience (b = 0.20, p<0.001), job satisfaction (b = 0.37, p<0.001), and physical safety (b = 0.29, p<0.001) significantly predicted teacher wellbeing. Teacher wellbeing and intention to leave had a strong, negative relationship (b = -1.44, p<0.001). The mediation model revealed teacher wellbeing partially mediated the relationship between predictors and intention to leave. All predictors had direct effects on intention to leave. Job satisfaction was the strongest predictor of both wellbeing and intention to leave followed by resilience and safety. Self-efficacy and resilience had positive direct effects on intention to leave. Demographically, female teachers, elementary teachers, and teachers from the South had the lowest levels of wellbeing but also the lowest intentions to leave. First year teachers had the lowest intention to leave with a significant increase entering their second year while also having the highest wellbeing levels, which decreased significantly into their second year.

Results underscore the importance of social work collaborating with education. Offering professional development and training that addresses student social-emotional health may be effective in preventing new teachers from leaving. Additionally, school social work, traditionally focused on serving students, can offer support and services for teachers through strategies like professional training and staff connectedness. Resilience can be increased through social-emotional training for teachers themselves and prioritizing time and locations for decompression during the school day. On a policy level, school social work can advocate for increases in teacher salary, reduced class sizes, and improved community perception of public education.