The relationship between reasons for leaving teaching and intention to return

This study examined teacher intentions to return to teaching after leaving. Two overarching questions were posed: (1) Are there differences in the odds of return when examining ethnicity, age of the teacher, gender, and grade level? (2) Controlling for gender, ethnicity, and grade level, what are the odds of return for each category for leaving (1. Personal life factors; 2. Salary, other job benefits, and career factors; 3. Dissatisfaction with school factors; and 4. Accountability factors)? Which category has the highest return rate? Does age moderate the average return rate? The 2012-2013 School and Staffing Survey’s Teacher Follow-Up Survey (SASS TFS) was used to examine new public school teachers (those who taught for less than five years). The total sample size for this study was 366 (N=366). For the first question, Hispanic teachers were more likely to indicate intention return, while there was no difference in return rates between Caucasian and African American peers. Male teachers were less likely to plan to return to teaching than female teachers. As age increased, the likelihood of a teacher returning also increased. Secondary level teachers were more likely to indicate their intention return to teaching than elementary level teachers. The two groups most likely to indicate an intention to return to teaching were those that left for personal life reasons and those who left because of salary, benefits, or career reason. Both teachers that left because of dissatisfaction and teachers who left due to accountability measures were less likely to intend to return. Salary, Benefits, and Career group had the highest return rate. Teachers who left for Accountability reasons had the lowest return rate. The interactions were all significant. As a teacher’s age increased, the likelihood of a teacher indicating their likelihood of returning increased for those who left because of salary, benefits and career and for those teachers who left because of dissatisfaction with school. As teachers’ age increased, the likelihood of a teacher indicating their likelihood of returning decreased for those who left for personal life reasons or accountability reasons.

Grantor dc:publisher

State University of New York at Buffalo

Year dc:date.issued

2018

Author dc:creator

• Conroy, Jacqueline

Contributors dc:contributor

• Finn, Jeremy
• Counseling, School and Educational Psychology

• education
• education policy
• educational psychology

Statement dc:rights

• Users of works found in University at Buffalo Institutional Repository (UBIR) are responsible for identifying and contacting the copyright owner for permission to reuse. University at Buffalo Libraries do not manage rights for copyright-protected works and cannot assist with permissions.
• Copyright retained by author.

Language dc:language

eng

Handle dc:identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/10477/77984

OAI record oai:identifier

https://ubir.buffalo.edu/oai/request?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=qdc&identifier=oai%3Aubir.buffalo.edu%3A10477%2F77984