Mäkelä, Kasper PE teachers' job satisfaction, turnover, and intention to stay or leave the profession Jyväskylä: University of Jyväskylä, 2014, 100 p. (Studies in Sport, Physical Education and Health ISSN 0356-1070; 208) ISBN 978-951-39-5766-7 (nid.) ISBN 978-951-39-5767-4 (PDF) Finnish summary Diss.The purpose of this study was to assess Finnish PE (physical education) teachers' job satisfaction, turnover, intention to leave the profession, and profession. Reasons behind the turnover or intention to leave were also determined. In addition, reasons for job satisfaction and retention in the profession were measured.Data was obtained from the PE teachers' job and education satisfaction project, which was undertaken in the Department of Sport Sciences. This study was aimed at PE graduates from the University of Jyväskylä between 1980 and 2008. Overall, the target group included 1480 PE graduates. Two structured questionnaires were sent to this group. The first questionnaire was directed at those who were teaching PE and the other for those who were working in some other profession. A total of 1084 PE graduates answered the questionnaire.Approximately 76% of respondents were working in the PE teaching profession, while 23% were working in some other profession and 20 respondents were retired. Of those who were working in the PE teaching profession, 79.5% were either satisfied or very satisfied with their jobs. However, 39% of the PE teachers identified an intention to leave the profession. A Mann-Whittney test revealed that workload and stress factors influenced women more than men in their intention to leave. Intentions to leave were highest among those who had been working 16 to 20 years as a PE teacher. Of those who had changed their profession, 44% were still working in school-related professions (movers), while 56% were working outside of a school context (leavers).A t-test comparison between men and women with revealed that rushed and tight schedules, poor working conditions, and physical workload influenced women more than men in their decision to leave. For men, lack of collegial interaction was more of a driver to leave than for women. Only a quarter of former PE teachers said that they had any intention to return to PE teaching. Logistic regression analysis revealed that good working conditions, well-organized teaching, and respect are important factors for satisfaction and retaining PE teachers in the profession. It was also found that physical workload should be taken into consideration for older PE teachers, especially female PE teachers.An understanding of factors that can cause job dissatisfaction and intention to leave is important for reducing PE teacher turnover and improving the quality of the work life of PE teachers. Retaining qualified PE teachers in the profession is essential for offering quality PE for pupils.