The Factors Supporting the Slovak Teachers’ Turnover According the Type of School

Abstract

When it comes to the teaching profession, Slovak teachers report a number of problematic issues that lead to many negative consequences in well-being, physical and mental health, and subsequently to considerable turnover rate. According the research studies, there are numerous factors related to teacher turnover, but we assume that turnover are closely linked to the situation in the country, economic conditions etc. Our aim was to find, which of research factors are important among Slovak teachers according the type of school, in which they teach. The research sample consisted of 132 teachers (87.1% women), aged 24 to 68 (M=38.03, SD=10.2). Of the total number of teachers, 15.6% worked at preschools, 53.9% worked at primary schools, 13.3% worked at secondary vocational schools, 14.1% worked at secondary schools. An online questionnaire measuring: gender, age, and the type of school the individual teaches in. Subsequently, the teachers had a list of 27 areas at their disposal, where they were able to choose a maximum of 7 areas, they consider to be the most problematic and causing possible turnover in the teaching profession. Descriptive statistics were used for data analyses. In relation to the results, we interpreted as problematic these areas, which were marked at least one third of the respondents. We stated that teachers from different type of schools agreed on what is problematic in teacher profession and what can influence their turnover, except the teachers from preschools. Teachers from different type of schools (a=primary school; b=secondary vocational school; c=secondary school) perceived these areas as problematic: remuneration (a-68.1%; b-76.5%; c-77.8%); job satisfaction (a-62.3%; b-64.7%; c-61.1%); students' behavior during classes (a-56.5%; b-58.8%; c-38.9%); students' aggressiveness (a-60.9%; b-47.1%; c-55.6%); students' performance (a-44.9%; b-52.9%; c-55.6%). Other problem areas that have been mentioned in at least two types of schools included: stress linked to the teaching profession; work with a minority group; communication with parents; class size; working conditions; school's financial resources; teacher status in society and perceived value of teacher's work. Other areas didn't label as problematic. The research findings have extended the previous research in the context of Slovak teachers' turnover, which is little researched in Slovakia and is limited to the determining the current status of turnover without any deeper understanding of the causes. However, knowing the causes of Slovak teachers' turnover may be helpful in reducing it.

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