JOB SATISFACTION AND TEACHER TURNOVER INTENTIONS: EVIDENCE FROM TEN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN SHIRE HIGHLANDS EDUCATION DIVISION

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the level of job satisfaction among secondary school teachers in the Shire Highlands Education Division. Over the past decade, there has been an increasing in cases of industrial action by public secondary school teachers in Malawi which has increased anxiety and uncertainty among stakeholders. This study addresses this problem by uncovering the link between levels of job satisfaction with turnover intentions among teachers with the aim of broadening the knowledge base as regards teachers‟ welfare in public secondary schools. In the empirical investigation, a correlational-analytic design was used. The data generation was done by means of a self-constructed structured questionnaire that focused on work factors that were identified during the literature review, namely; working conditions, income, policy and management, and promotion and advancement. The stratified random sample consisted of 120 secondary school teachers. The data were statistically analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) computer software programme. The data was analysed using descriptive statistics, bivariate and partial correlation. It was found that most teachers in SHED had a moderate level of satisfaction with their work. Furthermore, it was found that job satisfaction among teachers was related to their turnover intentions and that demographics (such as age, gender, qualification, and work experience) had a significant influence on this relationship except for school type. By implication, the findings reveal the need for key policy makers in the Ministry of Education to pay special attention to issues affecting teachers particularly the improvement of job satisfaction in the workplace. This empirical investigation recommends the introduction of clear policies and monitoring mechanisms by the Ministry of Education regarding career progression, income as well as formulation of a more effective method of retaining teachers in rural areas. The study concludes by giving suggestions for further research.