This study analyzes the current state of the turnover of preschool teachers as well as the characteristics of preschool educational organizations in order to measure the influence which elements such as background, organizational characteristics, and ...
This study analyzes the current state of the turnover of preschool teachers as well as the characteristics of preschool educational organizations in order to measure the influence which elements such as background, organizational characteristics, and job tasks have on teachers’ turnover intention and their perception thereof. To this end, the following research questions were established.
First, what is the current state of turnover amongst preschool teachers?
Second, what is the turnover intention and perception of preschool teachers in conjunction with each variable (background, organizational characteristics, and job tasks)?
A survey of 281 preschool teachers (50 from public and private kindergartens, 110 from private kindergartens, 45 from public and private preschools, 53 from individual daycares, and 23 from corporate preschools) in the Kyungnam area was conducted as part of this study. The questions for the survey, which was conducted herein as part of efforts to analyze the current state of turnover, teachers’ turnover intention and their perception thereof, were prepared by the researcher after having referred to existing studies on the topic so as to ensure that the variables selected adequately reflected the circumstances of preschool educational organizations. A preliminary survey was implemented beforehand. The main survey was composed of eight questions designed to uncover details about the background of the relevant individual and organization, twenty-seven questions (introduction of job tasks, relationship with ownership and colleagues, degree of isolation within the organization, participation in decision-making process, relationship with parents, wage level, welfare, opportunity for professional development , vision of the organization and personal life) designed to shed light on the characteristics of the organization, eighteen questions about the characteristics of job tasks (degree of interest in job tasks, satisfaction with job tasks, consistency between educational plans and actual teaching, excessive job tasks, role conflict, degree of exhaustion), and five questions designed to delve into the respondents’ turnover intention and perceptions. The returned survey replies were analyzed using SPSS 14.0.
The results of this study can be summarized as follows:
First, the analysis of the state of turnover occasioned by the organization or for career reasons, 50% of the participants answered that they had in fact at some point in their careers changed workplace. In terms of turnover frequency, the majority of respondents answered that they had changed jobs once or twice at the most. There was however some individuals who replied that they had done so on three occasions or more. As far as experience with turnover was concerned, while those who worked at public kindergartens exhibited the lowest ratio of turnover those who worked at public preschools exhibited the highest such ratio. The analysis of the current state of turnover based on length of career revealed that the majority of participants who had been employed in this field for more than eleven years had never experienced a turnover.
Second, the examination of teachers’ turnover intention and their perception thereof revealed that in general, teachers did not exhibit any turnover intention. However, their perception of turnover was found to be somewhat higher than the average, thereby proving that they did not have a bad impression of turnover as a whole.
Third, significant differences were uncovered in terms of teachers’ turnover intention and their perception thereof where background was concerned, and more specifically with regards to factors such as organization, marriage status, and length of career.
Fourth, the examination of teachers’ turnover intention and their perception thereof based on organizational characteristics revealed that factors such wage levels, vision of the organization and personal life, and the welfare package offered significantly influenced teachers’ turnover intention. In addition, factors such as the relationship with the ownership and colleagues, vision of the organization and personal life, wage levels, and sense of isolation were found to significantly influence teachers’ perception of turnover.
Fifth, the analysis of teachers’ turnover intention and their perception thereof based on job tasks revealed that the consistency between educational plans and actual teaching, satisfaction with job tasks, role conflict, and the degree of exhaustion significantly influenced teachers’ perception of turnover.