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Understanding Australia’s teacher shortage: the importance of psychosocial working conditions to turnover intentions

journal contribution
posted on 2024-05-13, 04:44 authored by Mark RahimiMark Rahimi, Ben ArnoldBen Arnold
AbstractAustralian policymakers are currently attempting to address an ‘unprecedented teacher shortage’. Through a survey of 905 teachers in Australian government schools, this paper examines some of the key factors influencing the career intentions of teachers in Australian government schools. Drawing upon the concept of the psychosocial work environment from the field of occupational health, this analysis examines the relationship between key workplace demands, workplace resources, teachers’ experiences and attitudes towards work, teachers’ mental health outcomes, and their intentions to either remain in or leave their roles. The results reveal significant relationships between teachers’ intentions to leave their roles and challenging working conditions, adverse work experiences, as well as heightened levels of stress, burnout, and depressive symptoms. In contrast, remaining in their role was associated with factors indicative of a supportive psychosocial work environment, such as job recognition, trust in management, organisational justice, positive work experiences, and lower levels of mental health difficulties. The study underscores the urgent need to understand and assess the psychosocial work environments of teachers, and for multi-level strategies that address both protective and risk factors.

History

Journal

The Australian Educational Researcher

Pagination

1-27

Location

Berlin, Germany

ISSN

0311-6999

eISSN

2210-5328

Language

eng

Publication classification

C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Publisher

Springer

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