Factors that explain teacher retention among K-12 Adventist schools in North Luzon

Abstract

Teacher retention has a considerable impact on the efficacy and stability of educational institutions worldwide. In the Adventist school system, teacher retention is a challenge. A 2017 report confirmed that 1,000 Adventist teachers worldwide have left the teaching profession in Adventist schools. However, the factors found to be significant for teacher retention vary across countries and contexts. The purpose of this study is to examine whether job satisfaction, administrative support, organizational commitment, and spiritual leadership explain teacher retention in Adventist schools in North Luzon. This study was conducted among 190 teachers with at least 1 year of work experience. The majority of whom are female (75.3%), married (73.7%), hold a bachelor’s degree (82.1%), and have 11 or more years of teaching experience (47.4%). This study utilized the Job Satisfaction Test and Teacher Retention Questionnaire by Tan and Waheed, the Organizational Commitment Questionnaire by Allen and Meyer, the Dimensions of Administrative Questionnaire by Watson, and the Spiritual Leadership Questionnaire by Fry, and was administered both face-to-face and online. The findings revealed that organizational commitment is significant to teachers’ inclination to stay in their current school assignment. Meanwhile, administrative support shows a positive association with teachers’ inclination to leave their current school but remain in the Adventist school system, whereas job satisfaction shows a negative association. In addition, spiritual leadership shows a significant relationship to teachers’ inclination to leave the Adventist school system. The result of the study implies that teachers who are committed to their spiritual calling as ministers in the field of education and who are receiving ample support from the administration are inclined to remain in the Adventist school. It is recommended for administrators to look into retention policies and consider the valuable results of this study. Also, school heads should evaluate the satisfaction and culture their subordinates are receiving and experiencing to ensure teachers have enough support and are satisfied. Moreover, teachers should reflect on their commitment as missionary teachers. Future researchers can conduct a qualitative study to gain an in-depth understanding of the underlying factors driving retention in this region.