Teacher Retention in a Southern China Private School: A Phenomenological Study

Abstract

The current study has reported perceptions from teachers who taught in a private school in China about factors regarding their retention decisions. Teacher attrition has been a global issue shared by many countries and areas. Teacher attrition has caused intensive discussion in the United States, the United Kingdom, as well as in China, from educational leaders to policymakers. In China, extensive resources have been invested in teacher education, yet fewer and fewer young people are willing to attend teachers’ college. At the same time, many in the teaching force are leaving their positions as compared with other professions. The large-scale teacher turnover has a direct impact on student’s performance and school function. Therefore, more efforts should be attempted on the teacher retention issues. The current study presented findings that in China, private school teachers’ job satisfaction is mainly derived from the following factors: leadership support, financial benefits, working conditions, the opportunity for professional growth, working schedule, and job security. The current study examined teachers’ job satisfaction from the motivational theory of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.