Professional commitment and turnover intentions of elementary school teachers during educational crisis
ObjectivesThis study examined professional commitment and turnover intentions among elementary school teachers in Israel during and after a period of educational disruption caused by COVID-19, investigating how demographic factors and satisfaction with life influenced these professional attitudes du...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Education |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2025.1548359/full |
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| author | Moran Amir Orly Lipka Orly Lipka Miriam Sarid |
| author_facet | Moran Amir Orly Lipka Orly Lipka Miriam Sarid |
| author_sort | Moran Amir |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ObjectivesThis study examined professional commitment and turnover intentions among elementary school teachers in Israel during and after a period of educational disruption caused by COVID-19, investigating how demographic factors and satisfaction with life influenced these professional attitudes during systemic crisis.MethodsData were collected from 815 elementary school teachers at two time points: during the third COVID-19 lockdown (February 2021: T1, n = 395) and after returning to face-to-face teaching (June 2021: T2, n = 420) in Israel. Participants completed questionnaires measuring professional commitment, turnover intentions, and satisfaction with life. Analysis included independent t-tests to compare commitment and turnover intentions between time points, and hierarchical linear regression to identify predictors of professional commitment and turnover intentions.ResultsProfessional commitment levels remained stable across both time points, while turnover intentions significantly increased after returning to face-to-face teaching. Seniority emerged as a significant predictor of both commitment and turnover intentions, with less experienced teachers showing higher turnover intentions. Full-time employed teachers demonstrated fewer intentions to leave compared to part-time teachers. Teachers with advanced academic degrees (M.A.) showed higher dropout intentions. Life satisfaction positively predicted professional commitment and negatively predicted turnover intentions. The regression models explained 13.8% of the variance in professional commitment and 16.8% of the variance in turnover intentions.Conclusions and implicationsThis study uniquely contributes to the literature by examining teacher commitment and turnover through different phases of an educational crisis, providing novel insights into how the transition back to traditional teaching affects professional attitudes. The findings highlight the complex relationship between professional commitment and turnover intentions during systemic disruptions, particularly for vulnerable teacher subgroups with less seniority and advanced degrees. This research offers innovative guidance for developing targeted retention strategies, strengthening mentorship programs for new teachers, and creating career advancement opportunities within the education system—approaches that are crucial for maintaining workforce stability during and after educational crises. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-8b5a35ad4deb4b3ca568ea095ceb669f |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2504-284X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Education |
| spelling | doaj-art-8b5a35ad4deb4b3ca568ea095ceb669f2025-08-20T02:25:33ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Education2504-284X2025-05-011010.3389/feduc.2025.15483591548359Professional commitment and turnover intentions of elementary school teachers during educational crisisMoran Amir0Orly Lipka1Orly Lipka2Miriam Sarid3Department of Learning Disabilities, University of Haifa, Haifa, IsraelDepartment of Learning Disabilities, University of Haifa, Haifa, IsraelEdmond J. Safra Research Center for the Study of Learning Disabilities, University of Haifa, Haifa, IsraelDepartment of Education and Department of Learning Disabilities, Western Galilee College, Acco, IsraelObjectivesThis study examined professional commitment and turnover intentions among elementary school teachers in Israel during and after a period of educational disruption caused by COVID-19, investigating how demographic factors and satisfaction with life influenced these professional attitudes during systemic crisis.MethodsData were collected from 815 elementary school teachers at two time points: during the third COVID-19 lockdown (February 2021: T1, n = 395) and after returning to face-to-face teaching (June 2021: T2, n = 420) in Israel. Participants completed questionnaires measuring professional commitment, turnover intentions, and satisfaction with life. Analysis included independent t-tests to compare commitment and turnover intentions between time points, and hierarchical linear regression to identify predictors of professional commitment and turnover intentions.ResultsProfessional commitment levels remained stable across both time points, while turnover intentions significantly increased after returning to face-to-face teaching. Seniority emerged as a significant predictor of both commitment and turnover intentions, with less experienced teachers showing higher turnover intentions. Full-time employed teachers demonstrated fewer intentions to leave compared to part-time teachers. Teachers with advanced academic degrees (M.A.) showed higher dropout intentions. Life satisfaction positively predicted professional commitment and negatively predicted turnover intentions. The regression models explained 13.8% of the variance in professional commitment and 16.8% of the variance in turnover intentions.Conclusions and implicationsThis study uniquely contributes to the literature by examining teacher commitment and turnover through different phases of an educational crisis, providing novel insights into how the transition back to traditional teaching affects professional attitudes. The findings highlight the complex relationship between professional commitment and turnover intentions during systemic disruptions, particularly for vulnerable teacher subgroups with less seniority and advanced degrees. This research offers innovative guidance for developing targeted retention strategies, strengthening mentorship programs for new teachers, and creating career advancement opportunities within the education system—approaches that are crucial for maintaining workforce stability during and after educational crises.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2025.1548359/fullprofessional commitmentelementary school teachersturnover intentionseducational crisisresource-rewards model |
| spellingShingle | Moran Amir Orly Lipka Orly Lipka Miriam Sarid Professional commitment and turnover intentions of elementary school teachers during educational crisis Frontiers in Education professional commitment elementary school teachers turnover intentions educational crisis resource-rewards model |
| title | Professional commitment and turnover intentions of elementary school teachers during educational crisis |
| title_full | Professional commitment and turnover intentions of elementary school teachers during educational crisis |
| title_fullStr | Professional commitment and turnover intentions of elementary school teachers during educational crisis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Professional commitment and turnover intentions of elementary school teachers during educational crisis |
| title_short | Professional commitment and turnover intentions of elementary school teachers during educational crisis |
| title_sort | professional commitment and turnover intentions of elementary school teachers during educational crisis |
| topic | professional commitment elementary school teachers turnover intentions educational crisis resource-rewards model |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2025.1548359/full |
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