ABSTRACT

This qualitative study sought to understand whether there were difference in how early childhood education (ECE) teachers who stayed in or left their jobs interpreted their job demands and resources. It also sought to understand factors that shaped teachers’ turnover and retention decisions. Twenty-six teachers who worked in subsidized ECE programs that blended multiple public funding sources were interviewed, 14 of whom stayed in their jobs and 12 of whom left their jobs. We found teachers’ reasons for leaving or staying were complex and took into consideration workplace and family factors. Teachers who stayed tended to share the same job frustrations as those who left, namely a misalignment between job demands and resources, but those who stayed were more willing to engage creatively in solving workplace problems. Teachers who stayed placed greater value on professional development opportunities than teachers who left, and these key job rewards factored into retention decisions. Teachers who left often felt that lacking key job resources undermined their sense of competence at being an effective teacher and viewed the psychosocial workplace climate less favorably than teachers who stayed. For many teachers, the value they placed on different job rewards was influenced by family factors.

摘要

这项定性研究旨在了解留任或离职的幼儿教育 (ECE) 教师如何解释他们的工作需求和资源是否存在差异。它还试图了解影响教师离职和保留决定的因素。采访了 26 名在混合了多种公共资金来源的 ECE 补贴项目中工作的教师，其中 14 人留任，12 人离职。我们发现教师离开或留下的原因很复杂，并考虑了工作场所和家庭因素。留下来的教师往往与离开的教师有着相同的工作挫折感，即工作需求和资源之间的错位，但留下来的教师更愿意创造性地参与解决工作场所的问题。留下来的教师比离开的教师更看重专业发展机会，而这些关键的工作奖励是留任决定的因素。离开的教师经常觉得缺乏关键的工作资源会削弱他们成为一名有效教师的能力感，并且认为工作场所的心理社会氛围不如留下来的教师。对于许多教师来说，他们对不同工作奖励的重视程度受到家庭因素的影响。