Factors That Influence Teacher Retention

This quantitative study examined the factors that influence early career teacher retention by measuring job satisfaction and demographic factors in relation to a teacher's intention to return to their current school. Job satisfaction was measured by the abridged Job Descriptive Index (aJDI). The aJDI examines job satisfaction across five key facets: work, pay, promotion, supervision, and people. Participants also provided demographic information for gender, years of experience, and birth year. Ninety-nine (99) Indiana teachers with zero, one, or two years of experience participated in this study. Research questions were answered using binary logistic regression to determine which facets significantly predicted teachers’ intent to return to their current school. Job satisfaction with work was the only significant predictor of retention (B = 0.314, SE = 0.137, Wald χ²(1) = 5.252, p = .022, Exp(B) = 1.369, 95% CI [1.047, 1.791]). There was no statistically significant relationship between pay, promotion, supervision, and people, nor were there significant relationships between gender, years of experience, and birth year. The results of this study reinforce teachers' engagement with work as a predictor of retention. These findings contribute to the growing body of research on teacher retention and highlight the need for school leaders to prioritize strategies that enhance teachers’ connection to their work.