ERIC Number: EJ1460925
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Mar
Pages: 27
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0311-6999
EISSN: EISSN-2210-5328
Available Date: 2024-05-08
Understanding Australia's Teacher Shortage: The Importance of Psychosocial Working Conditions to Turnover Intentions
Australian Educational Researcher, v52 n1 p383-409 2025
Australian policymakers are currently attempting to address an 'unprecedented teacher shortage'. Through a survey of 905 teachers in Australian government schools, this paper examines some of the key factors influencing the career intentions of teachers in Australian government schools. Drawing upon the concept of the psychosocial work environment from the field of occupational health, this analysis examines the relationship between key workplace demands, workplace resources, teachers' experiences and attitudes towards work, teachers' mental health outcomes, and their intentions to either remain in or leave their roles. The results reveal significant relationships between teachers' intentions to leave their roles and challenging working conditions, adverse work experiences, as well as heightened levels of stress, burnout, and depressive symptoms. In contrast, remaining in their role was associated with factors indicative of a supportive psychosocial work environment, such as job recognition, trust in management, organisational justice, positive work experiences, and lower levels of mental health difficulties. The study underscores the urgent need to understand and assess the psychosocial work environments of teachers, and for multi-level strategies that address both protective and risk factors.
Descriptors: Teacher Shortage, Faculty Mobility, Labor Turnover, Work Environment, Educational Policy, Teacher Attitudes, Teacher Surveys, Public Schools, Teaching Conditions, Occupational Safety and Health, Professional Recognition, Stress Variables, Trust (Psychology), Educational Administration, Justice, Organizational Culture, Mental Health, Teacher Burnout, Depression (Psychology), Intention, Symptoms (Individual Disorders), Foreign Countries
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1Deakin University, School of Education, Faculty of Arts and Education, Burwood, Australia