Leadership, climate, and satisfaction: A behavioural approach to teacher retention
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64282/phi.v3i1.116Keywords:
teacher retention, school climate, decision-making style, job satisfaction, teacher performanceAbstract
From an organizational behavior perspective, teacher retention reflects the interplay of leadership practices, organizational climate, and work-related evaluative mechanisms. This study examines how school climate and principals’ decision-making style influence teacher performance, job satisfaction, and teachers’ intention to stay in faith-based schools. Using a quantitative explanatory design, data were collected from 200 junior and senior high school teachers across 16 faith-based schools in Java, Indonesia, and analyzed using Partial Least Squares–Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results indicate that both school climate (β = 0.333, p < 0.01) and principals’ decision-making style (β = 0.402, p < 0.001) are positively associated with teacher performance. Teacher performance significantly predicts job satisfaction (β = 0.655, p < 0.001), which in turn has a positive effect on intention to stay (β = 0.511, p < 0.001). Further analysis confirms that job satisfaction partially mediates the relationship between teacher performance and intention to stay. These findings contribute to organizational behavior and educational leadership literature by illustrating how leadership and climate function as organizational resources supporting teacher retention. Practically, the study highlights the importance of participative decision-making and supportive school climates in sustaining a committed teaching workforce.
References
Adeyemi, T. O. (2022). Principals’ leadership styles and teachers’ job performance in secondary schools. Educational Research and Reviews, 17(2), 45–56.
Arthur, J. (2023). Teacher retention in challenging schools: Please don’t say goodbye! Teachers and Teaching. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2023.2201423
Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2007). The Job Demands–Resources model: State of the art. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 22(3), 309–328. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683940710733115
Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2017). Job demands–resources theory: Taking stock and looking forward. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 22(3), 273–285. https://doi.org/10.1037/ocp0000056
Belinda, G., & Kapa, R. (2022). Mid-career teacher retention: Who intends to stay, where, and why? Journal of Education Human Resources. https://doi.org/10.3138/jehr-2020-0037
Blau, P. M. (1964). Exchange and power in social life. New York, NY: Wiley.
Campbell, J. P., & Wiernik, B. M. (2015). The modeling and assessment of work performance. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 2, 47–74. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-032414-111427
Cohen, J., McCabe, E. M., Michelli, N. M., & Pickeral, T. (2009). School climate: Research, policy, practice, and teacher education. Teachers College Record, 111(1), 180–213. https://doi.org/10.1177/016146810911100108
Cropanzano, R., & Mitchell, M. S. (2005). Social exchange theory: An interdisciplinary review. Journal of Management, 31(6), 874–900. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206305279602
Cropanzano, R., Anthony, E. L., Daniels, S. R., & Hall, A. V. (2017). Social exchange theory: A critical review. Journal of Management, 43(6), 1603–1647. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206316679522
Danisi, C., Ferreira, N., & Held, N. (2021). Decision-making procedures and organizational outcomes. IMISCOE Research Series, 179–258. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-69441-8_6
Elsahoryi, N. A., Alathamneh, A., Mahmoud, I., & Hammad, F. (2022). Association of salary and intention to stay with job satisfaction. Health Policy OPEN, 3, 100058. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hpopen.2021.100058
Griffeth, R. W., Hom, P. W., & Gaertner, S. (2000). A meta-analysis of antecedents and correlates of employee turnover. Journal of Management, 26(3), 463–488. https://doi.org/10.1177/014920630002600305
Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2022). A primer on partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Judge, T. A., & Klinger, R. (2008). Job satisfaction: Subjective well-being at work. In M. Eid & R. J. Larsen (Eds.), The science of subjective well-being (pp. 393–413). New York, NY: Guilford Press.
Koopmans, L., Bernaards, C. M., Hildebrandt, V. H., Schaufeli, W. B., De Vet, H. C. W., & Van der Beek, A. J. (2014). Conceptual frameworks of individual work performance. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 56(3), 241–251. https://doi.org/10.1097/JOM.0000000000000113
Leithwood, K., & Jantzi, D. (2005). A review of transformational school leadership research. Leadership and Policy in Schools, 4(3), 177–199. https://doi.org/10.1080/15700760500244769
Lesener, T., Gusy, B., & Wolter, C. (2019). The Job Demands–Resources model: A meta-analytic review of longitudinal studies. Work & Stress, 33(1), 76–103. https://doi.org/10.1080/02678373.2018.1529065
Locke, E. A. (1976). The nature and causes of job satisfaction. In M. D. Dunnette (Ed.), Handbook of industrial and organizational psychology (pp. 1297–1349). Chicago, IL: Rand McNally.
Mailool, J., Kartowagiran, B., Retnowati, T. H., Wening, S., & Putranta, H. (2020). The effects of principals’ decision-making and school climate on teacher performance. European Journal of Educational Research, 9(4), 1675–1687. https://doi.org/10.12973/EU-JER.9.4.1675
Malik, N. (2020). The influence of turnover factors toward employees’ intention to stay. Jurnal Teknik Industri, 21(1), 80–91. https://doi.org/10.22219/JTIUMM.Vol21.No1.80-9
Qian, H., & Balwi, M. K. B. M. (2024). Understanding the complexity of intention to stay. Advances in Economics, Management and Political Sciences, 93(1), 129–135. https://doi.org/10.54254/2754-1169/93/20241126
Rumangkit, S., & Hadi, A. S. (2022). The role of digital leadership to improve innovation capabilities and TQM of MSMEs in Indonesia. Management, 2, H3.
Salameh, N., & Benkohila, N. (2024). The impact of job satisfaction on teachers’ performance. In Contemporary perspectives on educational performance. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-56121-4_2
Stronge, J. H. (2018). Qualities of effective teachers (3rd ed.). Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Thapa, A., Cohen, J., Guffey, S., & Higgins-D’Alessandro, A. (2013). A review of school climate research. Review of Educational Research, 83(3), 357–385. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654313483907
Tett, R. P., & Meyer, J. P. (1993). Job satisfaction, organizational commitment, turnover intention. Personnel Psychology, 46(2), 259–293. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.1993.tb00874.x
Tschannen-Moran, M., & Gareis, C. R. (2017). Trust, leadership, and learning: A conceptual framework. Journal of Educational Administration, 55(4), 385–400. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEA-10-2016-0123
Wang, M. T., & Degol, J. L. (2016). School climate: A review of the construct. Educational Psychology Review, 28(2), 315–352. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-015-9319-1
PHINISI Journal is published by: