Teacher burnout and turnover intention in higher education: The mediating role of job satisfaction and the moderating role of proactive personality

Abstract

IntroductionTeacher burnout and frequent turnover negatively affect stability and productivity in the context of higher education. Despite the fact that the relationship between burnout and turnover intention has been thoroughly studied, the role of other factors in this relationship should be evaluated in order to better clarify underlying mechanisms, particularly in the context of higher education.MethodsIn this study, we first aim to bridge a research gap by utilizing job satisfaction as a mediating variable for the relationship between burnout and turnover intention. Moreover, we uniquely evaluate the role of proactive personality as a moderating variable, first in terms of the relationship between burnout and job satisfaction, and then for the relationship between job satisfaction and turnover intention. Based on 296 valid questionnaires collected from university faculty members in China, proposed hypotheses were evaluated empirically.ResultsThe results demonstrate that, as expected, burnout has a significant and positive impact on turnover intention, and job satisfaction has significantly negative impact on turnover intention, with job satisfaction partially mediating the relationship between burnout and turnover intention. Moreover, proactive personality moderated the relationship between job satisfaction and turnover intention, with this relationship being stronger for individuals with high proactive personality as compared to low proactive personality.DiscussionThese findings provide a better understanding of the relationship between burnout and turnover intention of university instructors. Theoretical and practical implications, limitations, and recommendations for further research are provided.

Proactive Personality and Construction Worker Safety Behavior: Safety Self-Efficacy and Team Member Exchange as Mediators and Safety-Specific Transformational Leadership as Moderators

“…Not only will they actively comply with the safety regulations, but they will also be willing to participate in developing Safe Work Procedures for construction, thereby fully utilizing their individual characteristics and behavioral tendencies. This helps to improve the level of building construction safety [ 7 , 36 ]. On the contrary, individuals with low proactive personalities face their environment and its changes negatively and may be changed by it, which in turn weakens their motivation to engage in safety compliance and safety participation.…”

Job satisfaction and organizational commitment in Peruvian basic regular education teachers: A correlational study

“…Además, la satisfacción laboral se asocia con una menor rotación de personal docente, lo que contribuye a la estabilidad y continuidad en el equipo docente, generando un ambiente escolar más cohesionado y colaborativo. (8) Por el contrario, los bajos niveles de satisfacción laboral entre los docentes puede tener un impacto significativo en múltiples aspectos de su vida. (9) En el ámbito académico, puede afectar directamente su desempeño en el aula y su capacidad para mantenerse actualizados y perfeccionarse profesionalmente.…”

A Meta-Analysis of Variables Related to Burnout Among Chinese Preschool Teachers

“…Some studied demographic variables such as the age of teachers (M. H. Kim & Kim, 2019), others studied psychological personality variables such as depression and anxiety (Koutsimani et al, 2019), resilience (Hao, 2023), teaching efficacy (Ding & He, 2022 ), Stress coping styles (Smetackova, 2017), well-being (Gossmann et al, 2023), and others have studied job variables such as job stress (W. Zhao, Liao, et al, 2022), turnover intention (X. Li et al, 2022), Professional Identity (Sun et al, 2022), and job satisfaction (Marti-Gonzalez et al, 2023). Organizational variables such as social support (Smetackova et al, 2019), interpersonal relationships (Tian et al, 2022), and leadership (Tsang et al, 2022) have also been studied.…”

“…H. Kim & Kim, 2019), others studied psychological personality variables such as depression and anxiety (Koutsimani et al, 2019), resilience (Hao, 2023), teaching efficacy (Ding & He, 2022 ), Stress coping styles (Smetackova, 2017), well-being (Gossmann et al, 2023), and others have studied job variables such as job stress (W. Zhao, Liao, et al, 2022), turnover intention (X. Li et al, 2022), Professional Identity (Sun et al, 2022), and job satisfaction (Marti-Gonzalez et al, 2023).…”