| Abstract [eng] |
Teacher attrition is an international problem. Research shows that physical education teachers also intend to leave or often do leave the profession, especially after they have started working. Teachers’ intentions and decisions to leave or stay in the profession are linked to individual and contextual factors. The teaching context of a PE teacher is different from that of teachers in other subjects, with many stressors, and the low status and marginalisation of the subject, the isolation often felt, and the lack of support from administration can lead to more stressful situations for teachers, which can affect their decisions to continue or leave their careers. Self- efficacy is important as a personal resource to sustain and promote professional performance and reduce burnout, and therefore self-efficacy may influence teachers’ intention and/or decision to leave or stay in the profession. The aim of this study was to investigate the professional self-efficacy and intentions to leave or stay in the teaching profession of Lithuanian physical education teachers by highlighting the factors that are important for their exit from the teaching profession. The study used a cross-sectional research design and an anonymous online questionnaire survey. The study involved 387 physical education teachers (40.3% male and 59.7% female) working in general education schools in different regions of Lithuania. Teachers ranged in age from 28 to 67 years (M = 48.27) and in seniority from 1 to 45 years (M = 22.46). The proportion of teachers who had thought about leaving the teaching profession permanently was 44.2%, while 55.8% of the teachers surveyed had never had such intentions. The 10 item Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale (TSES, Schwarzer et al., 1999) was used to measure teachers’ professional self-efficacy. A 35-item questionnaire (Mäkelä, 2014) was applied to school environment factors that may influence teachers’ intentions to stay or leave the profession. Statistical analysis of the data showed that women’s self-efficacy scores were statistically significantly higher than men’s, and there were no significant differences in terms of age, seniority groups and intentions to leave/retired. The most important factors influencing the decision to leave the teaching profession were low salary and too much stress at work for teachers with lower self-efficacy, and salary and the willingness to use one’s knowledge and skills for teachers with higher self- efficacy. Teachers who were considering leaving the profession were found to be more likely to consider a large number of the factors compared to teachers who had never had such intentions. The high levels of self-efficacy found indicate that teachers believe in their ability as teachers to organise and carry out the activities needed to successfully meet the objectives and goals of physical education. The study revealed that for teachers with lower self-efficacy, as well as for those who had intentions to leave teaching, many of the school environment factors for leaving the teaching profession were significantly more important than for teachers with higher self-efficacy, as well as for those who had no such intentions at all. The results of this study may be of relevance to school administrators for improving the quality of the working environment and career satisfaction, as well as to policy makers for evidence-based strategies and policies for teacher retention. |
