Factors influencing teacher attrition in Tanzania: A case of public secondary schools in Kilimanjaro and Manyara regions

Abstract

Teacher attrition has attracted many educational practitioners and stakeholders to find mechanism on how best it can be controlled. It takes place when teachers leave the teaching career to take up other jobs and negatively impacts the quality of learning. This study assessed the factors which influence teacher attrition in Tanzania basing on evidence from public secondary schools of Kilimanjaro and Manyara Regions. The specific objectives of the study were to examine: the influence of teachers' education qualification on teacher attrition, the influence of teachers' indiscipline on teacher attrition, the influence of heads of schools leadership styles on teacher attrition and the influence of teachers‟ working environment on teacher attrition. The study was based on Maslow‟s theory, Herzberg‟s two-factor theory McGregor's theory X and Y, Contingency theory and Bronfenbrenner‟s social-ecological theory. The study adopted cross sectional research design and was guided by mixed approaches. A sample size of 140 respondents was selected and comprised 70 in-service teachers and 70 teachers who had left teaching and eight key informants from Northern Zonal Educational Quality Assurance officers of Kilimanjaro and Manyara Regions. The study adopted simple random sampling and Snow Ball sampling for in-service teachers and for those who had left teaching respectively. The instrument for data collection involved questionnaire and face to face interviews. Data was analysed using thematic analysis for qualitative data and descriptive statistics, index summated scale, and binary logistic regression analysis for quantitative data under the aid of Statistical Package of Social Sciences. On the influence of teacher‟s education qualification on teacher attrition the findings on omnibus test model of coefficient indicated a statistical significance (P < 0.05) with a Chi square 54.899. On the influence of teacher training entry qualifications on teacher attrition the finding proved with Hosmer and Lemeshow test with Chi square of 7.784 that it leads into teacher attrition with slightly statistically significant (P < 0.05). On the influence of teachers' indiscipline on teacher attrition, the findings revealed that, 57.1% of the respondents reported as a factor for attrition. On the influence of heads of schools poor leadership styles on teacher attrition, inferential analysis using binary logistic regression indicated statistically significant (P < 0.05). Lastly, on the influence of teachers‟ working environment on teacher attrition, the finding showed that the extent of prevalence of teacher working and living conditions as a factors for attrition has a mean score of 9.1 (56.9%), and 5.4 (54.4%) which indicated a statistical significance (P < 0.05) respectively. The study concludes that teacher attrition in public secondary schools in Tanzania is exacerbated by teacher education qualification, teacher training entry qualification, teacher‟s indiscipline, heads of schools poor leadership styles and teachers working environment by overall percentage correct of 80. The study recommends to the President‟s Office Regional Administrative and Local Government (PORALG) to set standard procedures for employment qualifications for all teachers. Policy makers on education should assure that staff pursuing further education should show in their contracts requirement that teachers be at their working station for a specified number of years after finishing their studies. Government should improve to equip Teacher Service Commission (TSC) with all necessary inputs for quality education. Heads of schools should avoid the use of autocratic style of leadership in managing teaching staff and Heads of school designation should be advertized and qualified academicians should apply for the positions followed by interviews. Policy decision of paying extra hours and teaching load allowances should be in place. On the issue of teachers working environment the study recommended to the President‟s Office Regional Administrative and Local Government and TSC to establish a transformed programme that has a base in Secondary Education Development Programme (SEDP) to be extended to deal with improving other variables of working and living conditions of teachers.