Effects of Work-related Attitudes on the Intention to Leave the Profession

Abstract

This article examines the influence of work-place factors, job satisfaction and professional commitment on the intent to leave the profession of 165 primary school teachers in the city of Lagos, Nigeria. Most of the teachers were women (74.5 per cent). Teachers’ satisfaction was characterized by job apathy, satisfaction with pay and benefits, and intrinsic satisfaction. Women teachers found the job more satisfying than men. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that professional commitment was significantly related to intrinsic satisfaction, job apathy, and satisfaction with pay and benefits. Material rewards and advancement, working conditions, intrinsic satisfaction, job apathy and professional commitment were associated with an intention to leave the profession. Finally, teachers with higher satisfaction levels were strongly committed to the profession and less likely to leave. Administrative intervention requires financial expenditure to achieve the desired results; thus, the government needs to improve upon the level of funding to the primary education sector.