Actions speak louder than words : investigating teacher attrition in Malta

Abstract

Purpose: With regards to teacher retention the current local context is mostly encumbered with the exponential rise of educators who voluntary resign from the profession. Yet, a lacuna in local teacher attrition studies exists as most research focus solely on in-service teachers rather than on those who quit to seek alternative employment in non-educational industries/sectors. Therefore, this study’s aim was to reveal the underlying motives for teacher attrition in Malta. Design/Methodology/Approach: The methodology followed an interpretivist research philosophy that utilised an inductive, qualitative research instrument based on a narrative inquiry strategy. The data set comprised fifteen (15) narratives gathered through independent semi-structured interviews. These were conducted with teacher graduates and were segregated into four groups based on their years of teaching experience: zero (0); up to five (5) years; up to ten (10) years; and ten (10) or more years. Findings: Through the active role of the researcher, a thematic analysis yielded seven (7) overarching themes comprising sixteen (16) sub-themes leading to sixteen (16) individual determinants of local teacher attrition. Subsequently, a content analysis of the same data set highlighted that most of those interviewed quit teaching because of issues related to: remuneration (73%); organizational disequilibrium (73%); lack of employability (87%) and image mismatch (93%). Originality/Value: Through the study’s findings sixteen (16) independent recommendations pertinent to each determinant are presented to educational policymakers. These suggest varying courses of action that utilise different resources which may decrease the rate of teacher attrition.