Recruiting and Retaining Teachers

This chapter describes the context of the study and provides the reader with information on the problem discussion. It highlights the significance of the study and narrows it down to the thesis statement. This is followed by the thesis aims, objectives and questions. Finally, the last section provides key definitions of terms used throughout this study.

Background

The problem

Recruiting and retaining teachers is a continuing concern for school leaders at all levels in Sweden. This concern has turned into an ongoing national debate in Sweden about how to decrease teacher shortage (Lärarförbundet, 2016). According to researchers, this shortage can be minimized by increasing teachers’ job satisfaction (Skaalvik & Skaalvik, 2011). Studies show that a positive work environment contributes to teachers’ job satisfaction (Tran & Le, 2015; Skaalvik & Skaalvik, 2011). Several studies emphasize that satisfied teachers choose to keep working in schools that provide a positive environment. In other words, job satisfaction contributes to teacher retention (Skaalvik & Skaalvik, 2011; Ingersoll, 2001). In order to increase teacher effectiveness, productivity and job commitment, schools should satisfy teachers’ needs by building a positive work environment. The objective of this paper is to explore the relationship between psycho-social attributes of work environment (teacher-student relationships and school management) and teachers’ job satisfaction, while using stress as mediating factor. The study employed a quantitative methodology. The theoretical framework—namely the motivated connection between main variables and particular psycho-social measures—and so the selection of measures to be used in analysis, were derived from a literature review on teacher job satisfaction and work environment. The study that follows is organized into six sections. This introduction will