A conceptual framework of teacher turnover: a systematic review of the empirical international literature and insights from the employee turnover literature

Abstract

ABSTRACT We present a conceptual framework of teacher turnover, which is guided by the broader employee turnover literature and supported by the empirical literature. Synthesising nearly forty years of international research on teacher turnover through a systematic review process, we organise the determinants of teacher turnover into nine categories grouped into personal correlates, school correlates, and external correlates. External correlates are defined as factors that are outside the individual or the workplace such as the general unemployment rate or union presence. For each category, we discuss the empirical results and their implications for teacher turnover. We also highlight gaps in the empirical literature and suggest policy levers to positively influence the teacher workforce.