Collective teacher efficacy and turnover intentions in Turkish high schools: Mediating role of organizational commitment

Abstract

Teacher continuity is one of the prerequisites for a school to fulfill expected organizational roles. Various organizational problems, notably low academic achievement, are observed at schools where personnel turnover is high. Therefore, it is necessary to disclose the teachers' turnover intention drivers. Though they are limited in number, previous studies have revealed that collective teacher efficacy is one of the critical factors influencing turnover intention. However, researchers have yet to focus on the holistic effects of collective teacher efficacy and organizational commitment on turnover intention. Therefore, the current study aims to test the innovative model developed to explore the direct and indirect relations among collective teacher efficacy, organizational commitment, and turnover intention. The data were collected from 607 teachers working in public high schools in 12 different regions of Turkey using a stratified sampling technique. The collective teacher efficacy, organizational commitment, and turnover intention scales were used as data collection tools. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. As a result of the analyses, it was found that collective teacher efficacy was negatively related to teachers' turnover intentions. The results of the analysis confirm that organizational commitment is an essential mediator between collective teacher efficacy and turnover intention. Strengthening collective teacher efficacy in schools is vital to reduce teachers' turnover intentions. In addition, increasing organizational commitment will positively reduce teachers' turnover intentions. The current study is expected to contribute to research focusing on the effects of collective teacher efficacy on teachers' turnover intentions.