Examining Teacher Turnover in Low-Performing, Multi-Cultural Schools: Relationships among Emotional Labor, Communication Symmetry, and Intent to Leave

Abstract

Teacher turnover may be the most significant problem facing K–12 schools. The purpose of this study was to investigate how emotive dissonance, emotive effort, and communication symmetry influenced teachers' intent to leave. Seventy-eight teachers from two low-performing, high-poverty, multi-cultural Texas high schools completed measures of emotional exhaustion, emotive dissonance, emotive effort, communication symmetry and intent to leave. Results indicated that emotive dissonance and communication symmetry were significant predictors of teachers' intent to leave, even when controlling for emotional exhaustion and professional tenure. These results and their practical implications for school administrators are discussed.