Exploring the relationship between role overload and intention to leave the profession among elementary school teachers

Abstract

Teacher role overload has vibrantly been of a considerable concern for school administrators since the birth of formal education. The phenomenon often leads to teacher early departure from the profession due to uncontrolled stressors. This study investigates the relationship between role overload and intention to leave the profession among teachers in three Chinese medium elementary schools in Malaysia. It also explores whether or not role overload exists in the sampled schools. The study uses a convenience sampling technique and distributed 65 survey questionnaires to the sampled school teachers. The findings reveal that role overload had moderately correlated with intention to leave the profession among teachers in the sampled schools. Furthermore, the findings also disclose that aspects role overload moderately existed in the settings of the sampled schools. The practical and theoretical implications of the study for teachers, school administrators, and further research on the teachers? role overload related issues were also addressed.