Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Abstract

Teacher attrition has emerged as a persistent crisis for workforce sustainability across international education systems. This crisis is threatening instructional continuity and deepening inequities that extend across the P-20 continuum. A substantial amount of research has been conducted on teacher attrition in individual countries worldwide. Isolated national studies rarely shed light on the structural patterns driving educators out of the profession, leaving policymakers without a clear cross-contextual understanding of why teachers leave. This qualitative meta-synthesis examined how the interaction between occupational demands and institutional supports shapes teacher attrition across international education contexts, using the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) framework to organize ideas about teacher attrition.

Peer-reviewed qualitative and mixed-methods studies on teacher burnout, shortage, and working conditions published between 2016 and 2025 were systematically selected and synthesized. Foundational sources predating this window were consulted for a conceptual basis. These sources were not included in the coding process. Sources were coded for recurring patterns in policy environments, school-level working conditions, and cultural expectations as they operated within the JD-R framework.

The study revealed four recurring themes associated with teacher attrition: policy-driven workload intensification, emotional exhaustion and burnout, inadequate organizational and professional support, and cultural expectations. Accountability pressures, administrative burden, policy instability, and reduced professional autonomy functioned as job demands associated with burnout and turnover intentions. Leadership support, collegial collaborations, professional autonomy, and recognition functioned as job resources that buffered occupational strain and strengthened retention when present.

The study concludes that international teacher attrition reflects a systemic imbalance between what education systems demand of teachers and what those systems provide to sustain them. Retaining teachers requires decreasing unnecessary job demands while purposefully strengthening the institutional supports that provide teachers with the resources needed in order for them to stay in the profession, grow, and maintain meaningful professional careers across the education spectrum.

Year manuscript completed

2026

Year degree awarded

2026

Author's Keywords

attrition, teacher attrition, teacher turnover, retention, Job Demands-Resources, JD-R, JD-R framework

Degree Awarded

Doctor of Education

Department

Educational Studies, Leadership and Counseling

College/School

College of Education & Human Services

Dissertation Committee Chair

Abbigail Morris

Committee Chair

Jessica Pryor

Committee Member

Melissa Chapman

Document Type

Dissertation

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