ERIC Number: EJ1184037
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018-Aug
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1053-1890
EISSN: N/A
An Organizational-Level Analysis of Early Childhood Teachers' Job Attitudes: Workplace Satisfaction Affects Early Head Start and Head Start Teacher Turnover
Jeon, Lieny; Wells, Michael B.
Child & Youth Care Forum, v47 n4 p563-581 Aug 2018
Background: Teacher turnover is a major issue for early childhood organizations and it is critical to understand reasons for leaving their current teaching position at the organizational level to create more stable early care and education environments. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the psychometric properties of the 16-item Early Childhood Job Attitude Survey (ECJAS), and to determine which organizational-level factors predict teachers' actual turnover. Method: Data from 84 early childhood early head start and head start teachers were collected at two time points in the United States. Internal consistencies and the factor structure of the ECJAS scale were tested. Results: Both exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis suggested that 14-items load onto the ECJAS and it revealed three subscales: workplace satisfaction, classroom responsibilities, and on-going support. The internal consistency and the construct validity across three factors were adequate. Examining the associations between early childhood teachers' job attitudes, measured by the ECJAS, and their actual turnover, we conducted the multilevel analysis and found that teacher perceived workplace satisfaction predicted their turnover after controlling for teachers' age, race, marital status, educational attainment, program types, and employment position. Conclusion: Early childhood organizations are encouraged to use these findings to make organizational changes and to retain their teachers.
Descriptors: Preschool Teachers, Early Childhood Education, Psychometrics, Teacher Attitudes, Predictor Variables, Labor Turnover, Factor Structure, Factor Analysis, Job Satisfaction, Teacher Responsibility, Faculty Development, Test Validity, Construct Validity, Age Differences, Racial Differences, Marital Status, Educational Attainment, Employment
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Preschool Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A