Examining the Effect of Female Teachers’ Job Satisfaction on Their Retention in Public Schools of Oman

Abstract

This study was about examining the effect of job satisfaction on the female teacher’s retention within public schools in Oman. This was initiated as a result of increasing rate of female teacher turnover from the teaching profession causing gaps in many schools and the associated high costs of filling such gaps to maintain quality education in the province. The main objective of the study was to examine the effect of job satisfaction on retention of teachers. In order to achieve this objective, the population of 6740 female teachers, were considered for the study from which a sample of 378 female teachers was selected to constitute a sample. Survey questionnaires were administered to them online using their individual mails accessed from the ministry of education. A high response rate was obtained and data was analyzed using the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), using Smart-PLS and Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 23. The key findings were that there was a huge positive relationship between job satisfaction and teacher retention because satisfied teachers were found likely to feel a sense of commitment to their schools and students. They are more inclined to invest their time and energy in their teaching responsibilities, resulting in greater dedication and retention within the profession. Besides that, it was established that, teachers who experience high job satisfaction were less likely to consider leaving their positions or seeking employment in other fields.