Preschool teachers’ workload and turnover intention: A moderated chain mediation model
Main Article Content
Cite this article:
Hong, J.,
Qu, J.-G., &
Yang, X.
(2025). Preschool teachers’ workload and turnover intention: A moderated chain mediation model.
Social Behavior and Personality: An international journal,
53(4),
e14295.
Abstract
Full Text
References
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Acknowledgments
Author Contact
The retention rate of teachers in preschools significantly influences the potential for high-quality development in early childhood education. In this study 835 preschool teachers completed a survey to examine how workload impacted the likelihood that they would remain in their role at the preschool, as well as to determine the conditions under which this occurs. The results revealed a significant positive relationship between workload and turnover intention, with effort–reward imbalance and professional well-being each playing a partial intermediary role in this relationship. Further, workload indirectly impacted turnover intention via the chain mediating role of effort–reward imbalance and professional well-being, and being employed in compliance with state-sanctioned size of staff and number of leadership roles (authorized strength) moderated the role of workload in predicting level of professional well-being. We recommend lessening the burden of preschool educators, ensuring they are well resourced, and increasing flexibility in their role.
The frequent turnover of preschool teachers is an obstacle to the development of high-quality preschool education in various countries around the world. In Louisiana in the United States, a 31% annual resignation rate was reported for preschool teachers in publicly funded, center-based early childhood programs (Bassok et al., 2021), and in South Korea a slightly lower rate of 27% was found (Kim et al., 2020). Children who have experienced teacher turnover are more likely to exhibit problematic behavior (Steimle & Ryan, 2023), leading to a degradation in the quality of instruction (Henry & Redding, 2020). Therefore, it is urgent and necessary to understand how diverse factors influence preschool teachers’ decision to quit their job and to develop strategies to intervene in this process.
The two topics that have mainly been explored in the research conducted so far on the factors that influence the intention of Chinese preschool teachers to leave their job are how personal conditions—including preschool teachers’ educational background—impact their intention to leave (Zhou et al., 2021), and the role of external factors, such as social support, in predicting their turnover intention (Guo et al., 2021). Zhou et al. (2023) conducted a study on the workload of women teachers in primary schools in Hainan Province, examining the mediating variables of emotional commitment and work–family interference, which occurs when prolonged work takes up the time that teachers devote to family activities, when pressure and emotions at work make it difficult for teachers to participate in family activities with a relaxed mindset, and when teachers bring expected or habitual behaviors at work into the home. These scholars found that the workload factors of teaching practice time, student lifetime, and miscellaneous time directly or indirectly affected teachers’ turnover intention, whereas professional development time and administrative management time did not have a significant effect. However, to date, scant research has been conducted on the mechanism by which factors that characterize the job requirements of preschool teachers, like workload, influence their intention to leave their job. Given this context, guided by the job demands–resources model (Bakker & Demerouti, 2007) and social exchange theory (Blau, 1964/1988), we investigated how different elements influence preschool teachers’ intention to leave their job, as well as the conditions under which these elements operate.
Workload and Turnover Intention
The term teacher workload refers to the total sum of tasks assigned to a teacher, which then defines the intensity of their work (Green, 2021). As per the job demands–resources model (Bakker & Demerouti, 2007), when teachers encounter situations for which requirements are high but resources are low, they tend to exhibit signs of work-related burnout, have health issues, and even contemplate quitting their job. Zhou et al. (2023) reported finding that workload had a significant positive predictive effect on the intention of female primary school teachers to leave their job. Therefore, we proposed our first hypothesis:
Hypothesis 1: A higher workload will significantly predict an increase in preschool teachers’ intention to leave their current employment.
Effort–Reward Imbalance as a Mediator of the Relationship Between Workload and Turnover Intention
The concept of effort–reward imbalance refers to the disproportion experienced resulting from discrepancy between a person’s exertion and the recompense received in return (Siegrist, 1996). In their empirical research J. Yuan and Hu (2019) revealed a significant positive correlation between workload and effort–reward imbalance among primary and secondary school teachers. In a survey conducted with rural preschool teachers in China, Zhang and Ye (2018) found that workload forecasted an increase in effort–reward imbalance. According to social exchange theory (Blau, 1964/1988), if workers frequently perceive effort–reward imbalance, they may start to view their organization as treating them unjustly and consider exiting (Owolabi, 2015). Y. Li et al. (2021) demonstrated a significant positive correlation between effort–reward imbalance and individuals’ intention to leave their job. Therefore, we postulated our second hypothesis:
Hypothesis 2: Effort–reward imbalance will partially mediate the relationship between preschool teachers’ workload and their turnover intention.
Professional Well-Being as a Mediator of the Relationship Between Workload and Turnover Intention
Professional well-being of teachers refers to a happy experience in their educational life (H. Liu & Zheng, 2021). In the framework of the job demands–resources model, if employees cannot replenish their utilized set resources, then job demands begin to morph into stress, consequently diminishing their workplace well-being (Demerouti et al., 2001). As job requirements increase, people find more difficulty with tasks or find the workload heavy; consequently, their occupational well-being deteriorates (Demerouti et al., 2001). Peng et al. (2023) found that employees’ workload can significantly predict their professional well-being. Xie et al. (2023) also found that when professional well-being increased, this significantly reduced preschool teachers’ turnover intention. Hence, our third hypothesis was as follows:
Hypothesis 3: Professional well-being will partially mediate the relationship between preschool teachers’ workload and their intention to leave their job.
The Chain Intermediary Role of Effort–Reward Imbalance and Professional Well-Being
Liu (2018) delved into the connection between teachers’ effort–reward imbalance and their emotional state, revealing that when individuals receive inadequate compensation for their work, such imbalance at work can result in negative feelings like depression, emotional fatigue, and job burnout. Yang et al. (2021) suggested that effort–reward imbalance strongly affects the professional well-being of teachers in underdeveloped rural areas in China. Considering these findings, we formed the following hypothesis:
Hypothesis 4: Effort–reward imbalance and professional well-being will play a chain mediating role influencing the relationship between preschool teachers’ workload and their turnover intention.
The Moderating Role of Employment Status
Authorized strength is the method that the Chinese state employs to supervise administrative organizations. It pertains to the size of the staff and the number of leadership roles in administrative bodies and public institutions that the authorities sanction (Y. Liu et al., 2021). In China, holding a position as an authorized member of staff is a limited employment resource. Preschool teachers who hold authorized positions are paid a higher salary, are less likely to have their job terminated, and their social status is higher. According to job demands–resources theory, job resources and demands jointly influence the emotional experiences of employees (Zheng, 2022). Thus, securing an authorized position could potentially lessen the impact of a heavy workload on professional well-being, serving as a deterrent for preschool teachers contemplating resignation. Therefore, we postulated a fifth hypothesis:
Hypothesis 5: Holding an officially authorized position will moderate the influence of preschool teachers’ workload on their professional well-being.
Method
Participants and Procedure
The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the College of Educational Science of Xinjiang Normal University in accordance with the ethical standards of the institution and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration. Informed consent was obtained from all participants included in the study.
Using the simple random sampling technique, we distributed a survey among teachers employed at preschools in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Hunan Province, and Guangdong Province. Out of 901 received responses, those with abnormal or invalid data were discarded and the remaining 835 responses were deemed valid, resulting in an effective return rate of 92.67%. The sample comprised 30 (3.6%) men and 805 (96.4%) women. There were 364 (43.6%) teachers who held an officially authorized position at a preschool and 471 (56.4%) in a position without official authorization.
Measures
Workload Scale
We employed the 10-item Workload Scale devised by Chinese scholars X. Liu and Zeng (2021). Sample items include “My workload is heavy” and “My work requires strict quality requirements.” A 5-point Likert rating scale is used, spanning from 1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree. The higher the score, the more substantial the workload. Cronbach's alpha for this scale was .90.
Effort–Reward Imbalance Scale
The Effort–Reward Imbalance Scale (Siegrist, 1996) utilized in this study was revised by two Chinese scholars (Zeng & Zheng, 2002). It is made up of two subscales: work effort (six items, e.g., “I have a lot of responsibilities at work”) and work reward (11 items, e.g., “My career prospects are good”). A 5-point Likert rating scale is used, ranging from 1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree. The proportion of the total score (E) derived from the work effort dimension to the total score (R) for the work reward dimension is computed as per the formula E/(R × C), where C represents 6/11. A computed value ranging from 0 to 1 signifies that the participant maintains a balance between effort and reward. A computed value exceeding 1 suggests that the participant is experiencing an imbalance between effort and reward (J. Li et al., 2005). Cronbach’s alpha for this scale was .91.
Professional Well-Being Scale
We employed the Professional Well-Being Scale updated by a Chinese scholar (G. Wang, 2013). The 15 items in the scale include “The preschool I work at gives me a sense of happiness” and “I feel that the relationship between me and my colleagues is friendly.” A 5-point Likert rating scale is used, ranging from 1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree. The higher the score, the greater the respondent’s professional well-being. Cronbach’s alpha for this scale was .93.
Turnover Intention Scale
The Turnover Intention Scale utilized in this study was developed by Wei (2008). The eight items in the scale include “I often want to leave this preschool” and “I often want to leave the preschool teaching profession.” A 5-point Likert rating scale is used, ranging from 1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree. A higher score indicates a stronger intention to leave the job. Cronbach’s alpha for this scale was .91.
Control Variable
Length of teaching tenure and other demographic elements can impact the intention of preschool teachers to leave their job (Shang et al., 2020). Thus, the length of teaching tenure was used as a control variable in our study.
Data Analysis
In this study we used PLS software to analyze the obtained data.
Results
Hypothesis Testing
The results of the data analysis are presented in Table 1 and Figure 1. The outcomes from the direct path test indicate that when the duration of teaching tenure was utilized as a control variable, workload played a significant role in predicting an escalation in preschool teachers’ intention to quit. This supported our first hypothesis. The simple mediation path test results also supported Hypotheses 2 and 3. Workload positively predicted the intention of preschool teachers to leave their job through the mediating impact of effort–reward imbalance. The confidence interval (CI) for the mediating path did not encompass zero, thereby supporting Hypothesis 2. Simultaneously, workload affected the intention of preschool teachers to leave their job through the mediating effect of professional well-being, with a CI excluding zero, thus supporting Hypothesis 3. The results of the chain mediation path test demonstrated that the CI did not encompass zero, thereby affirming the chain mediation mechanism and supporting Hypothesis 4.
Table 1. Structural Model Influence Path Test
Note. N = 835. CI = confidence interval; LL = lower limit; UL = upper limit.
Figure 1. Structural Model Influence Paths
Note. ** p < .01. *** p < .001.
As shown in Table 2 and illustrated in Figure 2, there was a noticeable disparity between preschool teachers according to their employment status in the adverse effect of workload on professional well-being. As shown in Table 3, a substantial discrepancy was observed in the comparison of workload and professional well-being of the two groups. Employment as an authorized member of staff moderated the adverse impact of workload on professional well-being.
Table 2. Partial Least Squares Multigroup Analysis According to Employment Status: Bootstrapping Results
Note. MOTAS = members of the authorized strength; N-MOTAS = nonmembers of the authorized strength
Table 3. Partial Least Squares Multigroup Analysis According to Employment Status
Note. MOTAS = members of the authorized strength; N-MOTAS = nonmembers of the authorized strength.
* p < .05.
Figure 2. Moderating Effect of Employment Status
Note. ** p < .01. *** p < .001.
Discussion
This research found that preschool teachers’ workload substantially predicted an escalation in their intention to leave their job. This conclusion essentially aligns with the outcomes of previous empirical studies in China and other countries (Bakker et al., 2003, 2004; Z. Li & Wang, 2018), resonating with the central perspective of the job demands–resources model (Bakker & Demerouti, 2007). Previous empirical studies have indicated that job requirements such as workload adversely affect the condition of an individual’s emotions and health, potentially resulting in their resignation (Bakker et al., 2004; Z. Li & Wang, 2018). According to the job demands–resources model (Bakker & Demerouti, 2007), if the set resources of preschool teachers (e.g., time and energy) are depleted because of workload and are not promptly replenished, this could lead to a decrease in these available resources and, consequently, an increase in their intention to leave their job.
We found that workload influenced preschool teachers’ intention to leave their job through the direct pathways of effort–reward imbalance and professional well-being, as well as lessening their professional well-being and increasing their intention to leave by positively predicting effort–reward imbalance. This finding aligns with that of G. Wang et al. (2021). The greater the workload of preschool teachers, the more likely they are to perceive that their compensation does not align with the workload they are assigned (Zavelevsky & Lishchinsky, 2020). When individuals find themselves in an imbalanced situation of high effort–low reward, they are likely to feel that their efforts are not adequately respected, acknowledged, or rewarded. As a result, they may develop negative attitudes and engage in adverse actions, such as demonstrating cynicism or experiencing emotional burnout (Z. Yuan et al., 2021). The unfavorable occupational experiences induced by effort–reward imbalance can undermine the professional well-being of preschool teachers, prompting them to resign from their position.
Our research results indicate that holding an officially authorized position influenced the correlation between workload and intention to leave the job. The moderating effects test demonstrated that if teachers had a heavy workload, those with (vs. without) an authorized position experienced a more profound negative impact on their professional well-being. This outcome contradicts the research findings of L. Wang et al. (2023). There could be two potential explanations for this. When faced with additional tasks such as major exhibitions and performances and/or preparation for inspections, preschool administrators have no option but to assign overtime tasks to teachers who are part of the authorized staff. In a comparative study of the professional well-being of preschool teachers according to whether they held an authorized position on the staff, Ma (2021) found that this resulted in an increased workload for teachers who were members of the authorized staff, causing them to work longer and more frequently compared to those who were not authorized staff members. Thus, in our study, being a member of the authorized workforce did not mitigate the adverse effects of a heavy workload on professional well-being, nor did it lessen their workload, thereby intensifying the negative impact of workload on professional well-being. This occurred even though authorized status is seen as a protective measure because these teachers have more welfare benefits, such as a housing provident fund and medical insurance, than those who are not officially authorized. On the other hand, preschool teachers who are not on the authorized staff of a preschool often do not maintain a long-term position and, in the short term, exhibit greater psychological resilience toward substantial workloads. This may, to a certain degree, mitigate the adverse effects of the workload on their professional well-being.
A limitation of this study is that the geographical focus when conducting the survey was on preschool teachers in the three provinces of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Hunan Province, and Guangdong Province, without extending into all provinces in China. Therefore, the representativeness of the sample may be insufficient. Second, there was an unbalanced gender distribution, with a relatively small proportion of men to women. Future researchers could address this imbalance and also consider increasing the number of more experienced teachers in the study sample and conducting invariance tests.
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Bakker, A. B., Demerouti, E., & Schaufeli, W. (2003). Dual processes at work in a call centre: An application of the job demands–resources model. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 12(4), 393–417.
Bakker, A. B., Demerouti, E., & Verbeke, W. (2004). Using the job demands-resources model to predict burnout and performance. Human Resource Management, 43(1), 83–104. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.20004
Bassok, D., Markowitz, A. J., Bellows, L., & Sadowski, K. (2021). New evidence on teacher turnover in early childhood. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 43(1), 172–180. https://doi.org/10.3102/0162373720985340
Blau, P. M. (1988). Exchange and power in social life [In Chinese] (F. Sun & L. Zhang, Trans.). Huaxia Publishing House. Original work published in 1964.
Demerouti, E., Bakker, A. B., Nachreiner, F., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2001). The job demands-resources model of burnout. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86(3), 499–512. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.86.3.499
Green, F. (2021). British teachers’ declining job quality: Evidence from the Skills and Employment Survey. Oxford Review of Education, 47(3), 386–403. https://doi.org/10.1080/03054985.2020.1847719
Guo, L., Li, M., & Wang, S. (2021). Relationship between social support and preschool teachers’ intention to stay: The serial mediating effect of organizational justice perception and work engagement [In Chinese]. Preschool Education Research, 2, 57–70. https://doi.org/10.13861/j.cnki.sece.2021.02.005
Henry, G. T., & Redding, C. (2020). The consequences of leaving school early: The effects of within-year and end-of-year teacher turnover. Education Finance & Policy, 15(2), 332–356. https://doi.org/10.1162/edfp_a_00274
Kim, J., Shin, Y., Tsukayama, E., & Park, D. (2020). Stress mindset predicts job turnover among preschool teachers. Journal of School Psychology, 78, 13–22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2019.11.002
Li, J., Yang, W., Cheng, Y., Siegrist, J., & Cho, S.-I. (2005). Effort–reward imbalance at work and job dissatisfaction in Chinese healthcare workers: A validation study. International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health, 78(3), 198–204. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-004-0581-7
Li, Y., Chen, Y., Zhang, Y., Lei, S., Tan, M., & Gao, H. (2021). Analysis of the turnover intention of rural prehospital emergency workers from the perspective of effort-reward imbalance [In Chinese]. Science and Society, 34(10), 85–89. https://doi.org/10.13723/j.yxysh.2021.10.016
Li, Z., & Wang, W. (2018). An empirical study of the factors influencing rural teachers’ turnover intention—An analysis based on the data collected by a survey of 2,505 rural teachers in Chongqing [In Chinese]. Teacher Education Research, 30(6), 58–66. https://doi.org/10.13445/j.cnki.t.e.r.2018.06.009
Liu, D. (2018). Investigation and analysis of the effort–reward imbalance among primary and secondary school teachers [In Chinese]. Contemporary Educational Science, 3, 68–71. https://doi.org/10.3969/j.issn.1672-2221.2018.03.014
Liu, H., & Zheng, X. (2021). Teachers’ professional well-being: Basic structure, current dilemma and improvement strategy [In Chinese]. Modern Education Management, 9, 74–80. https://doi.org/10.16697/j.1674-5485.2021.09.010
Liu, X., & Zeng, Q. (2021). Why does workload not necessarily weaken organization identification?—A response surface analysis based on workload and work reward [In Chinese]. Economic and Management Research, 42(3), 111–127. https://doi.org/10.13502/j.cnki.issn1000-7636.2021.03.008
Liu, Y., Li, Y., Zeng, X., & Yu, Y. (2021). The impact of staffing on teachers’ job performance in public preschools—A test based on the multiple mediating effect model [In Chinese]. Preschool Education Research, 11, 22–36. https://doi.org/10.13861/j.cnki.sece.2021.11.003
Ma, Y. (2021). A comparative study of the professional well-being of preschool teachers with and without membership in the authorized strength (Master’s thesis) [In Chinese]. Chongqing Normal University.
Owolabi, A. B. (2015). Effect of organizational justice and organizational environment on turn-over intention of health workers in Ekiti State, Nigeria. Research in World Economy, 3(1), 28–34. https://doi.org/10.5430/rwe.v3n1p28
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Table 1. Structural Model Influence Path Test
Note. N = 835. CI = confidence interval; LL = lower limit; UL = upper limit.
Figure 1. Structural Model Influence Paths
Note. ** p < .01. *** p < .001.
Table 2. Partial Least Squares Multigroup Analysis According to Employment Status: Bootstrapping Results
Note. MOTAS = members of the authorized strength; N-MOTAS = nonmembers of the authorized strength
Table 3. Partial Least Squares Multigroup Analysis According to Employment Status
Note. MOTAS = members of the authorized strength; N-MOTAS = nonmembers of the authorized strength.
* p < .05.
Figure 2. Moderating Effect of Employment Status
Note. ** p < .01. *** p < .001.
This research was sponsored by the Sichuan International Education Development Research Center Project “Research on Cultivating International Perspectives of Art College Students in the New Era Background” (SCGJ202405). A debt of gratitude is owed for this support.
The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author.
Jian-Guo Qu, College of Educational Science, Huaihua University, Huaihua, Hunan, 418000, People’s Republic of China. Email: [email protected]
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