It goes without question that teacher job satisfaction and, teacher retention are essential drivers of the stability of teacher outcomes in education systems. Although job satisfaction is a profoundly subjective experience with several dimensions, options for other employment opportunities are the next most important factor influencing teachers’ choice to remain within or leave the education field. This article focuses on teacher satisfaction, analyzes differences between studies in the USA and China, and discusses the problems of using the market-based approach to analyze teacher retention.

The Role of Job Satisfaction and Alternatives

Teacher retention is closely tied to job satisfaction; without it, teachers often explore alternative options. Holtom et al. (2006) argue that dissatisfaction alone does not necessarily result in turnover. Instead, dissatisfaction combined with available alternatives prompts teachers to leave. Individuals with more options are further removed from their ideal situation than those with fewer options, making them more likely to leave if dissatisfied (p. 318). Consequently, the range of available alternatives plays a pivotal role in retention decisions.

Swider, Boswell, and Zimmerman (2011) observe that not all employees actively searching for jobs intend to leave their current positions. Interestingly, while state testing "reforms" have driven many frustrated teachers to resign, job seekers are not always job leavers (p. 432). Teachers may explore other opportunities without immediate plans to resign, indicating a complex dynamic between dissatisfaction, job search behavior, and retention.

Understanding Teacher Job Satisfaction

Teacher job satisfaction encompasses overall attitudes toward work, the nature of job content, and specific job dimensions. Mercer (1997) defines it as a combination of general affect and distinct organizational work characteristics. Satisfaction in teaching arises from professional engagement and motivation, which significantly impact students and school performance metrics. Conversely, high teacher attrition is closely linked to dissatisfaction in their current roles.

The factors influencing teacher job satisfaction can be grouped into three main categories: the school environment, the surrounding community, and teacher-specific characteristics. These categories provide a framework for comparing teacher satisfaction across different contexts, particularly between the United States and China.

Comparative Study: U.S. vs. China

When examining the three clusters of teacher job satisfaction—community factors, school factors, and teacher-related characteristics—both similarities and differences emerge between the United States and China.

Community Factors

In both countries, teachers in economically and socially developed communities report higher self-assessed job satisfaction. However, significant differences exist. For U.S. teachers, teaching is often a chosen lifestyle, whereas Chinese teachers in rural areas face unique challenges, including limited transportation, cultural isolation, and under-resourced schools. These disparities reflect the uneven socioeconomic development in China, where rural teachers receive less compensation, fewer opportunities, and limited resources compared to their urban counterparts.

Culturally, Chinese teachers hold a higher societal status rooted in ancient Confucian beliefs that place teaching in a revered position. In contrast, teaching in the United States is considered a more common profession. This cultural distinction shapes teachers’ perceptions of their roles and responsibilities in each country.

School Factors

School-related aspects such as salary, working conditions, professional development opportunities, and workload influence teacher job satisfaction in both nations, but the specifics vary. For example, Chinese teachers, particularly in impoverished regions, report lower satisfaction with pay and working conditions than their U.S. counterparts. Meanwhile, U.S. teachers place greater emphasis on administrative support and school climate.

Stressors also differ. Chinese teachers often face intense pressure related to their performance, students' exam results, and professional ranking. While U.S. teachers also experience stress from promotion and student performance expectations, these factors have a less significant impact on their overall job satisfaction compared to Chinese teachers.

Teacher Characteristics

Similar to overall job satisfaction, findings from both countries reveal that younger and less experienced teachers report lower levels of perceived job satisfaction. In China, a larger proportion of teachers work in rural areas compared to urban settings, and the teaching profession is predominantly female. However, the teaching workforce in China is relatively young and less formally educated compared to other professional fields.

In the United States, the teaching profession is also female-dominated, but it differs in that earnings for teachers are comparatively higher than in China, though still lagging behind many other professions within the U.S. labor market.

Limitations of Market-Based Theories

While market-based theories shed light on the relationship between job satisfaction and alternative employment opportunities, they fail to fully explain why some teachers choose to stay in the classroom despite being dissatisfied. These theories often overlook critical factors such as the role of community, job embeddedness, and intrinsic motivation. Holtom and Inderrieden (2006) emphasize that strong workplace community connections can provide compelling reasons for teachers to persevere through challenges, highlighting the importance of non-market influences on retention decisions.

Conclusion

Teacher job satisfaction is a complex, multidimensional issue closely tied to retention. While dissatisfaction and access to alternative job opportunities are significant factors influencing turnover, they do not fully account for the reasons teachers leave. Longitudinal and cross-sectional research in the United States and China highlights that community, school, and personal factors all play a role in shaping job satisfaction, though these influences vary across regions. Addressing and improving these diverse factors can positively impact both teacher retention and student learning outcomes.

References

Aziri, B. (2011). Job Satisfaction: A Literature Review. Management Research and Practice, 3(4 (2011)). https://mrp.ase.ro/no34/f7.pdf

Holtom, B. C., & Inderrieden, E. J. (2006). Turnover and retention research: A glance at the past, a closer review of the present, and a venture into the future. The Academy of Management Annals.

Mercer, J. (1997). Work satisfaction and retention in teaching.

Swider, B., Boswell, W., & Zimmerman, R. (2011). Job search turnover theory: Exploring the roles of embeddedness and job search. Journal of Applied Psychology, 96(2), 432.