Author:

Keywords:

Social Sciences, Education & Educational Research, Mentoring, Job satisfaction, Affective commitment, Social network analysis, Social connectedness, Teacher attrition, Multilevel mediation analysis, BEGINNING TEACHERS, ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT, PROFESSIONAL-DEVELOPMENT, JOB-SATISFACTION, SCHOOL, INDUCTION, ATTRITION, LEADERSHIP, NETWORKS, EFFICACY, 3904 Specialist studies in education

Abstract:

Purpose: The number of early career teachers leaving the profession continues to be an ongoing issue across the globe. This pressing concern has resulted in increased attention to the instructional and psychological conditions necessary to retain early career educators. However, less formal attention has been paid to the social infrastructure in which early career teachers find themselves. In this study, we foreground the role of social capital and its effect on job attitudes and educators’ intention to leave the profession. Design: Data were collected from 736 teachers within 10 secondary schools in Flanders (Belgium). Using social network and multilevel moderated mediation analysis techniques, the relationships between teachers’ social connectedness, job attitudes, and the intention to leave the profession for both novice and experienced teachers were analyzed. Findings: Findings indicate that being socially connected to other educators within the school is associated with a reduction in teachers’ intention to leave the profession, mediated by their job attitudes, for both early career and experienced teachers. However, social connectedness was significantly more important for early career teachers. No significant effects are found for being socially connected to the mentor. Value: This study provides evidence for the importance of social capital for teachers, particularly early career educators. Moreover, by introducing teachers’ social connectedness as related to intention to leave, this study makes a significant and unique contribution to the literature.