Roles of Work Environment and Basic Needs Satisfaction on Turnover Intention among Secondary Schools Teachers in Ebonyi State

Abstract

This study examined the roles of work environment and basic needs satisfaction on turnover intentions among teachers. Participants were two hundred and ninety-eight (298) secondary school teachers drawn from schools in Ebonyi State. Participants were sampled using convenient sampling technique. They comprised of 26 males (8.7%) and 272 females (91.3%). The variables were measured using Work Environment Scale (WES-10), Basic Needs Satisfaction in General Scale (BNSG-S), and Turnover Intention Scale (TIS-6). A cross-sectional survey research design was adopted for the study. Hierarchical multiple regression statistic was employed for data analysis and the SPSS was used to test our hypotheses. The results of the study indicated that work environment (β = -.47, p < .001), autonomy (β = -.49, p < .001), competence (β = -.10, p < .05) and relatedness (β = -.24, p < .001) significantly and negatively predicted turnover intentions among teachers. The implications of the result projected the need to create awareness about the enhancement of the academic environment, as well as developing strategies to increase teacher’s sense of autonomy, competence and relatedness.