Reasons that Cause Attrition and Retention among English Language Teachers in a Developing Country

Oct 15, 2026

The study investigates the reasons for foreign language teacher attrition and retention in a developing country, focusing on English language teachers in Turkey. One hundred Turkish EL teachers participated in a qualitative design using semi-structured written interviews. The data were content analyzed, revealing three main groups with sub-groups shaped by teaching experience. Findings highlight motivations to stay, leave, or both, driven by teaching passion, working conditions, and the desire to learn something new.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages14

Reading Time35 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Teacher attrition and retention as an educational issue

Reasons for teacher attrition and retention

Reasons for foreign language teacher attrition and retention

Reasons that Cause Attrition and Retention among English Language Teachers in a Developing Country Ahmet Erdost Yastıbaş,1 [ahmeterdost@gmail.com](ahmeterdost@gmail.com) Gazi University, Turkey Meltem Huri Baturay2 Atılım University, Turkey Abdullah Ertaş3 Atılım University, Turkey DOI: 10.35974/acuity.v7i2.2616 Abstract According to the literature, foreign language teacher attrition and retention (FLTAR) have been studied less, the studies on FLTAR have been made in developed countries more, and these studies have generally focused on the reasons ofFLTAR. Therefore, the present study aimed to find out the reason(s) that may cause attrition and retention among foreign language teachers (i.e., English language teachers [EL]) in a developing country (i.e. , Turkey) . 100 Turkish EL teachers participated in this qualitative study. The data collected through a semi-structured written interview were content analyzed. According to the findings, there were three main groups of EL teachers with four or five sub-groups formed depending on the participants’ year of teaching experience: the ones who wanted to stay in the job, who wanted to leave the job, and who both wanted to leave and stay in the job. The findings also showed that the participants wanted to stay in the job and/or leave it for several reasons such as passion for teaching, working conditions, and learning something new, which is significant to know because understanding what may cause EL teacher attrition and retention can help sustain teacher quality in English language teaching. Keywords: English language teachers, teacher attrition, teacher retention, Turkey INTRODUCTION Teachers are the practitioners of educational reforms and policies in the classroom and can make any education system effective and efficient through their instructional practices, beliefs, and thoughts. Therefore, working with qualified teachers at schools is significant for delivering effective education, but it may not be that easy to sustain so because teachers may leave their jobs in any stage of their teaching careers, which is known as attrition that can cause negative consequences for students’ performance and the organization of schools such as the loss of knowhow. Thus, it is significant to investigate the reasons for teachers’ attrition and retention. Teacher attrition and retention can be considered as an educational issue that “refers to the need to prevent good teachers from leaving the job for the wrong reasons”(Kelchtermans, 2017, p. 965) . As the definition shows, teacher retention can allow schools and educational systems to have good teachers, so good teachers can help them to reach the planned academic goals and Corresponding Author: Ahmet Erdost Yastıbaş, Gazi University, Turkey email [ahmeterdost@gmail.com](ahmeterdost@gmail.com) objectives, to improve students’ performance, and to maintain a positive school atmosphere. Yet, teacher attrition can be a threat to schools and education systems by preventing them from having such positive impacts of good teachers on them and students. Thus, understanding the reasons for teacher attrition and retention becomes essential. Reasons for teacher attrition and retention There are lots of studies on the reasons for teacher attrition and retention conducted in developed countries such as USA, England, Israel and the Netherlands with early career teachers, veteran teachers or teachers with varying teaching experiences (Cohen, 2009; CarverThomas & Darling-Hammond, 2019; Clayton & Schoonmaker, 2007; Day & Gu, 2009; Den Brok, Wubbels & Van Tartwijk, 2017; Gallant & Riley, 2017; Geiger & Pivovarova, 2018; Glazer, 2018; Gu, 2014; Kelchtemans, 2017; Mansfield, Beltman & Price, 2014; Mason & Poyatos Matas, 2015; Newberry & Allsop, 2017; Peters & Pearce, 2012; Smith & Ulvik, 2017; Tobing, 2016; Towers & Maguire, 2017; Tricarico, Jacopbs & Yendol-Happey, 2015; Wilhelm, Dewhurst-Savellis & Parker, 2000; Yinon & Orla

FAQs

What is the focus of this study on teacher attrition and retention?

The study focuses on the reasons that may cause attrition and retention among foreign language teachers, specifically English language teachers in Turkey.

How was the data collected and analyzed?

Data came from a semi-structured written interview with 100 Turkish EL teachers, and the responses were content analyzed.

What main groups of EL teachers were identified in the findings?

The findings identify three main groups: teachers who wanted to stay in the job, teachers who wanted to leave the job, and teachers who wanted to both leave and stay depending on circumstances.

What reasons influenced teachers’ decisions to stay or leave?

Participants reported reasons including passion for teaching, working conditions, and the desire to learn something new.

Oct 15, 2026

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