A study of preschool teachers' job satisfaction and turnover intention in Klang Valley

Chan, Sin Yee (2025) A study of preschool teachers' job satisfaction and turnover intention in Klang Valley. Final Year Project, UTAR.

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Abstract

Preschool teacher turnover has raised concerns due to its impact on the quality of early childhood education. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the relationship between job satisfaction, as measured by its nine subscales, and turnover intention among preschool teachers in the Klang Valley. In this study, the researcher utilised Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory of Motivation-Hygiene and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in the theoretical framework to investigate the research question and hypotheses. Purposive sampling was used to identify 60 private preschool teachers for a quantitative, correlational study design. Job satisfaction was measured using the Job Satisfaction Scale (JSS), while the Turnover Intention Scale (TIS-6) was employed to assess turnover intention among the 60 participants. The results revealed a negative moderate significant relationship between several factors in job satisfaction and turnover intention such as overall job satisfaction (ρ= -.48), pay (ρ= -.41), promotion (ρ= -.40), fringe benefits (ρ= -.47), contingent rewards (ρ= -.47), operating conditions (ρ= -.45), while supervision (ρ= -.26) and communication (ρ= -.32) have a weak relationship with turnover. The results revealed that job satisfaction is related to turnover, indicating that higher job satisfaction is associated with lower turnover. Surprisingly, coworkers show a positive relationship with turnover (ρ = .34). At the same time, the nature of work is not associated with turnover intention (ρ = .01). However, a strong relationship with colleagues may not necessarily reduce the intention to leave. There are several limitations to this study, including non-probability sampling, a small sample size, and a quantitative research approach. Therefore, future studies are recommended to employ probability sampling, determine the proper sample size, and adopt mixed-method approaches to provide deeper insights into the study. Keywords: Job Satisfaction, Turnover Intention, Preschool Teachers, Klang Valley

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