Job satisfaction of new teachers in Malaysia: understanding challenges and experiences of leaving the profession

Abstract

This study focuses on new teachers' job satisfaction and their challenges and experiences during their probationary period. This research concentrated on how their challenges and experiences affected their choice to leave the profession. Basic Interpretive Qualitative method was utilized to explore and understand new teachers' challenges and experiences during their probationary period. The sample for this study consisted of ten new teachers, eight females and two males who teach in the state of Selangor. The primary themes from the data were organizational, personal, and system. The organizational category was associated with school administrators' leadership style, expectation, support, workload and professional development courses, which was the main reason for leaving the profession. Personal related to financial problems was one of the reasons new teachers were leaving the profession. Finally, system, related to teacher placement, was also mentioned as one of the reasons for leaving the profession. The results of this study have application for the school organization seeking to retain new teachers in the profession. The major contributions of this study are related to new teachers' job satisfaction associated with leaving the profession and greater insight into practical applications and consideration necessary for the retention in the profession. It is important for individual new teachers to have an understanding of how to overcome challenges to enhance their job satisfaction.