Selected Individual Factors Influencing Private Secondary School Teachers’ Turnover Intentions in Northern Tanzania

Abstract

Teacher turnover poses a persistent challenge for private secondary schools in Northern Tanzania, undermining 
instructional continuity, student performance, and institutional stability. Despite its significance, empirical evidence on the 
individual psychological determinants of turnover in this context remains limited. This study examined the influence of selected 
individual factors, psychological stress, burnout, job dissatisfaction, and career aspirations on turnover intentions among 384 teachers from 96 private secondary schools across Arusha, Kilimanjaro, Tanga, and Manyara regions. Using a quantitative cross-sectional design and multiple linear regression analysis, the study assessed the predictive strength of these factors. Findings revealed that job dissatisfaction (β = 0.376, p < 0.001) and psychological stress (β = 0.355, p < 0.001) were the strongest predictors of turnover intention, followed by burnout (β = 0.289, p < 0.001) and career aspirations (β = 0.143, p = 0.002). Collectively, these variables explained 50.4% of the variance in turnover intentions (R² = 0.504), highlighting the central role of individual psychological experiences in shaping teachers’ decisions to stay or leave. The study underscores the need for targeted institutional interventions to enhance job satisfaction, mitigate stress and burnout, and provide structured career development pathways to improve teacher retention in 
Tanzania’s private education sector.