Toward a Theory of Job Embeddedness in Teacher Retention: Implications for the COVID-19 Pandemic Era

• In Event: The Pandemic's Toll on the Teaching Profession

Abstract

This paper presents the framework of job embeddedness, borrowed from the field of economics and applied psychology, and applies it to the unique circumstances of teachers in order to help better understand reasons for teacher retention. Used as a theoretical framework for studying teacher retention, job embeddedness consists of three components—links, fit, and sacrifice—which are examined through the lens of both the school organization and the community. The analytic power of this framework is demonstrated with an analysis of the challenges of teacher retention during the COVID-19 global pandemic, as an example of its promise to inform supports for teachers during a time for radical change in many teachers’ work and home lives.

Authors

• Douglas B. Larkin, Montclair State University

• Suzanne Poole Patzelt, Montclair State University

• Liz Carletta, Montclair State University

• Khadija M. Ahmed, Montclair State University