The Relationship between Satisfaction, Motivation, and Caseload and Teacher Retention

Teacher retention has long been a major issue in the educational sector. In today’s schools, effective teachers are a necessity for meeting the fluctuating needs of society. The purpose of this quantitative, correlational, predictive study was to examine the relationship between satisfaction, motivation, and caseload in relation to teacher retention for elementary special education teachers in southwest Virginia. This study incorporates the Three C’s of Education theory (Sher, 1983) and the influence of characteristics, conditions, and compensation. Non-experimental research with a correlational design was implemented along with the criterion variable (retention) and the predictor variables (satisfaction, motivation, and caseload). Participants included 151 elementary special education teachers from six public school districts located in southwest Virginia during the 2015-2016 school year. A multiple regression analysis was used to analyze the data collected. Instrumentation used in this study included the Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS) and the Work Motivation Scale for Teachers (WTMST) to measure job satisfaction, motivation, and caseload as factors that contribute to the attrition and retention of special education teachers. No significant relationship was found between satisfaction, motivation, and caseload in relation to teacher retention between elementary special education teachers in southwest Virginia