THE HIGH COST OF LEAVING: VETERAN TEACHERS IN ISLAMIC SCHOOLS

Abstract

Utilizing a traditional qualitative approach, this study explored the experiences of veteran teachers in Islamic private schools and their retention decisions through the lens of the job embeddedness framework, which examines the attachment factors that keep people in their positions through three distinct dimensions (Links, Fit, and Sacrifice) The participants in this study include eight veteran teachers with five or more years’ experience teaching at the same school and two current principals. The study site is a private, well-established, K-12 Islamic school in North Texas. The participants engaged in semi-structured, in-depth interviews to share their motivations for remaining at their school. Findings from this study revealed that the participants experienced a high level of comfort and compatibility with the school mainly due to its Islamic mission, shared goals, and culture, and because of their deep-rooted connections in the community. Despite encountering many challenges that mainly resulted from the financial health of the school, the participants remained committed to working at the school due to the high cost of leaving and the disruptions they anticipated encountering if they left (sacrifice). The study contributes to the limited research on teachers’ retention in Islamic private schools.