Head Start educators’ professional well-being and their turnover intentions: the moderating role of perceived workplace discrimination
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: High turnover is a critical challenge for Head Start programs. This study aims to understand how professional well-being and workplace factors are related to turnover intentions within Head Start educators. Utilizing hierarchical linear modeling with a sample of 304 educators, the study examined how positive aspects (i.e., compassion satisfaction) and negative aspects (i.e., secondary traumatic stress and emotional exhaustion) of professional well-being, along with perceived workplace discrimination, are associated with their turnover intentions (i.e., intention to leave the profession, program, or position). The findings demonstrated that compassion satisfaction, emotional exhaustion, and workplace discrimination were significantly associated with turnover intentions. The study also descriptively examined the specific reasons behind these intentions, which included poor benefits and compensation, classroom management stress, and a lack of advancement opportunities. These findings suggest the need for interventions and policies to enhance educators' professional well-being, address workplace discrimination, and improve working conditions to retain qualified Head Start educators.
Source: Frontiers in Psychology
Authors: Xiangyu Zhao, Sooyeon Byun, Lieny Jeon
Institutions: University of Virginia, Yonsei University
Language: English
Topic: Stress and Burnout Research
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,801
OpenAlex ID: W4415264906