General Education Teacher Retention in Inclusive Public High Schools as Predicted by Psychological Well-Being and Perceived Organizational Justice

Abstract

Teacher retention remains a critical challenge in inclusive education settings, where workload demands and contextual complexities often contribute to workforce instability. This study examined psychological well-being and perceived organizational justice as predictors of general education teacher retention in inclusive public high schools. Employing a quantitative predictive research design, data were collected through stratified random sampling from 321 general education teachers in the Schools Division of Davao del Norte, Philippines. Standardized and validated survey instruments were used to measure psychological well-being, perceived organizational justice, and teacher retention, and data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression analysis. Findings revealed that psychological well-being and perceived organizational justice were both at very high levels and were significantly and positively correlated with teacher retention. Regression analysis further showed that both variables significantly predicted teacher retention, with the overall model demonstrating strong explanatory power (R² = 0.557, p < 0.001). Perceived organizational justice emerged as the stronger predictor compared to psychological well-being. These results support Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory of Motivation, indicating that intrinsic factors (psychological well-being) and extrinsic factors (organizational justice) jointly influence teachers’ decisions to remain in the profession. The study concludes that enhancing fairness in school systems and promoting teachers’ psychological well-being are essential strategies for improving retention in inclusive education settings. Future research may incorporate additional organizational and contextual variables to further explain teacher retention dynamics.