Impact of Rural Living Conditions on Teachers’ Job Retention in Public Secondary Schools in Monduli District, Tanzania
Nehemiah M. Mboya
Moita Secondary School, Monduli.
Email: nehemiahmboya@gmail.com
Paul Raphael Kitula &Patrick Olemong’i
St. Augustine University of Tanzania (SAUT), Arusha.
Email: kitula07@gmail.com& patrickngalaole@gmail.com
Abstract: This study examined the impact of rural living conditions on teachers’ job retention in public secondary schools in Monduli District, Tanzania. Specifically, the study examined the influence of access to social services (housing, transport and communication facilities) on teachers’ job retention. Job Embeddedness Theory guided the study. A convergent mixed-methods design was adopted. The study targeted a population of 577 participants, comprising 544 teachers, 16 schools heads, 16 Ward Education Officers (WEOs), and one District Education Secondary Officer (DEO). The sample consisted of 133 respondents, including 120 teachers, six schools heads, six WEOs, and one DSEO. Schools were selected by simple random sampling, proportionate stratified sampling for teachers, criterion purposive samplingfor schools heads and WEOs, while total population sampling was used to select DSEO. Data were collected through questionnaires and interview guides. Validity was established through expert review, while reliability of 0.894 was determined using Cronbach’s alpha coefficients. Trustworthiness of qualitative data was ensured through member checking, communicative validation, and broad description. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics through SPSS Version 25, while qualitative data were analyzed thematically and presented in narrative form. The findings revealed that access to social services (housing, transport and communication facilities) had a very high influence on teachers’ job retention, with a composite mean of 4.30. In conclusion, inadequate rural living conditions increased transfer intentions and weakened teachers’ willingness to remain in rural schools. The study recommends improving social services, staff housing, roads, transport, and communication facilities in rural public secondary schools.
