Teacher attrition in Bhutan
Are personal or professional factors more influential?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32674/f4y6aq26Keywords:
Personal factors, push-pull-mooring theory, professional factors, secondary qualitative research, teacher attrition in BhutanAbstract
This study explores the rising teacher attrition rate in Bhutanese schools, examining the personal and professional factors influencing teachers’ decisions to leave the profession. The Push-Pull-Mooring (PPM) Theory serves as the theoretical framework, explaining teacher attrition through push factors that drive teachers away from their current roles, the pull factors attract them toward new professions, and the mooring factors either facilitate or hinder resignation decisions. A qualitative secondary data analysis was conducted, using existing teacher resignation information from various online platforms. Findings indicate that professional factors such as excessive workload, limited career progression, weak leadership, and policy constraints are more influential than the personal factors such as low salaries, lack of financial incentives, and parental disengagement, intensifying teachers’ job dissatisfaction.
References
Allotta, E. (2023). Teachers’ experiences that challenge their decision to continue: What teachers really need. The Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 48(6), 58–79. https://doi.org/10.14221/1835-517X.6087
Amitai, A., & Van Houtte, M. (2022). Being pushed out of the career: Former teachers’ reasons for leaving the profession. Teaching and Teacher Education, 110, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2021.103540
Aulia, N., & Haerani, I. (2022). Teacher retention and turnover: Exploring the factors that influence teacher decision-making. Journal of Education Review Provision, 2(2), 54–64. https://doi.org/10.55885/jerp.v2i2.155
Badescu, R. F. (2024). What are the needs of beginning teachers in primary education and how can mentors help them? Technium Social Sciences Journal, 62(1), 21–24. https://doi.org/10.47577/tssj.v62i1.11748
Baldwin, J. R., Pingault, J. B., Schoeler, T., Sallis, H. M., & Munafò, M. R. (2022). Protecting against researcher bias in secondary data analysis: Challenges and potential solutions. European Journal of Epidemiology, 37(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-021-00839-0
Bengtsson, L. (2014). Using social media in qualitative research: Methods, benefits and challenges. Qualitative Research Journal, 14(2), 123–139.
Bhutan Broadcasting Service. (2023, February 17). Mandatory ‘Need Improvement’ criterion in IWP moderation leaves teachers demotivated. https://www.bbs.bt/187196/
Bishop, R., & Glynn, T. (2003). Culture counts: Changing power relations in education. Zed Books.
Bisht, V., Carrillo, R., Franco, M., Angeles-Wann, V., Rosales Chavez, J.-B., Gomez, S., Hess, J., Kuhn, A., Mollen, P., Morales-Guerrero, J., Wann-Ángeles, J., Cheng, C., & Berbés-Blázquez, M. (2025). Enabling “barrio” innovation: A grassroots approach for centering community initiatives in just sustainability transformations. Ecology and Society, 30(1). https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-15749-300108
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Calvert, B. (2022). The costs associated with teacher attrition and the impact on student achievement. (Doctoral thesis, Dallas Baptist University). ProQuest Dissertations & Theses.
Cells, P., Sabina, L. L., Touchton, D., Shankar-Brown, R., & Sabina, K. L. (2023). Addressing teacher retention within the first three to five years of employment. Athens Journal of Education, 10(2), 345–364. https://doi.org/10.30958/aje.10-2-9
Cheku, C., & Wangdi, N. (2021). The effect of stress on the teaching performance of primary school teachers in Tsirang Dzongkhag. Journal of Humanities and Education Development, 3(5), 20–35. https://theshillonga.com/index.php/jhed/article/view/263
Chen, S., Ntim, S. Y., Zhao, Y., & Qin, J. (2023). Characteristics and influencing factors of early childhood teachers’ work stress and burnout: A comparative study between China, Ghana, and Pakistan. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1115866–1115866. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1115866
Chen, W., Zhou, S., Zheng, W., & Wu, S. (2022). Investigating the relationship between job burnout and job satisfaction among Chinese generalist teachers in rural primary schools: A serial mediation model. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(21), 14427. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192114427
Cheong, H., Lyons, A., Houghton, R., & Majumdar, A. (2023). Secondary qualitative research methodology using online data within the context of social sciences. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 22. https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069231180160
Cheruiyot, B. (2024). Evaluating teaching practice in Kenya: successes and failures. East African Journal of Education Studies, 7(4), 735–741. https://doi.org/10.37284/eajes.7.4.2474
Childs, A., Gyamtso, D., Tenzin, W., Sopromadze, N., & Thompson, I. (2025). A study of teacher quality in Bhutan: Issues and challenges for initial teacher education and continuing professional development. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 53(3), 291–317. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359866X.2025.2478860
Choden, K. (2019). An ordered probit model on the quitting decision of secondary public-school teachers in Bhutan. Journal of Administrative and Business Studies, 5(2), 65–78. https://ssrn.com/abstract=3744000
Clark, D. E., Knapp, T. A., & White, N. E. (1996). Personal and location-specific characteristics and elderly interstate migration. Growth and Change, 27(3), 327–351. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2257.1996.tb00909.x
Creswell, J. W. (2007). Qualitative inquiry & research design: Choosing among five approaches (2nd ed.). SAGE.
Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and research design: choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). SAGE
Darron, L. S., Carletta, S. H., & Hiraetta, W. (2023). Principal characteristics effect on teacher retention: A systematic review. Educational Research and Reviews, 18(6), 104–113. https://doi.org/10.5897/ERR2023.4318
Dlamini, J., Plessis, A. R. D., & Markham, L. (2023). Staffing and retention challenges of teachers in rural schools of Eswatini: The case of the Lubombo region. International Journal of Rural Management, 19(3), 361–378. https://doi.org/10.1177/09730052221084767
Dorji, K., Norbu, J., Norbu, P., & Tshering, S. (2025). Bhutanese Teachers’ Job Satisfaction: A Cross-Sectional Study. Contemporary School Psychology, 29(1), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40688-023-00482-4
Dorji, N. (2020). Determining the aspects that contribute to raise in attrition of teachers in Bhutan: An exploratory study. Journal on School Educational Technology, 15(4), 11–16. https://doi.org/10.26634/jsch.15.4.17023
Dorji, S., Sirasoonthorn, P., & Anusaksathien, K. (2019). School teachers in rural Bhutan: Quality of work life, well-being, and the risks of resignation. South Asia Research, 39(3), 270–284. https://doi.org/10.1177/0262728019872038
Dorji, T. (2024). Unraveling teacher stressors in Bhutan: A qualitative exploration of contributing elements. Frontiers in Education, 9(1398605). https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2024.1398605
Fu, J. R. (2011). Understanding career commitment of IT professionals: Perspectives of push–pull–mooring framework and investment model. International Journal of Information Management, 31(3), 279–293. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2010.08.008
García, E., Han, E. S., & Weiss, E. (2022). Determinants of teacher attrition: Evidence from district-teacher matched data. Education Policy Analysis, Archives, 30(25), 1–30. https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.30.6642
Gorham, L. B., & Fufaa, G. (2024). Former teachers’ perceptions of psychosocial supports leading to attrition. Journal of Public Mental Health, 23(3), 256–263. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPMH-05-2024-0059
Gupta, A., Philip, T. M., Turpen, C., & Elby, A. (2023). Assumptions Matter! Epistemological, Ideological, and Axiological Aspects of Assumptions that Undergird Collective Reasoning About Science, Technology, and Society. In M.C. Shanahan, K. Koh, B. Kim, M. A. Takeuchi, A. P. Preciado-Babb, & P. Sengupta (Eds.), The Learning Sciences in Conversation (1st ed., pp. 181–191). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003089728-20
Gurung, A., Dorji, K., & Nepal, A. (2020). Parental involvement in students’ academic performance: A study based at Pelrithang middle secondary school, Gelephu, Bhutan. Journal of community development research (Humanities and social sciences), 14(1), 71–80. https://doi.org/10.14456/jcdr-hs.2021.7
Gyeltshen, T. (2024). Pay raise for teachers in Bhutan: Impacts on teachers’ morale, motivation, and professional practices. Bhutan Journal of Research and Development, 13(2), 78–97. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/386425242
Han, W. (2022). Chinese English as a foreign language teachers’ job satisfaction, resilience, and their psychological well-being. Frontiers in Psychology, 12(800417). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.800417
Heffernan, A. (2021). Retaining Australia’s school leaders in ‘challenging’ contexts: The importance of personal relationships in principal turnover decisions. International Journal of Educational Research, 105, 101716. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2020.101716
Heffernan, A., Bright, D., Kim, M., Longmuir, F., & Magyar, B. (2022). “I cannot sustain the workload and the emotional toll’: Reasons behind Australian teachers’ intentions to leave the profession. The Australian Journal of Education, 66(2), 196–209. https://doi.org/10.1177/00049441221086654
Ignacio Jr., A. G., & Paras, P. S. (2024). A critical analysis of epistemological and ontological assumptions in constructivism. In Building Resiliency in Higher Education: Globalization, Digital Skills, and Student Wellness (pp. 1–20). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-5483-4.ch001
Karma, K. (2024). Exploring the correlation between occupational well-being and burnout: An analysis of Bhutanese teachers’ data. Asian Journal of Education and Social Studies, 50(10), 24–39. https://doi.org/10.9734/ajess/2024/v50i101598
Katel, N. (2023, May 17). High numbers of teacher resignations leave existing teachers under huge pressure. The Bhutanese. https://thebhutanese.bt/high-numbers-of-teacher-resignations-leaves-existing-teachers-under-huge-pressure/
Koerber, N., Marquez-Mendez, M., Mensah, A., Fasching-Varner, K., & Schrader, P. G. (2023). Sustaining teacher needs: A systematic narrative review exploring teacher retention, attrition, and motivation. Literature Reviews in Education and Human Services, 2(2), 1–20. https://www.tamuc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Sustaining-Teacher-needs.pdf
Kozinets, R. V. (2020). Netnography: The Essential guide to qualitative social media research (3rd ed.). SAGE.
Ledger, S., MacCallum, J., & Boadu, G. (2025). Resilience and wellbeing within schools: contradictions and silences in global policy texts. Educational Review, 77(7), 2083–2107. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2024.2392585
Li, M., Liu, F., & Yang, C. (2024). Teachers’ emotional intelligence and organizational commitment: A moderated mediation model of teachers’ psychological well-being and principal transformational leadership. Behavioral Sciences, 14(4). https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14040345
Li, X., Zhang, Q., & Gamble, J. H. (2022). Teacher burnout and turnover intention in higher education: The mediating role of job satisfaction and the moderating role of proactive personality. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1076277
Lisana, L. (2023). Factors affecting university students switching intention to mobile learning: a push-pull-mooring theory perspective. Education and Information Technologies, 28(5), 5341–5361. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-022-11410-z
Lochmiller, C. R. (2021). Conducting thematic analysis with qualitative data. The Qualitative Report, 26(6), 2029-2044. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2021.5008
Lochmiller, C. R., Perrone, F., & Finley, C. (2024). Understanding school leadership’s influence on teacher retention in high-poverty settings: An exploratory study in the U.S. Education Sciences, 14(5), 545. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14050545
Macdonald, D. (1999). Teacher attrition: A review of literature. Teaching and Teacher Education, 15(8), 835–848. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0742-051X(99)00031-1
Ministry of Education and Skills Development. (2024, December 30). The annual education statistics 2024. https://education.gov.bt/download/the-annual-education-statistics-2024/
Ministry of Education. (2020). Bhutan professional standards for teachers. Royal Government of Bhutan. https://planipolis.iiep.unesco.org/sites/default/files/ressources/bhutan_professional_standards_teachers_2020.pdf
Ministry of Finance. (2019). Revision of allowances & benefits for public servants. Royal Government of Bhutan. https://www.mof.gov.bt/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/PRPSJuly2019.pdf
Mora, M. (2022, January 25). Secondary research: Advantages, limitations, and sources. Relevant Insights. https://www.relevantinsights.com/articles/secondary-research-advantages-limitations-and-sources/
Njuguna, C. N., Odiemo, L., & Wango, G. M. (2022). Drained and contented: The association between burnout and job satisfaction among high school teachers in Kiambu County, Kenya. The International Journal of Humanities & Social Studies, 10(2), 35-42. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/361004410
Nleguribi Dimbu, S. (2022). Impact of motivation and job satisfaction on basic school teacher retention in the Ejura-Sekyedumase Municipality of Ghana [Doctoral dissertation, University of Cape Coast]. https://ir.ucc.edu.gh/xmlui/bitstream/handle/123456789/10423/SOLOMON%20NLEGURIBI%20DIMBU.pdf
Nordmyr, J., Tuomela, S., & Forsman, A. K. (2024). Developing mental wellbeing promotion practices in Finnish primary schools: The CONSENSUS project. European Journal of Public Health, 34(Supplement_3). https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckae144.1764
Pandey, S., & Sayed, S. (2024). Burnout among schoolteachers in India: A review of the literature. Shodh Sari-An International Multidisciplinary Journal, 3(4), 308–320. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/384818551
Patil, R. (2023). Rethinking Teacher retention policy: Empowering Australian teachers through autonomy, collaboration and career progression. The International Journal of Community and Social Development, 5(3), 306–323. https://doi.org/10.1177/25166026231198300
Patton, M. Q. (2015). Qualitative Research & Evaluation Methods (4th ed.). SAGE.
Pelden, T., & Dorji, S. (2023, June 10). Civil servants welcome pay revision. Business Bhutan. https://businessbhutan.bt/civil-servants-welcome-pay-revision/
Pushpalatha, R., & Keshamma, E. (2024). Burnout and occupational stress among schoolteachers during the covid-19 pandemic in Bangalore urban and Bangalore rural. ShodhKosh Journal of Visual and Performing Arts, 5(4). https://doi.org/10.29121/shodhkosh.v5.i4.2024.2934
Qingchen F., & Zhang, X. (2024). Promoting community resilience through disaster education: Review of community-based interventions with a focus on teacher resilience and well-being. PloS One, 19(1), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0296393
Rigdel, K. S., Wangdi, T., Lhadon, P., & Sonam, S. (2025). Ecological factors influencing early-career teachers’ retention and attrition: insights from Bhutan. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/02188791.2025.2458847
Rinzin, Y. C. (2022). Teacher attrition: Why do public teachers leave? Journal of Bhutan Studies, 47, 53–79. https://bhutanstudies.org.bt/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/JournalofBhutan-Studies47.pdf
Salonen, A. H., & Koivisto, T. (2024). The impact of childcare benefits on family role dynamics of working women in Finland. Studies in Social Science & Humanities, 3(11), 8–14. https://doi.org/10.56397/sssh.2024.11.02
Saunders, M., Lewis, P., & Thornhill, A. (2016). Research methods for business students (7th ed.). Pearson Education.
Sharma, K.P. (2024, December 31). Teacher attrition hits record high. Kuensel Online. https://kuensel7.rssing.com/chan-79158763/article2186.html
Steiner, E. D., Doan, S., Woo, A., Gittens, A. D., Lawrence, R. A., Berdie, L., & Schwartz, H. L. (2022). Restoring teacher and principal well-being is an essential step for rebuilding schools. Rand Corporation. https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RRA1100/RRA1108-4/RAND_RRA1108-4.pdf
Tshering, & Phuntsho, D. (2022). A study on policy related to teacher retention in the rural primary schools of Chhukha, Bhutan. South Asian Journal of Social Studies and Economics, 16(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.9734/SAJSSE/2022/v16i1599
Tshering, S. T. (2024, March 30). IWP for teachers will be implemented this year after changes. The Bhutanese. https://thebhutanese.bt/iwp-for-teachers-will-be-implemented-this-year-after-changes/
Veliz, L., & Mainsbridge, C. (2024). Insights into longevity and the professional lifespan of early and mid-to-late career teachers: Perspectives of teacher wellbeing. Educational Review, 77(7), 2241–2259. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2024.2409321
Walker, J. (2021, October 19). Disadvantages of secondary research: A definitive guide. Research Prospect. https://www.researchprospect.com/disadvantages-of-secondary-research/
Wangchuk, C., & Dorji, J. (2020). Teacher attrition: the former teachers’ perspectives in the Bhutanese context. Asian Journal of Education and Social Studies, 11(4), 32–41. https://doi.org/10.9734/ajess/2020/v11i430299
Wangda, K. (2023). Teachers’ attitudes to the implementation of Bhutan professional standards (BPST) for teachers in Bhutan. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 2(3), 268–281. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8363594
Zangmo, Z. (2023). The alignment between educating for gross national happiness and inclusive education in the Bhutanese education system [Doctoral dissertation, Queensland University of Technology]. QUT ePrints. https://doi.org/10.5204/thesis.eprints.239737
Zavelevsky, E., & Lishchinsky, O. S. (2020). An ecological perspective of teacher retention: An emergent model. Teaching and Teacher Education, 88, 102965. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2019.102965
Zeitlin, A. (2021). Teacher turnover in Rwanda. Journal of African Economies, 30(1), 81–102. https://doi.org/10.1093/jae/ejaa013
Zhang, Y., & Zhang, L. J. (2023). “Good for me to leave it for good”: A longitudinal study on how emotion labor in teaching contributes to a beginning EFL teacher’s resignation. TESOL Quarterly. 58,1460–1492. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.3289
Zhu, Z., Peng, Z., & Yang, K. (2023). Utilizing the push–pull–mooring framework to explore university teachers’ intention to switch from traditional classrooms to smart classrooms in China. Education & Training, 65(3), 470–491. https://doi.org/10.1108/ET-12-2021-0461
Additional Files
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Tshultrim Dorji, Kinley Choden , Nim Bidha , Tashi Pelden , Tshering Dema , Sangeeta Rai

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) [year] [author]
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Call for Special Issue Proposals 






