Work Environment and Spiritual Needs Predicting Intention to Stay of Teachers in Islamic Private Schools in Bangkok

Abstract

This study employed a quantitative research design and aimed: 1) to study the levels of work environment, spiritual needs and intention to stay among teachers in Islamic private schools in Bangkok, 2) to study the relationship between work environment and intention to stay of teachers, 3) to study the relationship between spiritual needs and intention to stay of teachers, and 4) to predict intention to stay of teachers with work environment and spiritual needs. The sample consisted of 255 teachers in Islamic private schools in Bangkok. The research instrument was a questionnaire using a five-point Likert scale ranging from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (5). The statistical methods employed for data analysis included frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, Pearson’s correlation coefficient and stepwise multiple regression analysis. The results revealed that 1) work environment, spiritual needs and intention to stay of teachers were at the highest level, 2) work environment was positively correlated with intention to stay at a high level (r = .66) with statistical significance at .01 level, 3) spiritual needs was positively correlated with intention to stay at a moderate level (r = .57) with statistical significance at .01 level and 4) social environment, need for hope and physical environment jointly predicted intention to stay of teachers accounting for 46 percent of the variance, with statistical significance at .01 level. (R² = 0.46)