This study used longitudinal data from approximately 1,300 teachers in a metropolitan area in Texas in examining whether teacher victimization was related to teachers leaving their jobs.
A growing body of empirical research on teacher victimization indicates that it is widespread and yields negative consequences; however, limited research has investigated the relationship between teacher victimization and turnover. In addressing this research gap, the current study used longitudinal data from approximately 1,300 teachers in a metropolitan area in Texas. The study found that many types of victimization – theft, physical assault, verbal abuse, nonphysical contact aggression, and in-person bullying – with varying levels of prevalence and frequency, as well as multiple victimizations were significantly associated with teachers’ attrition through transfer and/or career exit. Moreover, about half of leaving teachers in the sample reported school administrators’ indifference and ineffective intervention as an important reason for their career exit. (publisher abstract modified)