Teachers’ Perceptions of Longevity-Based Promotion and its Impact on Turnover Intention in the Gambian Basic and Secondary Education Sector

Authors

Modou A. Sambou

Northeast Normal University, Changchun (China)

Manjie Sambou

Northeast Normal University, Changchun (China)

Article Information

DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS.2026.10200020

Subject Category: Education

Volume/Issue: 10/2 | Page No: 200-214

Publication Timeline

Submitted: 2026-02-02

Accepted: 2026-02-10

Published: 2026-02-21

Abstract

The absence of a transparent and merit-based promotion policy in public education systems poses a critical threat to workforce stability and quality. This study investigated teachers’ perceptions of this longevity-based promotion system and its impact on their turnover intention. Grounded in Organizational Justice Theory, the research employed a mixed-method, research approach. Data were collected via an online questionnaire from 500 teachers across the country with an addition of 8 teachers who participated in interviews. Validated scales measured perceptions of promotion (distributive and procedural justice) and turnover intention. Descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation, and hierarchical multiple regression were used for analysis.

Keywords

Teacher Turnover, Promotion Policy, Longevity, Organizational Justice

Downloads

References

1. Adams, J. S. (1965). Inequity in social exchange. In L. Berkowitz (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology (Vol. 2, pp. 267–299). Academic Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Akyeampong, K. (2017). Teacher educators’ practice and vision of good teaching in teacher education reform context in Ghana. Educational Researcher, 46(4), 194–203. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Borman, G. D., & Dowling, N. M. (2008). Teacher attrition and retention: A meta-analytic and narrative review of the research. Review of Educational Research, 78(3), 367–409. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Chiong, K. T., Lim, S. M., & Ch’ng, A. L. H. (2017). The impact of promotion opportunity on career satisfaction of teachers in Malaysia. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 7(11), 836–846. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Cohen, J. (1992). A power primer. Psychological Bulletin, 112(1), 155–159. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. Cohen-Charash, Y., & Spector, P. E. (2001). The role of justice in organizations: A meta-analysis. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 86(2), 278–321. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Colquitt, J. A. (2001). On the dimensionality of organizational justice: A construct validation of a measure. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86(3), 386–400. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Colquitt, J. A., Conlon, D. E., Wesson, M. J., Porter, C. O. L. H., & Ng, K. Y. (2001). Justice at the millennium: A meta-analytic review of 25 years of organizational justice research. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86(3), 425–445. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Colquitt, J. A., Scott, B. A., Rodell, J. B., Long, D. M., Zapata, C. P., Conlon, D. E., & Wesson, M. J. (2013). Justice at the millennium, a decade later: A meta-analytic test of social exchange and affect-based perspectives. Journal of Applied Psychology, 98(2), 199–236. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). Sage publications. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. Frenzel, A. C., Taxer, J. L., & Schwab, C. (2019). Antecedents and effects of teachers’ emotional exhaustion: A longitudinal perspective. Zeitschrift für Entwicklungspsychologie und Pädagogische Psychologie, 51(3), 119-133. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. Fuller, E. J., Mansour, K., & Pendola, A. (2019). The distributional impacts of teacher compensation systems. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 27(134). [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2019). Multivariate data analysis (8th ed.). Cengage Learning. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

14. Iqbal, J., Ahmad, M., & Nazir, T. (2018). Organizational justice and job satisfaction among college teachers: Mediating role of leader-member exchange. Pakistan Journal of Commerce and Social Sciences, 12(1), 352-369. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

15. Johnson, R. B., & Christensen, L. (2019). Educational research: Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed approaches (7th ed.). Sage publications. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

16. Leventhal, G. S. (1976). The distribution of rewards and resources in groups and organizations. In L. Berkowitz & W. Walster (Eds.), Advances in experimental social psychology (Vol. 9, pp. 91–131). Academic Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

17. Leventhal, G. S. (1980). What should be done with equity theory? New approaches to the study of fairness in social relationships. In K. J. Gergen, M. S. Greenberg, & R. H. Willis (Eds.), Social exchange: Advances in theory and research (pp. 27–55). Plenum Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

18. Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (MoBSE). (2016). *National Education Policy 2016-2030*. Republic of The Gambia. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

19. Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (MoBSE). (2021). *Education Sector Strategic Plan 2021-2030*. Republic of The Gambia. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

20. Mobley, W. H., Horner, S. O., & Hollingsworth, A. T. (1978). An evaluation of precursors of hospital employee turnover. Journal of Applied Psychology, 63(4), 408–414. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

21. Mulenga, I. M., & Mwanza, C. (2022). Teacher attrition in Zambia: A logistic regression analysis of contributing factors. African Educational Research Journal, 10(2), 195-207. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

22. Muthoni, L. W. (2020). Career progression challenges and teacher motivation in public secondary schools in Kenya [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. University of Nairobi. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

23. Nguvulu, S. M., & Biao, J. (2021). The influence of seniority-based promotion on teacher motivation in Tanzanian public secondary schools. International Journal of Educational Development, 84, 102408. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

24. Oduma, C. A. (2015). Promotional practices and employee performance in public organizations in Nigeria. International Journal of Public Administration and Management Research, 3(1), 66-77. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

25. Ofori, R., & Attiogbe, E. J. (2019). Organizational justice and organizational citizenship behaviour: The mediating role of job satisfaction. International Journal of Business and Social Science, 10(2), 92-102. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

26. Okeke, C. I., & Mtyuda, P. N. (2017). Teacher job dissatisfaction: Implications for teacher sustainability and social transformation. Journal of Teacher Education for Sustainability, 19(1), 54-68. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

27. Robinson, S. L., & Rousseau, D. M. (1994). Violating the psychological contract: Not the exception but the norm. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 15(3), 245–259. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

28. Sorensen, L. C., & Ladd, H. F. (2020). The hidden costs of teacher turnover. AERA Open, 6(1), 1-24. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

29. Thibaut, J., & Walker, L. (1975). Procedural justice: A psychological analysis. Erlbaum. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

30. UNESCO. (2014). *Education for All Global Monitoring Report 2013/4: Teaching and learning: Achieving quality for all*. UNESCO Publishing. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

31. UNESCO Institute for Statistics. (2016). The world needs almost 69 million new teachers to reach the 2030 education goals. UIS Fact Sheet No. 39. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

32. United Nations. (2015). Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. United Nations. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

33. World Bank. (2018). World Development Report 2018: Learning to Realize Education’s Promise. The World Bank. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

Metrics

Views & Downloads

Similar Articles