Which pathways do teachers experience before deciding to leave their schools? Exploring Korean teachers’ Attribution to challenges faced while teaching migrant students

Abstract

This study explores why Korean teachers leave schools, focusing on their attributional reasoning regarding the challenges they face in teaching migrant students. Drawing on interviews, observations, and document analysis, the findings reveal that teachers tend to attribute their failures to their lack of effort rather than their ability, while maintaining their self-efficacy. However, after experiencing burnout, their effort-endorsed attribution shifts to external factors (i.e., the lack of systemic support), which undermines their professional commitment and leads to their decision to leave the school. The discussion highlights the dynamics of teachers' attributional reasoning in relation to teacher attrition/retention issues.