Job Resources and Turnover Intention among University Academics: Quantitative Evidence from Tanzanian universities
Justo M Lemesaya *
Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China and School of Education, University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Hu Yiyun
Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Academic staff retention is a growing concern for higher education systems experiencing rapid expansion, intensified accountability and uneven institutional support. In Tanzania, this concern is particularly important because universities are expected to sustain teaching, research and supervision while operating under staffing and resource constraints. Within this context, turnover intention is a critical indicator of retention risk because it reflects academics’ conscious thoughts, plans or willingness to leave their current institutions when alternative opportunities become available. This study aimed to identify which workplace resources are most strongly associated with lower turnover intention among university academics in Tanzanian public universities. Such an inquiry is important because reducing academics’ intention to leave depends not only on addressing unfavorable work conditions, but also on strengthening institutional resources that make academic work sustainable, meaningful and professionally rewarding. Guided by Job Demands-Resources theory, the study focused on how three job resource conditions that are central to academic work, namely autonomy support, collaboration and professional development, are associated with turnover intentions among university academics. A quantitative cross-sectional correlational design was employed, drawing on survey data from a sample of 662 full-time university academics selected from five Tanzanian public universities through multistage probability sampling. Data were analysed using SPSS 26 and SmartPLS 4, with measurement model assessment followed by structural equation modelling.
The results showed that collaboration and professional development significantly predicted lower turnover intention, while autonomy support had a negative but non-significant direct effect. These findings suggest that university academics are more likely to stay when their institutions provide strong collegial support and meaningful opportunities for professional growth. Collaboration appears to function as a social retention resource because it enables academics to exchange ideas, share teaching and research experiences, receive peer support and feel connected to their professional community. Professional development also appears to reduce withdrawal thinking by strengthening academics’ confidence, competence and belief that career advancement can be achieved within their current institutions. Such resources may reduce feelings of isolation, strengthen professional belonging, and help academics view their universities as suitable places for long term career development. The study contributes to Job Demands-Resources theory by showing that job resources do not operate uniformly in shaping turnover intention attitudes, especially in resource constrained higher education contexts. Practically, the findings indicate that Tanzanian universities should strengthen collaborative academic cultures, mentoring systems, research communities and continuous professional development as strategic mechanisms for retaining academic talent and reducing turnover intentions.
Keywords: Job resources, turnover intentions, professional development, collaboration, autonomy support