The impact of affective factors related to work on the turnover intent of speech language pathologists in Texas

This study was an attempt to add to the existing research base, as well as fill in a gap in the literature with regard to speech language pathologists in public educational organizations in Texas. Variables explored in this study were recruitment, retention, career commitment, organizational commitment, job satisfaction, job overload, and turnover intent. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between recruitment, retention, career commitment, organizational commitment, job satisfaction, job overload, and the turnover intent of speech language pathologists in Texas. Additionally, this study sought to identify those factors that most influence the recruitment and retention of speech pathologists. A random sample of 500 speech pathologists was identified for participation in this study. Responses were elicited via Questionnaires, and consisted of eight sections: (a) demographic information and (b) seven previously validated and reliable instruments related to the variables identified in this study. All instruments were deemed appropriate for use in this study and were set to a six-point Likert scale. The data revealed that job responsibility, pay level, size of caseload, needing a job, and administrative support played a major role in the recruitment of speech language pathologists. On the other hand, job satisfaction, caseload, and job security were found to be the most influential in the retention of speech language pathologists. Furthermore, recruitment, retention, and job overload were found to have a significant positive relationship to turnover intent in speech pathologists, whereas career commitment, organizational commitment, and job satisfaction were found to have a significant negative relationship to turnover intent.