Whether Professional Training Matters: Attitudinal Antecedents to the Turnover Intentions of Social Workers in Guangzhou, China

Abstract

This study aims to identify whether the professional training of social workers has an effect on the attitudinal antecedents of turnover intention. This study investigated 395 trained and 353 non-trained social workers from the Integrated Family Service Centers in Guangzhou, China. It was found that professional education did not significantly alter the attitudinal antecedents to turnover intention. In both groups, a higher feeling of burnout or a lower level of organizational commitment produced a higher intention of turnover. Furthermore, the significant influences of job satisfaction with professional association or job satisfaction with organizational environment were found to be respectively mediated by burnout and organizational commitment. This study not only provides insights into the stabilization of the emerging workforce of Chinese social workers, but also poses serious questions about social work education.

Keywords:

• Burnout
• organizational commitment
• job satisfaction
• social work in China
• turnover intention

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by the National Social Science Foundation (grant number 18BSH150) and the Guangzhou Social Work Association (grant number 23000-71210158).