Authors : Glief Miranda Padillo

Volume/Issue : Volume 11 - 2026, Issue 5 - May

Google Scholar : https://tinyurl.com/ywvkyc3f

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DOI : https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/26May131

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Abstract : The retention and well-being of expatriate teachers in international education, particularly in Indonesia's Satuan Pendidikan Kerjasama (SPK) schools, present a critical challenge for educational leadership. While turnover is frequently attributed to cultural maladjustment or "culture shock," this study investigates the underlying structural and organizational determinants of psychological safety among this demographic. Employing a mixed-methods sequential explanatory research design, quantitative data was collected from a diverse sample of 113 expatriate teachers deployed across seven regions in Indonesia. The primary objective was to evaluate how various workplace stressors—ranging from cultural adaptation to institutional policy consistency—impact teachers' psychological safety and subsequent retention rates. Data analysis using the Spearman Rank Correlation revealed a paradigm-shifting finding: structural organizational factors significantly outweigh cultural factors in predicting educator well-being. Specifically, "Institutional Policies and Support" (r = -0.633) and "Job Security and Contractual Stability" (r = -0.664) demonstrated profound negative correlations with psychological safety, whereas "Cultural Adaptation" exhibited a comparatively weak negative correlation (r = -0.323). Furthermore, the study identified a "safety paradox" where teachers experience high peer trust but low institutional trust. Psychological safety was also found to be a critical, positive predictor of professional retention (Mean 4.47 out of 5.00). The major conclusion drawn from these results is that the primary obstacles to expatriate teacher well-being are structural rather than cultural. Consequently, the research argues that international school management must pivot their retention strategies away from superficial cultural orientation programs and focus on rigorous internal governance reform, contractual transparency, and the establishment of non-punitive error tolerance policies to foster a secure, effective teaching environment.

Keywords : Psychological Safety, Expatriate Teachers, Institutional Policy, Job Security, Indonesia, Retention.

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