An Exploration of Faculty Motivation and Turnover Intention in the Sudanese Public Higher Education Organizations by Using the Self-Determination Theory

Abstract: The purpose of this research was to explore 14 faculty members’ experiences concerning factors that contributed to the massive turnover of the teaching staff at Sudanese public universities. The participants for this qualitative study were selected from two sites; a government-owned higher education organization and a private higher education university. The themes that emerged from the interviews included: (1) lack of autonomy, pay, and staff development, (2) teaching is a calling and service to society, (3) relationships with co-workers and job security, (4) Sub-category theme: lack of relatedness, and (5) lack of involvement in the decision-making process is affecting staff retention. findings from this study illustrate that the study’s participants’ dissatisfaction with how the Sudanese government’s policies affected the academic freedom (autonomy) of faculty members. They indicated that one of the primary reasons for the voluntary turnover of high-performing faculty members has been the government’s decision to appoint university vice-chancellors. Also, the study’s participants revealed that a teaching career in government-owned universities is unattractive to many scholars because the teaching staff is underpaid. The participants indicated that they are teaching large classroom sizes, advising and mentoring students, and executing their administrative duties, but it’s commensurate with their return on investment. In addition, the study’s participants also pointed out the lack of staff development in government-owned universities. Based on this study’s results, the authors recommend that future research should focus on gaining college deans’ perspectives on the massive turnover of faculty employed in Sudanese public universities.