Authors
Veronica Egonekwu Mogboh, Ph.D. 1 & Vitalis Chinemerem Iloanwusi 2
1 Department of Educational Foundations, Faculty of Education, Godfrey Okoye University, Enugu State, Nigeria.
2 Department of English and Literary Studies, Faculty of Arts, Godfrey Okoye University, Enugu State, Nigeria.
1 [email protected]; 08034001816
2 [email protected]; 07062395436
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Abstract
Research Objectives: This study examines the growing phenomenon of youth mobility and its implications for teacher recruitment, retention, and professional identity in Nigeria’s education sector, with particular attention to private school contexts.
Methodology: Drawing from qualitative and empirical sources, the research explores how socio-economic pressures, digital exposure, and institutional shortcomings shape undergraduate perceptions of the teaching profession and fuel attrition among early-career teachers.
Findings: Teaching is increasingly perceived by Nigerian youth as a temporary, low-value occupation, often accepted out of necessity rather than vocational interest. This perception is exacerbated by inadequate incentives, poor management practices, and the absence of structured professional development in many private schools.
Recommendations: The study proposes the Theory of Professional Value Alignment (PVA), conceptualized by Veronica Mogboh, which argues that sustained engagement in teaching is contingent upon the alignment between an individual’s personal values and the profession’s symbolic, structural, and developmental affordances. The PVA framework identifies four core pillars—value congruence, perceived career trajectory, social image and narrative capital, and institutional agency—as critical to transforming teaching into an aspirational, respected, and sustainable career path. The study concludes by recommending targeted interventions in teacher education curricula, institutional leadership models, and policy design to realign the values of a new generation of educators with the evolving demands of the 21st-century classroom.
Key words: Youth mobility, Teacher retention, Professional value alignment, Educational management, Nigeria.
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