# Understanding turnover intention among preschool teachers in China: the role of psychological contract violation, organizational cynicism, and equity sensitivity

## TL;DR

This study explores how unmet expectations and distrust influence preschool teachers in China to consider quitting, and how fairness concerns affect this relationship.

## Contribution

The paper introduces a novel framework linking psychological contract violation to turnover intention through organizational cynicism and equity sensitivity in China.

## Key findings

- Psychological contract violation increases organizational cynicism and turnover intention.
- Cognitive and affective cynicism mediate the relationship between contract violation and quitting intentions.
- Equity sensitivity strengthens the link between unmet expectations and turnover intention.

## Abstract

Grounded in social exchange theory, this study examines how psychological contract violation shapes preschool teachers’ turnover intention through cognitive, affective, and behavioral organizational cynicism, and whether equity sensitivity strengthens these links in the Chinese context.

We surveyed 505 preschool teachers across five Chinese provinces. Using PLS-SEM with 5,000 bootstraps, we tested direct, mediating, and moderating effects among psychological contract violation, three facets of organizational cynicism, equity sensitivity, and turnover intention.

Psychological contract violation shows positive effects on cognitive, affective, and behavioral organizational cynicism as well as on turnover intention. Cognitive organizational cynicism and affective cynicism partially mediate the psychological contract violation-turnover intention relationship, whereas behavioral organizational cynicism does not. Equity sensitivity positively moderates the psychological contract violation-turnover intention path. The model explains 50% of the variance in turnover intention.

Findings suggest that distrust and emotional disillusion-rather than overt resistance-translate breached obligations into quitting intentions. Administrators should prioritize promise tracking, procedural justice, and emotional support, with targeted interventions for equity-sensitive staff. Limitations include the cross-sectional design and self-report measures; future work should incorporate longitudinal turnover data.