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

Abstract

Introduction: 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. Methods: 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. Results: 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. Discussion: 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.