Digital Commons Network^™

Does My Voice Matter? Understanding The Lived Experiences And Turnover Intentions Of Professional Academic Advisors, Keith Kanard Douglas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Academic advising has been a vital aspect of the higher education setting for at least a century. Academic advising has evolved from the vocational development of young men to a full-time profession, especially after the creation of the National Academic Advising Association in 1979. Although the academic profession has developed through research, master’s programs, and courses designed to expand the field of academic advising, researchers still question whether full-time academic advising is a profession. Questions regarding the legitimacy of the work of academic advisors have led to miscommunication between upper administrators within the university. Universities have experienced a trend of …

Teacher Motivation And Student Behavioral Defiance: A Phenomenological Study, Gwendolyn Robinson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand the influence of student behavioral defiance on elementary educators in Virginia. The research question was, “What are the lived experiences of elementary educators in Hampton Roads, Virginia, having experienced student behavioral defiance?” Bandura’s self-efficacy theory guided this study. It analyzed subjective changes affecting teachers and their motivation by applying four significant sources of self-efficacy: performance accomplishments, vicarious experiences, verbal persuasion, and physiological states. The primary source of data collection methods included semi-structured interviews with 10 participants, in addition to a focus group and journal prompt. Transcendental phenomenology aided in analyzing semi-structured …

Strategies To Enhance Effectiveness Of School Boards In Governance, Brian Gersich

Doctorate in Education

School boards and superintendents play an important role, providing oversight of the educational services for students in a community. This study sought to understand how public school boards govern a district with their respective superintendents, including if and how this may be evolving. Through this research, I wanted to contribute to the discussion around effective school district governance and management with modernized challenges including an increased focus on social and community cultural issues and the post-pandemic era.

This qualitative study involved interviews with ten school board members currently serving in districts from the Southwest Twin Cities area. Findings indicate the …

A Phenomenological Study Of Pastors Leaving Employment Due To Experienced Poor Person-Organization Fit, Stephen T. Buys

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore and describe pastors’ experiences who have served full-time in a lead/senior pastor role in evangelical churches after having lost or left their employment as a result of experiencing poor person-organization fit. For this study, pastoral staff turnover was defined as the employment of full-time pastoral staff employed for at least one year who have resulted in voluntary or involuntary resignation from their place of employment because of value incongruence. In this phenomenology, the church is viewed as an educational institution, including similarities between pastoral roles and educator and administrator roles. As …

Investigating The Effect Of Perceived Social Support And Professional Support On The Ability To Persist As A Building Administrator In Arkansas, Jill Annette Larosa

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Across the United States, our K-12 public schools have very low levels of principals persisting in their jobs. The national average for principal tenure is four years, and one out of every five principals in poverty districts leaves after one year (Levin et al., 2019). The tenure average of four years is a devastating statistic because, according to an investigation commissioned by the Wallace Foundation (Leithwood et al., 2011), it takes an average of five years with a new administrator for a school’s performance to rebound to the level of achievement that existed before the administration change. At the current …

An Evaluation Of Factors Influencing Teacher Retention In Title I Elementary Schools, Marica Stewart

Dissertations

The goal of my study was to evaluate what factors support the decisions of teachers in Title I schools to remain at the same Title I school for multiple years. More specifically, my desired outcome for this study was to determine the factors which can be managed at a school-based level to positively affect teacher retention, thereby ensuring that students have access to fully qualified teachers on an ongoing basis. The study addressed the following research questions: 1) What factors motivated the teachers to accept employment at a Title I school? 2) What factors were instrumental in teachers remaining in …

A Quantitative Examination Of Millennial Turnover In Higher Education, De'aira Marie Kennemer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

It has been argued that millennials are estimated to comprise 51% of the workplace population, making them the largest generation in the workforce. Although there are multiple generations in the workplace, it is important for employers to begin to understand the values and needs of the millennial generation due to their sheer size. There is a high level of turnover within the millennial generation. The costs associated with recruiting, selecting, and training new employees can often equal or exceed 100% of that position being filled. This quantitative study aimed to examine if there was a significant relationship between job satisfaction …

Teachers’ Perceptions Of The Impact Of Principal Leadership Style On Teacher Transfers In International Schools In South Korea, Caleb Philip Coleman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study determined the perceptions of international school teachers regarding leadership and how these perceptions influenced their turnover decisions. Research completed largely in the United States shows that principals are a major factor in teachers’ decisions to stay or leave their schools, primarily due to teachers rating their principals highly in communication and support. Over the last 25 years, international schools have experienced a boom in growth, yet research into international schools has lagged. This study sought to build on previous research to find if teacher perceptions in international schools in South Korea mirror those of teachers in previous …

Army Child And Youth Services Early Childhood Educators: A Mixed-Methods Assessment Of The Association Between Workplace Wellbeing And Turnover, Tamara Nuttall

Doctorate in Education

The Department of Defense operates the largest employer-sponsored childcare system in the United States. Army Child and Youth Services is the largest component of the military childcare system, employing over 5,400 early childhood educators who care for and teach soldier and Department of Defense Civilian children aged six weeks to five years old in child development center settings. Early childhood educators’ workplace wellbeing and turnover has long been the focus of researchers, practitioners, and policymakers alike. Despite extensive research examining these issues in the civilian childcare context, military-provided early education has heretofore been absent from the research literature. This globally …

The Relationship Between Hiring Type And Principal Retention: Comparing Georgia Public School Principals, Belinda Sloan

Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership Dissertations

Abstract

School principals’ have a significant impact on student achievement and positive educational outcomes (Beteille et al., 2012; Branch et al., 2013; Miller, 2009; Miller, 2013; Supovitz et al., 2010). There are concerns regarding the high turnover rate and shortage of applicants for school leadership positions currently within the United States (Beteille et al., 2012; Burkhauser et al., 2012; Burkhauser, 2015; Jensen, 2014; Whitaker, 2003). According to research, high poverty schools are significantly impacted by this current state of affairs (Beteille et al., 2012; Miller, 2013). This quantitative research study aimed to contribute to the body of literature regarding principal …

Retaining Employees In Public Sector Organizations, Marlon Javier Rivera

Theses and Dissertations

This research study focused on the attrition rate among employees at a large public sector organization within a large state in the southeastern United States. The study identified factors contributing to the problem and identify possible solutions to minimize or alleviate the problem. The literature identified motivation as one of the factors largely contributing to increasing attrition rates.

Motivation has become a rather slow-paced factor in this large public sector organization and was reflected in work performance and productivity (Director, 2019). Cooperation between departments and individuals of higher positions tended to be deficient and communication was minimal (Director, personal communication, …

Critical Followership: Faculty And Leader Relations Impact On Leadership Turnover At A California Community College, Erik William Christianson

Doctoral Dissertations

Community colleges are experiencing higher levels of executive leader (chancellor, vice chancellor, and dean) turnover than four-year universities. Many different factors account for the high turnover and low retention: the need for dynamic leaders, the leadership succession process, the lack of professional training and development, as well as stakeholders and outside forces. The relationship dynamic between faculty and leaders as a contributing factor has not been previously studied. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to examine leaders’ misperceptions of faculty’s needs. Surveys and interviews were utilized to cross-examine data and perceptions from faculty and leaders. Through the lens …

A Pilot Study On The Retention And Turnover Of Ncaa Division Ii Sports Information Directors, David Albrecht

Leadership Education Capstones

This study reports on sports information directors (SID) at the collegiate level limited to NCAA Division II athletic programs. An online survey was used for all participants, and select respondents completed follow-up interviews. Surveys were intended to determine the impact of work-life balance and overall workload of the SID role. Survey questions sought to find perceptions of SIDs by athletic administrators, including the athletic director (AD), and if their role provided opportunities for career advancement within collegiate athletic administration. The results of the study showed that institution/department culture, family, and professional growth factored heavily on retention. Adversely, turnover was linked …

The Cause And Impact Of Charter School Leadership Turnover, Curtis Grant Windham

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the causes and impact of charter school leadership turnover. Participants in this study included 10 charter school leaders in the Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota metropolitan area. Data discovered in this study included challenges in the following areas: policy and legal, organizational management, and student and family. Key concepts identified included the benefits of previous leadership experiences, business management experience, which included financial and facility management, and human resources experience. Key challenges identified included support of charter school leader’s increased workload, range of skills and previous experience necessary for successful leadership, minimal support systems …

Is There Hope For Teacher Burnout?, Ami Houston

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The nation’s educational system is faced with an ongoing issue as teachers are choosing to leave the profession in staggering numbers. Teacher attrition affects not only teachers who have already left the field and those currently still in it but also those who would potentially enter the teacher pipeline and students in the care of these teachers. While several factors are at fault for this phenomenon, one of the most pressing contributors to teacher attrition is teacher burnout, as teachers are exposed to exhaustion, cynicism, and decreasing self-efficacy. The purpose of this study was to examine relationships between the dimensions …

Superintendent Turnover In Guam, Alvin Sanga

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

Superintendent turnover has been rampant in the public school district in Guam, an unincorporated United States territory; there have been 18 superintendents since the 1981. This qualitative study aimed to identify and analyze potential factors affecting the superintendency in Guam. Social systems theory proposes a number of factors about the dynamics that define the relationship between an individual and a social system to help us understand the behavior of the individual within an organization. To triangulate the data, this study was comprised of individual interviews with Guam superintendents and content analysis of the Guam Public School Audit of 2009 and …

Rural Principals On The Move: Why They Leave, Cynthia Hansen

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the personal, institutional, and environmental factors that influenced a principal’s decision to leave his or her school. Respondents included six elementary principals in rural Minnesota who left their positions within the past year. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, coded, and analyzed for themes. Transferability and credibility were enhanced through the participation of the researcher in a bracketing interview to identify potential biases, independent coding by an outside analyst of the bracketing and regular interviews, and repeated checks with respondents about transcriptions, codes, and themes. Themes were codes that occurred in at least four …

Effect Of Psychological Capital On Elementary Teacher Stress And Workplace Affect, Scott Stephen Casad

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

Calling upon principles of positive psychology, the quantitative study used structural equation modeling (SEM) to explore the relationships between teacher psychological capital (PsyCap), role ambiguity, role conflict, role overload, workplace stress, job satisfaction, job commitment, and intention to quit. Valid and reliable instruments from the literature were incorporated into a 64-item survey and distributed to 830 third through fifth grade teachers at seven northern Virginia school districts. In total, 225 complete responses were received. SEM testing rejected the exact-fit hypotheses and revealed insufficient overall fit between the study data and hypothesized models; thereby, providing no support for the proposed causal …

Evaluating The Impact Of The Beginning Teacher Induction Program On The Retention Rate Of Beginning Teachers, Adriane Lenette Watkins Mingo

Education Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation examined the Beginning Teacher Induction Program of a rural school system in North Carolina. The effects of mentoring, induction sessions, administrative support, ongoing staff development, and other support offered at the system level to beginning teachers were carefully analyzed.

The researcher used eight themes based on the objectives of the school system's Beginning Teacher Support Program: improving beginning teachers' skills and performance; supporting teacher morale; communications; collegiality; building a sense of professionalism and positive attitude; facilitating a smooth transition into the first and second years of teaching; putting theory into practice; preventing teacher isolation; building self-reflection; and retaining …

Relationship Between Supervisor Locus Of Control And Employee Satisfaction In A Residential Care Facility, Patricia Chene Nowotniak

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this research was to identify factors that may contribute to employee satisfaction. Review of the literature revealed potential factors influencing employee satisfaction, such as locus of control, difficulty of the work itself, and working conditions. These literature findings guided this research, to establish if a relationship existed between employee satisfaction of caregivers employed in a developmental institution and locus of control. Supervisors and their employees were given a locus of control scale; employees were additionally given a job satisfaction survey. The relationship between the supervisors' locus of control and employee satisfaction was evaluated as well as the …