Education Commons^™

Why Teachers Stay: An Exploration Of Why Mid-Career Teachers Remain In Teaching, Jennifer K. Mccorvey

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Much of the current literature on teacher retention centers around early-career teachers, with far less addressing mid-career teacher attrition. This research study explores the positive and negative experiences of five mid-career teachers, Toni, Sean, Susan, Debbie, and Jacqueline, explicitly focusing on the experiences that influenced their decisions to remain teaching. The participants were Teacher Leadership Academy alumni, a professional learning community in two separate Professional Development School programs. I used a qualitative case-study approach to examine the teachers’ experiences and Identity Theory as a lens through which to view the findings. Semi-structured interviews and participant-constructed timelines were the primary sources …

An Analysis Of The Formal And Informal Professional Learning Practices Of Middle And High School Mathematics Teachers, Kelly Elizabeth Mccarthy

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Although there has been a substantial amount of research on the topic of teacher professional development, few studies adequately captured the types and frequency of formal and informal professional learning teachers undertake to improve as educators. The purpose of this study was to examine the types of activities middle and high school mathematics teachers engaged in to improve their abilities as educators, analyzed by the participants’ school setting, years of teaching experience, level of education, degree major, certificate type, and their school’s Title I status.

Teachers from two large school districts in Florida participated. The Teachers’ Opportunity to Learn (TOTL) …