Education Commons^™

Teacher Perceptions Of Principal Impact On School Culture And Teacher Retention In Title 1 Schools., Erika Walker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

School districts across the United States are grappling to fill, and to keep, their classrooms operating with qualified teachers, especially in Title 1 certified schools. To ensure a quality education for the millions of students in the nation in the coming years, educational leaders and government officials need to evaluate what can be done to increase the number of teachers staying in their positions. Schools must be better equipped to understand teachers’ sense of belonging and teacher retain and how principal impact contributes to high turnover rates. The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to examine teachers’ perception on …

Teacher Retention In Independent Schools, Charles Maddox Jr.

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

Teachers in public and independent schools have left the field of education at a staggering rate. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand what factors kindergarten through 12th-grade teachers describe as influencing their decisions to remain in independent day schools in Florida. For the purpose of this study, independent education is defined as private schools. Five participants were interviewed for the study. The two themes developed in the study were differences from public schools and school leadership. The subthemes for differences from public schools were flexibility, teacher autonomy, and freedom from government control while subthemes for school …

A Qualitative Descriptive Study Exploring The Perceptions Of New Teacher Induction Supports, Tonya Dixon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The problem of novice teachers leaving the profession in the first few years of their career represented a global issue and an increased attrition rate. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore the perceptions of novice U.S. teachers and effective systemic supports provided to new teachers through the lens of social capital. For this study, the intangible components of social capital emerged through the development and fostering of mentoring relationships in an induction program. The methodology used was a qualitative descriptive study using a survey, interviews, and thematic analysis of the survey and interview data collected. The …

Where’S My Teacher? Factors Influencing Teacher Retention/Attrition In A Post-Covid Landscape, Kyle Robinson

CGU Theses & Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic was an unprecedented event in modern educational history that resulted in a dramatic upheaval of the traditional school system. The shift from brick-and-mortar to virtual instruction resulted in profound anxiety and demand (Kush et al., 2021). As the quarantine ended, the return to the physical classroom brought with it new, unanticipated stressors such as COVID-19 safety protocols, shifts in student behavior, and pronounced learning gaps from virtual instruction. Coupled with existing tensions, many educators who had previously identified as career teachers became “likely pandemic leavers” as they departed the profession (Steiner, 2021). While there is ample research …

Mentor Teacher And Administrator Attitudes And Beliefs Toward Mentoring Programs In K-12 Education In South Mississippi, Krystle Womack

Dissertations

The teaching profession relies heavily on mentor programs to promote teacher retention, to reduce attrition and to increase the quality of new teachers. Teachers grow professionally through gaining knowledge. Mentor teachers show professional growth through knowledge gained from mentoring programs and serving as mentor teachers.

There is a significant gap in mentoring research in that the mentoring literature is limited in perspective. Research focuses solely on the perspectives of the beginning teacher or the person being mentored, but the perspective of more than one stakeholder is needed to give the full picture of induction and mentoring. This study uses a …

Impact Of School Leaders’ Actions On Teachers And Their Practices, Dinara Metova

Dissertations

School leaders play a vital role in teachers' performance; while some leaders create an environment conducive to learning, collaboration, and achievement, others inadvertently contribute to teacher attrition and educational disparities. The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of school leaders' actions on teachers and their practices. The context of this inquiry includes two stakeholder groups: 582 school leaders and 1,054 teachers from all 50 states who are members of Facebook Educator Groups. I implemented a mixed methods design by researching scholarly articles and using qualitative and quantitative survey data to find the most effective school leader practices …

A Case Study Of Shifting To A Four-Day Student School Week As A Response To The Covid-19 Pandemic And Its Impact On Teacher Job Satisfaction And Retention, Melanie Hyde

Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership Dissertations

This study examines the lived experiences of elementary teachers in a rural school district in Northwest Georgia that shifted to a four-day student week, Tuesday-Friday, as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. When schools shut down due to COVID-19 in March 2020, it launched a new wave of educators walking out the door nationwide, further impacting an already existing problem of teacher shortages. Situated literature has traditionally pointed to a four-day student schedule due to budget cuts and financial gain. This study provides insight from teacher and school leader perceptions through interviews on how shifting to a modified calendar impacted …

Cultivating Teachers For High-Poverty Schools, Kit Z Mcguire

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

This quantitative study examines the connections between teacher preparation programs (TPPs) and later retention. According to the Theory of Transformative Multicultural Education (Vavrus, 2002), to prepare future teachers for the needs of urban, high-poverty schools, candidates need to be in a culturally responsive environment and receive dedicated instruction in multicultural education. These characteristics were measured three ways: inclusion of diversity in the TPP mission/vision statement, required multicultural coursework course levels, required multicultural coursework credit hours. These variables were included in a path analysis model along with teacher characteristics and school characteristics known to affect teacher retention rates. The intervention variables …

Classroom Teachers: Why The Mass Exodus?, Marybeth Sanders

Doctor of Education in Teacher Leadership Dissertations

Abstract

This research study is a qualitative case study that sought to explore the perceptions of first-year teachers on the effectiveness of instructional support and the impact those supports had on their decision to remain in the classroom the following year. The study compared the various kinds of instructional support to the eight school organization characteristics that were the determinants for improving new teacher retention according to the review of the literature as well as aligning with the five levels of needs as presented in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. The study included eight novice teachers in their first year of …

Factors Of Teacher Retention, Toni Lopez

Education Theses and Dissertations

The steady decline in teacher retention within the teaching profession remains a pressing issue for our education system, as it significantly impacts student success. This study investigated the crucial factors influencing teacher retention through a design-based implementation mixed-method research methodology. The research includes gathering current teacher retention data from a large suburban school district, analyzing human resource department field notes, conducting teacher interviews, and administering exit and stay surveys. The findings from the literature review and collected data highlight campus culture, sense of belonging, and teacher participation in shared decision-making as influential factors affecting teacher retention. By examining these factors, …

Using The Lens Of Flourishing To Understand The Professional Well-Being Of K-12 Teachers Who Have Worked In Urban Schools For Over A Decade, Candis M. Thomas

Dissertations

Historically, urban public schools with high concentrations of high-poverty, low-achieving students, report having difficulty attracting, developing, and retaining qualified and effective teachers (Ansley et al, 2019; Petty et.al, 2012; Simon & Johnson, 2015; Wilder, 2012). A common explanation to the attrition crisis in urban schools is that teachers are suffering from stressors (e.g., student characteristics, school climate, concerns for safety, lack of parental support, accountability measures), that leaves them burnt out. Yet, there are experienced and qualified K-12 teachers who are committed to working in these schools. Advances in the field of positive psychology, has spilled over into the educational …

Novice Teacher Perceptions Of Induction Supports Provided During The First Year, Keri James Tawater

Theses and Dissertations

This descriptive case study examined the perceptions of 6 beginning teachers regarding the supports offered to them during their 1st year of teaching. Based on purposeful and convenience sampling through administrative recommendations, the participants included 4 middle school 6th, 7th, and 8th grade teachers in their 2nd year of teaching. I collected data from documents and multiple interviews to understand the needs of beginning teachers and how to best support them. Utilizing the social cognitive learning framework, I analyzed the results in terms of which supports provided vicarious reinforcements, self-reinforcements, and ultimately self-efficacy. These perceptions and understandings were then compared …

Investigating The Impact Of Student-Teacher Relationships On Teacher Retention And Recruitment, Kylie Scott

Honors Theses

This thesis investigates the impact of positive student teacher relationships on teacher retention and recruitment. The overarching research question this thesis project aims to address is how do teachers describe the impact of student-teacher relationships on their decisions to become a teacher and stay in teaching? Verbal data collected through semi-structured interviews with my former teachers have been analyzed and reviewed for common or emergent themes. These themes will be discussed along with other commentary from a literature review, results, and a conclusion.

Adaptability: Its Professional Capital And Influence On Secondary Science Teacher Job Satisfaction, Kristy A. Floyd

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Following a 15-year decline, the United States is experiencing the lowest educator job satisfaction ever recorded amidst a critical teacher shortage. Discussions of how to retain teachers are part of everyday conversations in education. Although much research has been conducted on the many factors influencing job satisfaction, one factor that has yet to be thoroughly studied is teacher adaptability. Everyday challenges such as new curricula, policy changes, and the COVID-19 pandemic require teachers to be adaptable. This study analyzed the results of a teacher survey that examined the elements of professional capital to determine how they affected teacher adaptability and …

The Currency Of Teacher Trust In Working Conditions For Teacher Retention, Jeanette White

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

Virginia Public schools continue to face teacher shortages, and policymakers and school leaders are desperately seeking ways to influence teachers' decisions to stay at school. This multi-site case study of seven elementary schools offers a conceptual framework to examine how teachers' trusting relationships with students and parents relate to working conditions and retention. Teacher interview excerpts, an overall measure of teacher working conditions using the Virginia Climate and Working Conditions Survey (Virginia Department of Education, 2021), and school-level descriptive statistics were analyzed to examine the relationship between teachers' perceptions of trust and other working conditions within their schools. In this …

An Examination Of The Relationships Between Campus Administrators And Special Education Teachers And Its Influence On Teacher Retention, Tai Lea Peacock

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teacher shortages have plagued U.S. school districts for many years now as special education and other high-need fields struggle to retain highly qualified teachers. School leaders must gain a better understanding of why special education teachers are leaving at such alarming rates in order to formulate a plan for improving retention. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to examine how campus administrators’ relationships influence the retention of special education teachers. Leader-member exchange theory, which contends that the relationships between leaders and followers impact our work environment and job satisfaction, served as the theoretical framework of this study. A …

Teacher Retention: Perceptions Of Teachers And School Administration In Rural Schools In Nebraska, Andrew Offner

Dissertations and Theses

Teacher retention has become a major challenge for schools over the past several years. Rural school districts have become increasingly short on staff and are struggling to retain the staffs they have. The study had four purposes: (a) to determine teachers' perceptions of the factors leading to their retention, (b) to determine administrators' perceptions of the factors leading to teacher retention, (c) to determine differences in perceptions of teachers and administrators based on personal characteristics, and finally, (d), to determine the differences between teachers' and administrators' perceptions of factors retaining teachers in rural school districts. This quantitative study examined the …

Teacher Retention: Retaining Teachers In High-Needs, Urban Secondary Schools In A Midwest State Post-Pandemic, Christopher Kenneth Schmit

Dissertations and Theses

Teacher retention has been a challenge for most schools for several years. High-needs schools have been known to have twice the trouble with teacher retention as schools not considered high-needs. The purpose of this study was to identify effective practices school principals can implement to retain teachers at high-needs, urban secondary schools. This quantitative study called on teachers from high-needs schools in Iowa to complete a survey identifying principal qualities related to retention, perceived reasons for teacher attrition, and reasons they continue to teach at their current school. Three hundred eighty-five teachers from five different Iowa school districts participated in …

Teacher Retention, Perceptions, And Attitudes Toward Job Satisfaction And Culture At Central Elementary School, Talia Dottin

Doctor of Education Dissertations

This study’s purpose was to investigate teacher retention at Central Elementary School by identifying, studying, and considering the reasons connected to teacher perceptions and attitudes as it relates to job (dis)satisfaction since turnover rates can be the deciding factor. The evidence collected in this study may profit educators in the near future by having a clearer understanding of the needs and possible challenges faced by high teacher turnover rates. These results and performance data will help to make recommendations and deliver the appropriate strategies and solutions to prevent teachers from leaving. The participants in this study volunteered to fill out …

Why Remain Where It Seems To Be Difficult? An Analysis Of Teacher Retention At High-Poverty Middle Schools In Eastern North Carolina, Kevin Smith

Doctor of Education Dissertations

This study sought to identify how teachers perceived the effectiveness of administrative support, induction program support, and mentor support. This study addressed the following research questions: (a) Is there a relationship between the perceived effectiveness of their administrative support and teaching in a high-poverty school for beginning middle school teachers in eastern North Carolina? (b) Is there a relationship between the perceived effectiveness of their induction program and teaching in a high-poverty school for beginning middle school teachers in eastern North Carolina? (c) Is there a relationship between the perceived effectiveness of their mentor and teaching in a high-poverty school …

Retaining Instructional Staff In Public Schools During And After The Pandemic: A Phenomenological Perspective, Debbie Irene Brockett

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigated the critical issue of staff retention during and after the pandemic in public schools. Focusing on instructional staff, the study explored the impact of self-efficacy, relationships within the school setting, and administrators' support on their decision to remain in or leave their positions during these unprecedented times.

To comprehensively explore these factors, the research adopted a mixed methods approach. The quantitative component involved analyzing retention rates of instructional staff in public schools, taking into account variations in self-efficacy perceptions and the influence of supportive measures provided by administrators during and after the pandemic.

The qualitative component was …

Assessing The Fidelity Of School-Level Professional Learning Community Implementation, William W. Thigpen Ii

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

As schools face increasing accountability, many have turned to professional learning communities (PLCs) as a possible solution. The challenge is that many schools are not implementing PLCs with fidelity. It is imperative that school leaders assess PLC practices to ensure that critical components are being implemented effectively. This research provides a framework for school leaders to assess school leader, teacher, and support staff perceptions of various PLC dimensions. Descriptive statistics were used to determine levels of agreement with statements related to six PLC dimensions. A one-way univariate analysis of variance tests (ANOVA) was used to analyze differences in mean …

An Exploration Of Effective District Practices For Enculturating And Retaining Kentucky's Newest Teachers In The Profession, Cari Lea Boyd

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Leadership Studies

The teaching profession within P-12 education has more beginners in the field than ever before, growing the profession by 48%, which outpaces the 19% growth in student enrollment. The most common teacher among all practicing in America’s schools is someone in her or his first year of teaching. The decreasing levels of experience in the profession has led to increased rates of attrition because beginners have the highest attrition rates with up to 50% leaving the field within the first five years. Research conducted on teacher retention has focused on why teachers leave the field; hence, a major gap in …

Reducing Teacher Turnover: Factors Of Teacher Retention Success, Karrie Pederson Rage

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

This post-positivist confirmatory correlational study examined four contributing factors found in the literature to influence teacher retention. The four factors were working conditions and school climate; administrative support and leadership practices; teacher self-efficacy; and the COVID-19 pandemic. The researcher developed two questionnaires (i.e., Teacher Retention Questionnaire for Teachers and Teacher Retention Questionnaire for Administrators) to gather the data for the study. A total of 324 teachers (30.39% return rate) and 26 administrators (50% return rate) from an urban Midwest P-12+ public school district participated in this study and anonymity was assured. Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory and Self-Efficacy Theory were used …

A Qualitative Study Exploring The Lived Experiences Of Teachers Of Color In Predominately White K–12 Environments, Torine S. Champion

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe the lived experiences of teachers of color and identify commonalities within the lived experiences of teachers of color employed in predominately White K–12 schools. This study utilized interpretive phenomenological analysis as viewed through the White racial frame lens. There were 15 participants that were included in this research study. Participants were teachers of color with at least 5 years of teaching experience in predominately White K–12 environments. Data collection procedures included confidential virtual, semistructured interviews that included specific information the researcher wanted to explore. Six themes were revealed: (a) cultural advocacy, …

A Case Study Of The Retention-Supporting Needs Of Beginning Teachers In A West Central Georgia School System, Vicki Thrailkill Pheil

Theses and Dissertations

Even though the State of Georgia has issued suggested guidance for new teacher induction programs, not all school systems follow that guidance and varying induction practices have been implemented. Because replacing exiting teachers in the first 5 years of their career has become costly to school systems—both financially and academically regarding student achievement—it is in all stakeholders’ best interest to support new teachers to increase retention rates. The purpose of this case study was to describe 1st-year teachers’ experiences in a West Central Georgia school system induction program and to identify the retention-supporting needs these new teachers reported as part …

Retention Of Novice Teachers, Renna Varano

Culminating Experience Projects

The field of education is a constantly unsettled field with new pedagogical trends, new policies and immense attrition rates at every turn. Upon attempting to study the causes and effects of teacher attrition, it can be deduced that there is no one cause yet one major effect: student achievement. Schools that have lower rates of student achievement typically have difficulty maintaining a highly effective teaching staff. This issue affects any and all types of schools, some more than others. In order to guarantee students a right to an equitable education, school leaders must create supportive mentoring and induction programs for …

The High Cost Of Leaving: Veteran Teachers In Islamic Schools, Hanan Almasri

Educational Leadership & Policy Studies Dissertations

Utilizing a traditional qualitative approach, this study explored the experiences of veteran teachers in Islamic private schools and their retention decisions through the lens of the job embeddedness framework, which examines the attachment factors that keep people in their positions through three distinct dimensions (Links, Fit, and Sacrifice) The participants in this study include eight veteran teachers with five or more years’ experience teaching at the same school and two current principals. The study site is a private, well-established, K-12 Islamic school in North Texas. The participants engaged in semi-structured, in-depth interviews to share their motivations for remaining at their …

Teacher Retention: The Causes And An Administrator’S Role In Reducing Attrition, Kate Hedrick

Culminating Experience Projects

As Ingersoll (2003) reported, between 40% and 50% of teachers will leave the field of education by their fifth year (as cited in Mee & Haverback, 2014). The numerous teachers leaving the profession is costly to a school and negatively affects student outcomes (Young, 2018). Administrators need to be knowledgeable in the most effective ways to keep their teachers the first five years and beyond. This project will train administrators on specific ways to avoid teacher turnover. It will focus on the role of a principal including opportunities for distributed leadership and professional development. The second section will focus on …

What Keeps Technology And Engineering Teachers In The Classroom? A National Mixed Methods Study, Cory J. Ortiz

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Teacher retention is a significant issue impacting educational agencies around the country. Factors that have been found to be predictors of teacher retention include sense of belonging, sense of efficacy, and job satisfaction. Many personal and professional characteristics of a teacher also have been found to predict teacher retention. The purpose of this research was to explore how these factors predicted Technology and Engineering Educators' (TEE) teachers’ persistence to remain in the teaching profession. Furthermore, this research sought to identify programs that existed to help support TEE teachers in their persistence intentions.

This research found teacher job satisfaction was a …