Education Commons^™

Exploring Workplace Relationships And Retention Among Generation Z Teachers: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study, Kimberly Lawhorn

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe Generation Z (Gen Z) teachers’ experiences with workplace relationships within K-12 schools in the United States and how they affect retention. The theory guiding this study was Donaldson and Dunfee’s theory on integrative social contracts as it relates to relationships in the workplace and retention of teachers born between 1997 and 2012. Moustakas’ transcendental phenomenological approach was used to examine 12 Gen Z teachers’ shared experiences with workplace relationships. Data were collected through individual interviews, journal entries, and a focus group. Data analysis was conducted to answer the question: “What …

Teaching The Teachers: A Qualitative Case Study Of First Year Schoolteachers, Matthew Thomas Stone

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this multiple case study was to understand the challenging experience of first-year teachers at existing classical charter schools in the United States of America. Maslow's theory of human motivation provided the guiding framework into how early year teachers can be effectively supported in schools to prevent attrition, which can have a negative effect on student achievement. This qualitative design utilized a case study approach from two different classical charter schools in the United States of America and featured interviews, journal entries, and the review of first year physical artifacts from ten teachers who are no further than …

Exploring Leadership Support And Its Influence On Self-Efficacy: The Lived Experiences Of Novice Teachers, Lauryn Elizabeth Stripling

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This phenomenological study aimed to understand the retention influence of leadership support for novice teachers at a southern Georgia school district. At this stage in the research, the retention influence of leadership support was generally defined as the systems available to novice teachers that raise levels of morality and motivation, influencing new teachers to continue in the education field (Burns, 1978). Bandura’s social cognitive theory guided the exploration of novice teacher retention relating to leadership system support. The investigation was guided by sub-questions that delve into self-efficacy, novice teachers’ attitudes, and social norms. Participants were teachers with no more than …

Improving Teacher Retention Within Archdiocese Of Washington Schools, Denise M. Ball

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this applied study was to solve the problem of teacher retention for the Archdiocese of Washington Schools and to design training to address the problem. Specifically, this study solicited input from teachers to help define and or identify (1) the need for teacher retention, (2) what type of school environment they work in, and (3) how a school environment affects teacher retention. Individual teacher and focus group interviews were conducted, and a survey was utilized for data collection and analysis. The measurement instruments captured data on target teachers regarding school environment/climate and job retention, specifically, years in …

Teacher Migration And Retention In Title I High Schools: A Phenomenological Study, Kenethia Lasundra Zachary

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Teacher migration is a fundamental challenge facing many school districts in the United States (Djonko-Moore, 2016). School leaders in Title I schools, which predominately serve minority and low-income students, expressed difficulties retaining teachers who were opting to transfer to lateral positions in non-Title I schools (Whipp & Geronime, 2017). The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological research study was to identify intrinsic and extrinsic factors that led to teachers’ lateral migration from a Title I to a non-title I school. In order to highlight participants’ rationales, the principal researcher posed the following research questions: What were teachers’ perceptions of the organizational …

Teacher Turnover During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Andrew Camp, Gema Zamarro, Josh B. Mcgee

Education Reform Faculty and Graduate Students Publications

Teachers' levels of stress and burnout have been high throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, raising concerns about a potential increase in teacher turnover and future teacher shortages. We examine how the COVID-19 pandemic affected teacher turnover in Arkansas from 2018-19 to 2022-23 using administrative data. We find no major changes in turnover entering the first two pandemic years, but a large increase of 5.3 percentage points (26%) entering the third year, with variation by teacher and student characteristics. We also find that increases in teacher turnover are related to instructional mode and that this turnover may partially be explained by the …

Teaching In Alaska: A Phenomenological Study, Tabitha L. Hill

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study is to describe the lived experiences of teachers who relocated to urban fringe areas of Alaska from the lower 48 states. The theories guiding this study are situated learning theory and experiential learning theory. These theories provide the theoretical framework for this study to answer the central research question and sub-questions: (1) How do teachers who moved to Alaska describe their experiences compared to their teaching experience in the lower 48 states? (2) How do teachers describe the challenges they face during their first-year teaching in Alaska? (3) How do teachers describe information …

Teacher Retention Crisis After Natural Disaster Trauma And A Global Pandemic, Kimberly Marie Jarrard

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Natural disasters affect the communities of over one million students and educators in the United States every year; however, school-based preparedness and prevention programs are nearly non-existent across disaster-prone areas. School-based trauma intervention programs are somewhat present in schools; however, it is more expensive and at a cost, and most public school systems do not have funds readily available to spend. However, the price is more significant on the adolescents' and educators' mental health and communities affected when they are only treated reactively rather than proactively. There are many studies on the results and after-effects of trauma on the mental …

A Comparison Of Nebraska Urban, Rural, And Reservation Schools' Readiness To Achieve Nebraska State Music Standards, Amber E. Knight

Glenn Korff School of Music: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Creative Work, and Performance

Every person has a unique perspective through which the concept of music education is filtered, and for good reason: music classrooms and programs across the United States are very different. Programs are dissimilar in everything from tangible items, such as facilities and available teaching materials, to foundational frameworks, including curriculum and program philosophy. Local geographical and cultural contexts contribute to the dissimilarity of music programs across the United States, and even those within the same region or state. The purpose of this study was to examine the commonalities and differences in school climate and access to resources among urban, rural, …

A Convenient Rhetoric Or Substantial Change Of Teacher Racial Diversity? A Text Mining Analysis Of Federal, State, And District Documents, Sing Hui Lee, Briana Keith, Yasmine Bey, Yinying Wang, Xiulong Yang, Xiang Li, Jonathan Shihao Ji

Educational Policy Studies Faculty Publications

Teacher racial diversity has been widely considered important in education. However, it remains unclear to what extent and how teacher racial diversity has been addressed at the federal, state, and district levels. In this study, we employed text mining to collect and analyze over three million documents at the federal, state, and district levels. We found that while students of color had disproportionately less access to racially diverse teachers, the documents under our analysis insufficiently discussed the recruitment and retention of racially diverse teachers. Our findings also reveal that education agencies at the federal, state, and district levels paid scant …

Changes In Teachers’ Mobility And Attrition In Arkansas During The First Two Years Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Andrew Camp, Gema Zamarro, Josh B. Mcgee

Education Reform Faculty and Graduate Students Publications

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a trying period for teachers. Teachers had to adapt to unexpected conditions, teaching in unprecedented ways. As a result, teachers' levels of stress and burnout have been high throughout the pandemic, raising concerns about a potential increase in teacher turnover and future teacher shortages. We use administrative data for the state of Arkansas to document the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on teachers’ mobility and attrition during the years 2018-19 to 2021-2022. We find stable turnover rates during the first year of the pandemic (2020-2021) but an increase in teacher mobility and attrition in the …

The Grit To Not Quit - An Examination Of The Relationship Between Grit And Teacher Retention, Alexia W. Bultman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine the level of grit that best predict years in teaching. The study sought to answer the research question, How accurately can years of teaching experience be predicted from the linear combination of grit score (meaning the consistency of interest and perseverance of effort), age, gender, level of education, grade level taught, and subjects taught? Teachers (N = 468) of preschool-12th grade in a large suburban Atlanta school district responded to survey questions from the Grit-S Scale questionnaire along with demographic questions. Multiple linear regression was conducted to analyze the data. The …

The Predictive Relationship Between Teaching Experience And Work Absorption, Work Enjoyment, And Intrinsic Work Motivation, Jin Kim Chang

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this bivariate linear research design study was to discover if there was a predictive relationship between the experience of teachers working in General Education Development (GED) programs and the presence of work absorption, work enjoyment, and intrinsic work motivation. A teacher shortage was on the rise and a different perspective using the theoretical frameworks of flow and growth mindset brought about further dialogue in addressing the situation. The preeminent theory used in this dissertation was flow theory, which was comprised of nine components. This dissertation focused on the three components of flow theory emphasized in the Work-Related …

Male Teachers' Exit Decisions: A Qualitative Interview Study Examining The Experiences Of Male Teachers Who Left Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-Dcps), Tierney E. Hunter

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative interview study utilizing phenomenological methods investigates the experiences of three male teachers who exited Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS).

The goal was to identify their rationales for resigning from M-DCPS. Using phenomenological methods, this study reduces individual experiences with the phenomenon of being a male teacher to a description of the essence of the participants’ experiences. The participants were chosen from M-DCPS because it is the fourth largest school district in the country, and it is grappling with teacher attrition just as many other large, diverse, urban districts in the nation. Three participants who shared the characteristics of …

How Ethnic Minority Single Mothers Characterize The Influences That Led Them To Leave The Teaching Profession, Janelle Bravo-San Pedro

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teachers are leaving the profession at high rates. Salary, support, and workload are factors that have contributed to this phenomenon. Teachers who are single mothers and are the sole providers of their households in all aspects, including financial, emotional, and physical find themselves questioning their career choice and the constant inner struggle of being an effective teacher and super mom. Little research has explored the personal lives and responsibilities of educators, particularly those of single mothers, to understand and address their needs and reasons for leaving the teaching profession. This research holds implications for policy, practice, and future scholarship on …

A Phenomenological Study Of The Lived Experiences Of Alternatively Certified Second-Career Educators, Alison L. Harmon

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the perceptions and lived experiences of alternatively certified second-career educators in urban elementary schools in South Carolina. Currently, alternatively certified second-career educators are defined as professionals who have a degree in a field other than education but teach with an alternative license. The central question for this study was: How do alternatively certified educators describe their experiences and perceptions of the teaching profession in the first five years? The phenomenological qualitative approach unveiled the underlying reasons why alternatively certified teachers stay in education past the first five years. The theories guiding …

Understanding How Covid-19 Has Changed Teachers’ Chances Of Remaining In The Classroom, Gema Zamarro, Andrew Camp, Dillon Fuchsman, Josh B. Mcgee

Education Reform Faculty and Graduate Students Publications

The 2020-2021 academic year was a trying year for teachers. We use a nationally representative sample of teachers from the RAND American Teacher Panel to document that teachers’ stated consideration of leaving the profession increased during the pandemic. We also study factors associated with teachers’ consideration of leaving the profession and high levels of job burnout during the pandemic. Approaching retirement age (being 55 or older), having to change instruction modes, health concerns, and high levels of job burnout all appear to be important predictors of the probability of considering leaving or retiring from teaching. Hybrid teaching increased consideration of …

Potential Associations Of Racial Similarity And Certification Pathways On Teacher Retention, Mary Michelle Atherley

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

What has caused the struggle to retain teachers? Like other school districts, Miami-Dade County Public School district has a high percentage of minority teachers and continues to seek ways in which to address teacher retention. Such findings are of importance since retaining effective teachers has been linked to positively affecting student achievement.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the possible associations of teacher retention with certification pathways (Traditional Preparation Programs or Alternative Certification Programs) and the racial similarity of the teachers to the students at their schools. Additionally, teacher and school factors such as gender, age, college majors, …

Solving The Problem Of Poor Teacher Retention In A Small Rural Mississippi School District, Melissa Danielle Yarbrough

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This applied research study was designed to determine how to solve the ongoing problem of teacher retention in a rural Mississippi school district. This study used both qualitative and quantitative research methods to determine how to solve the problem of teacher retention within one relatively small, rural Mississippi school district. After identifying common influencers, the researcher proposed a plan to offer a systematic retention plan for improved teacher retention that can be used within one rural Mississippi school district. The plan included guided instruction and established a program that addresses many of the issues that were discovered using a mix-method …

Perceptions Of Support And Teacher Retention In Secondary Schools, Amaris Leal

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teacher attrition is a problem plaguing districts across the nation. Miami-Dade County Public Schools is the 4^th largest school district in the nation and continues to encounter difficulty keeping teachers. This study investigates how nine secondary level teachers conceptualize support. Teachers’ years of experience range from five to thirty-five years teaching in Miami-Dade County Public schools. Early, Mid and Late Career teachers were interviewed to understand their lived experiences in the professions as it pertains to support and how they conceptualize support. This case study utilizes phenomenological methods informed by the work of Vagle (2018) and van Manen (2014, …

‘A Validation Of My Pedagogy’: How Subject Discipline Practice Supports Early Career Teachers’ Identities And Perceptions Of Retention, Julia E. Morris, Wesley Imms

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

For secondary school teachers, developing a teacher identity is complicated by spoken or implied expectations of the need to be an expert in the skills and knowledge of one’s subject discipline. Since 2009, the Teacher as Practitioner study (N = 764) has explored the effect of continued subject discipline practice on teachers’ identity and retention using a longitudinal mixed-method design. Within the population are 305 responses from initial teacher education graduates classified as early career teachers, those within their first five years of teaching. This sub-sample was used to explore relationships between discipline practice, identity and perceptions of retention in …

Investigation Of Early Career Teacher Attrition And The Impact Of Induction Programs In Western Australia, Janine E. Wyatt, Michael O'Neill

Education Papers and Journal Articles

This paper contributes to the limited knowledge about Australian early career teacher (ECT) attrition. The population studied included ECTs employed by the Department of Education Western Australia from 2004–2018. This quantitative study focused on ECT attrition rate and profiling ECTs who were likely to leave teaching, and used mixed-methods to investigate ECTs university preparation, intent to stay, resignation reasons and the combined supports received while employed. Study findings reinforced the need for a standardised definition and method of measuring attrition to enable comparisons, and provided information to optimise conditions in retaining ECTs. Ultimately, this will inform planning for teacher workforce …

Will They Stay Or Will They Go? Analysis Of The 2019 Doe Working Conditions Survey, Jonathan D. Becker, Valerie Robnolt, Kasey Dye, Erica Ross

MERC Publications

This report is part of the MERC Teacher Retention study. This study was designed to identify patterns of teacher retention in the MERC region and to determine the school and system-level factors driving them. The study also provides an overview of state and regional policies and programs relevant to teacher retention, and includes evaluations of existing policies and initiatives to determine efficacy and cost benefit. Teacher shortages continue to be a problem in the United States. While a range of policy solutions have attempted to stem the loss of teachers, at the base of many of these efforts is the …

The School Principal And Teacher Retention, Jonathan D. Becker, Lauren Grob

MERC Publications

This report comes from the MERC Teacher Retention study. This study was designed to identify patterns of teacher retention in the MERC region and to determine the school and system-level factors driving them. The study also provides an overview of state and regional policies and programs relevant to teacher retention, and includes evaluations of existing policies and initiatives to determine efficacy and cost benefit. This policy brief examines the role of leadership, and specifically the school principal, in retaining teachers. The brief includes a review of studies that used survey scales to measure leadership and then disaggregate and re-aggregate the …

Novice Teachers' Sensemaking In An Era Of Accountability: Implications For School Leaders, Hays K. Moulton

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

The purpose of this research study was to examine how novice teachers make sense of the realities of their chosen profession, given their initial motivations for entering the profession. My research into teacher motivation and retention provided evidence that teachers did enter the field for altruistic reasons and that as many as 50% of all new teachers in urban schools did not last beyond five years. When they begin teaching, they find a field that is heavily impacted by strict accountability standards and required mandated testing. I used Sensemaking Theory and Self-Determination Theory to examine how beginning teachers make sense …

The Teaching And Learning International Survey 2018. Australian Report Volume 2: Teachers And School Leaders As Valued Professionals, Sue Thomson, Kylie Hillman

OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS)

The OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) collects internationally comparable data on the learning environment and the working conditions of teachers and principals in schools across the world. TALIS 2018 is the third cycle of TALIS, and Australia has participated in each cycle. In Australia, a nationally representative sample of 4,000 teachers and principals from 200 lower secondary schools was randomly selected to participate in the study. Findings from TALIS 2018 in Australia are reported in two volumes. The first volume, Teachers and School Leaders as Lifelong Learners, published in November 2019, explored teaching practices, the changing contexts for …

Pueblo Pequeño, Infierno Grande: Shifting The Burden Of Latinx Spanish Teacher Retention In The Rural South, Cornelia V. Okraski, Stephanie M. Madison

Publications

This study explored the experiences of five Latinx Spanish teachers who worked in schools in rural North Carolina and South Carolina. Using data from 25 semistructured interviews and publicly available school/community demographic information, this qualitative multiple‐case study sought to answer the following questions: (a) How do Latinx Spanish teachers in the rural South perceive experiences that help or hinder retention? (b) In what ways are Latinx Spanish teachers navigating their role as advocates for linguistic and cultural diversity in their rural schools and communities? Findings showed that participants were constantly balancing the benefits and challenges of their work in a …

"We Need To Be In The Classroom More”: Veteran Teachers’ Views On Teacher Preparation And Retention, Jori S. Beck, Christina Lunsmann, Tiberio Garza

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

Annual teacher attrition hovers around 8% and causes of teacher attrition have been studied widely. However, more needs to be known about specific aspects of teacher preparation that can foster retention. The goal of this study was to understand the perspectives of veteran teachers regarding retention. This investigation employed semi-structured interviews with teachers who graduated from a south western university and who have persisted in their teaching careers in a large, urban school district. Our analyses conveyed that rich field experiences and particular characteristics of mentor teachers can foster retention; however, these persisters also persevered through inauthentic teacher preparation experiences.

Improving Classroom Management And Teacher Retention: A Needs Assessment, Jill Stefaniak, Jilian L. Reynolds, Tian Luo

STEMPS Faculty Publications

This case explores how a needs assessment was conducted at a middle school experiencing high rates of teacher turnover. Pamela Frost, an experienced instructional designer, was assigned to assess the situation and identify opportunities to improve professional development opportunities for the teachers. As a part of a needs assessment, Pamela gathered data to address needs pertaining to classroom management challenges, teacher attrition rates, and establishing relations with the local community. This case explores how Pamela gathered data and triangulated her findings to determine what interventions were needed.

What Moves You? How Sbae Teachers Navigate Program Migration, Becky Haddad, Johnathan Velez, Josh Stewart

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Faculty Publications

Little data exists to examine the stigmatized phenomenon of program mobility within agricultural education. Our research starts the conversation through interviews with eight School-Based Agricultural Education (SBAE) teachers across the United States, using qualitative phenomenology, to provide a unique perspective of retention through migration. We define teacher migration as a program move while choosing to remain in SBAE. Utilizing the theoretical lens of expansive learning through activity systems (Engeström, 2009), we present teacher migration as a means to learn and grow in the craft of teaching within SBAE, particularly among teachers with more than eight years of experience. Although additional …