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Dissertation
A Phenomenological Study of Teacher Retention in Alaska Title I Schools During COVID-19
University of West Florida Libraries
Doctor of Education (EDD), University of West Florida
2024
Abstract
The purpose of this interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was to explore selected teachers’ perceptions of the factors that motivated them to remain in their teaching jobs throughout the COVID-19 global pandemic despite the national rise in teacher turnover trends, particularly in Title I schools. Alaskan schools experience up to 85% teacher turnover annually (Alaska Statewide Mentor Project, 2023) at a high cost of approximately $20,000 per teacher (DeFeo et al., 2017). These prepandemic teacher turnover totals are alarming, yet the pandemic has continued to exacerbate the preexisting teacher shortage trends that have historically plagued low-income schools in Alaska (Darling-Hammond et al., 2020; DeFeo et al., 2017). I used an IPA approach to better understand the lived experiences of the selected teachers during the pandemic and to identify the intrinsic and extrinsic factors that motivated the selected teachers to continue working in their teaching roles despite the substantial increase in teacher turnover throughout the pandemic. I examined the study results through Herzberg et al.’s (1959/1993) two-factor motivation theory. The results of this study provided several key findings: (a) career advancement is not a significant motivator for teachers; (b) teachers experience reduced levels of job dissatisfaction when they accept external circumstances beyond their control; (c) enhanced job satisfaction among teachers is linked to their sense of agency; (d) teachers are less inclined to leave the profession when they have strong workplace relationships, satisfactory salaries, and comprehensive healthcare benefits; and (e) the most pressing postpandemic need for teachers is their mental well-being. The findings of this study provide pertinent insight for administrators and state and local education policymakers to improve teacher retention in Alaskan school districts, particularly in Title I schools.
Details
- Title
- A Phenomenological Study of Teacher Retention in Alaska Title I Schools During COVID-19
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Contributors
- Holley Handley (Committee Chair)Shelby Vaughn (Committee Member)Todd Adrian (Committee Member)
- Publisher
- University of West Florida Libraries
- Format
- pdf
- Number of pages
- 253
- Copyright
- Unpublished work © Nicole Ashley Endsley
- Identifiers
- 99380551397106600
- Academic Unit
- Instructional Design and Technology; School of Education
- Language
- English
- Awarding Institution
- University of West Florida; Doctor of Education (EDD)
- Theses and Dissertations
- Doctor of Education (EDD), University of West Florida