Keywords

Teacher Retention

Abstract

This study was conducted to examine the perceptions of Orange County high school teachers and administrators regarding selected school characteristics and their relationship to teacher retention. The study was based on another investigation conducted by the Charlotte Advocates of Education (2004) inquiring into the working conditions in schools and their impact on teacher retention. A total of 292 teachers with less than 4 years of experience and 14 administrators with more than 1 year of experience responded to 25 survey items related to the 6 factors comprising positive school characteristics. Factors such as School Facility, Resources, and Professional Development contributed positively to the school characteristics, and Collegial Environment, New Teacher Support, and Teacher Empowerment factors were present to a lesser degree. Administrators perceived, to a greater extent than did teachers, the presence of the six factors. For the most part, the perceptions of teachers regarding the six factors did not differ significantly based on sex, age, education, and ethnicity. Some differences between ethnic groups concerning Professional Development and New Teacher Support factors and some differences between age groups for Collegial Environment and Professional Development factors were determined. The presence of Professional Development and New Teacher Support was a good indicator of teachers' intention to stay in the teaching profession. One fourth of respondents (54, 25%) indicated interest in long-term teaching careers, and almost half of those surveyed wished to conclude their teaching careers within 5 (54, 25%) or 10 (43, 20%) years.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2005

Semester

Fall

Advisor

Pawlas, George

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

College

College of Education

Department

Educational Research, Technology, and Leadership

Degree Program

Educational Leadership

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

CFE0000742

URL

http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/CFE0000742

Language

English

Release Date

January 2006

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Doctoral Dissertation (Open Access)

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