Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Educational job'

Problem. The demands of the principalship have become overwhelming for school principals and have contributed to job dissatisfaction. The expectations and pressure for schools to demonstrate positive learning outcomes require principals to be highly skilled and motivated. Since principal performance is directly affected by their job satisfaction, district offices would benefit from understanding how district directors’ leadership practices influence the job satisfaction of principals and which supports are the most impactful.

Purpose. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how district directors’ leadership behaviors, as aligned to Kouzes and Posner’s (2012) 5 practices of exemplary leadership, influence principals’ job satisfaction from the perspective of principals from small to midsized San Diego County school districts in kindergarten through 8th-grade Southern California schools.

Methodology. This qualitative single case study focused on a semistructured interview and a public district document review to explore from the principal’s perspective district office directors’ leadership behaviors and practices that influence principal job satisfaction and identify impactful supports.

Findings. The analysis of the findings resulted in 6 themes and 14 subthemes that described, from principals’ perspectives, leadership behaviors and practices of district office directors that align with Kouzes and Posner’s 5 practices of exemplary and what support provided positively influenced principal job satisfaction.

Conclusions. When district office directors lead in a manner that is responsive, supportive, and encouraging, it fosters positive relationships and higher levels of job satisfaction among site principals. By improving working conditions of site principals, district leaders are minimizing principal turnover and increasing principals’ effectiveness.

Recommendations. District directors should be available and responsive to principal needs engaging in collaboration and problem solving. They should create an environment that allows for frequent communication and input, and provide personalized coaching for principals on topics of their choice. Districts should create systems that formalize these supports.

The increase in teacher attrition rates within the state of California since 2000 is of concern to the California Department of Education and districts throughout the state because of a myriad of issues created by the loss of qualified teachers. The cost of replacing qualified teachers and recruiting and training new teachers to replace those who have left is a costly challenge. In California, 13% of new high school teachers leave the profession within the first two years of teaching and 22% leave within the first four years, even after successful completion of a teacher support program funded by the state (Reed, Reuben, & Barbour, 2006). Teacher attrition is a growing concern to both the state and the nation.

In this quantitative correlational study, one public high school within San Diego Unified School District served as a sample reviewed for data relating to teacher job satisfaction and elements of educational leadership that work to promote teacher retention. Data were analyzed to formulate a conclusion regarding job satisfaction and the set of predictor variables including the general quality of administrative leadership within a teacher’s educational environment, problem-solving conducted by the leadership in place, professional respect demonstrated for the educator by school leadership, professional development opportunities for teachers, and projected length of employment of the teacher.

A Bonferroni adjustment was performed on the original alpha level (α = .05) to reduce the likelihood of a type I error (false positive interpretation). Due to the application of the Bonferroni correction, the research study presented the finding that job satisfaction was not related teacher job satisfaction. Recommendations include the integration of relevant, focused professional development opportunities for teachers, with the ultimate goal in mind to retain dedicated, quality educators who seek to improve the lives of their students daily.

The retention of quality school leaders is critical to school success and improvement (Fuller, Orr, & Young, 2008; National Association of Elementary and Secondary Principals, 2013; School Leaders Network, 2015). It is unlikely that student achievement will improve in schools with rapid turnover of school principals (Mascall & Leithwood, 2010). Research contends that fifty percent of new principals will quit within three years of being hired and those that do stay often leave high poverty schools for less demanding leadership roles (Fuller et al., 2008; School Leaders Network, 2015). School change is more successfully implemented when a principal remains in the position for a minimum of three to five years (Fuller, Young, & Baker, 2007). Understanding what factors lead to principal job retention may provide insight to minimize principal turnover and increase student achievement.

The purpose of this explanatory, sequential, mixed methods study was to investigate the factors that lead to principal job retention in traditional public elementary and secondary schools in a small northeast state.

This study addressed the following research questions: 1. What factors do principals rate as important for job retention in their current position? 2. What is the relationship between principal identified factors related to job retention and the following demographic variables: gender, school urbanicity, school level, school enrollment, socio-economic status, priority school status, overall happiness in their current job, and principal tenure status? 3. How do principals describe the factors that influence their job retention?

During the quantitative phase, a questionnaire was administered to elementary and secondary principals (N=270) to measure perceptions of the factors that contribute to their decisions to persist in their current positions. During the qualitative phase, interviews (n=6) were conducted to explore how principals describe the factors that contribute to job retention. Significant findings were found related to school level, priority school status, overall happiness, and principal tenure. Six prominent themes emerged from the qualitative data.

Results from this study may benefit school superintendents and other educational leaders to help them better identify the conditions necessary to retain school leadership that may lead to student academic success and decrease principal turnover.

This study is a replication of Janet Jabs’ “What’s my job? Perspectives on Paraeducators Roles” completed in 2000. This study focused on the perceived role of educational assistants held by teachers and educational assistants themselves. Participants included teachers and educational assistants employed by the Saskatoon Public School Board in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Each participant completed a 24-question survey. Overall results revealed that there were some discrepancies and agreements between teachers and EAs as to what tasks an EA is responsible for within the classroom.

ABSTRACT DEVELOPING COLLECTIVE TEACHER EFFICACY THROUGH JOB-EMBEDDED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN ELEMENTARY TEACHERS Michele Schluntz, Ed.D. Department of Curriculum and Instruction Northern Illinois University, 2018 Elizabeth Wilkins, Director The purpose of this mixed-method study was to explore the outcomes of a Job-Embedded Professional Development (JEPD) approach on Collective Teacher Efficacy (CTE). Teachers volunteered to participate in one of three literacy teams designed for the study. At the opening of the study, teachers completed the Collective Teacher Efficacy Belief Scale (CTEBS) to determine the level of CTE present prior to engaging in the JEPD sessions. During the three JEPD sessions, teachers engaged in meaningful conversations about situated problems of practice and potential changes to address such concerns. At the conclusion of each JEPD session, teachers completed individual reflection journals documenting their experiences. Upon completion of the final JEPD session, teachers again completed the CTEBS. The study concluded with the completion of one-on-one interviews to provide a deeper understanding to the responses provided through the individual reflection journals. Three major findings were identified in this study. First, it was concluded that a JEPD approach to the professional development of teachers may play a role in influencing CTE. Second, this study supported the Social Cognitive Theory framework of human agency and Triadic Reciprocal Causation. And third, meaningful conversations about situated learning in authentic problems of practice contributed to the development of CTE. As a result of these findings, this study supports a sociocultural approach to the professional development of teachers. Embedded in Vygotsky?s (1978) Socio-cultural Theory, there are five principles that encompass a sociocultural approach to teacher professional development. Teachers in this study experience four out of the five: teacher agency, situational appropriate, dialogical practice, and systemic in view. Utilizing these findings, recommendations for professional development and future research are also discussed.

The growing demand placed upon educators has taken a toll on the profession (Walker, 2014). Teacher burnout, stress, and unhappiness may be predestined unless administrators recognize how to prevent these from happening (Elias, 2012). The intent of this quantitative study was to survey teachers in southwest Missouri to determine their level of job satisfaction as it relates to student performance on state-mandated assessments. The survey included items designed to collect data on overall level of teacher job satisfaction in relation to demographic areas of age range, gender, level of education, years of teaching experience, subject areas taught, and salary range. The first research question was designed to determine the correlation between high school teacher job satisfaction and high school student achievement. Based on this research, there was a relationship between teacher job satisfaction and Missouri Performance Index scores. The second research question was designed to determine the correlation between teacher job satisfaction and years of experience, salary, age, level of education, and gender. Based on the data collected, there was a correlation between teacher job satisfaction and years of experience and between teacher job satisfaction and the age of the educator. However, there was no correlation between teacher job satisfaction and level of education, nor between teacher job satisfaction and gender. Research question three was posed to determine if there was a difference in teacher job satisfaction between those teachers required to administer end-of-course (EOC) exams and teachers who were not required to administer EOC exams. The research determined there was no difference in job satisfaction between the two groups.

With the increasing focus on student achievement, teachers are being scrutinized in their practices. States are mandating that accountability measures be put in place to ensure teachers are providing high quality education to students. With these added pressures along with various other factors, teachers can become overwhelmed and not able to maintain their focus on student achievement. Thus, teachers may begin to burnout and seek other professions. Leaders must take action to rekindle a passion in teachers so they will stay the course in the profession. What makes teachers stay in the profession? Where do high levels of faculty trust contribute to teachers intending to stay in the profession? Does high teacher morale influence teachers to stay in the profession? Where leaders engage in capacity building within their school organization, is there a higher rate of teachers who intend to stay in the profession?

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore and recognize if district-created student art assessments and teacher evaluations influenced the job satisfaction of art teachers due to the increased teacher turnovers and teacher shortages. The experiences, beliefs, and perceptions of the art teachers were critical in understanding and establishing if the increased implementation of the accountability measures added to the stress level and job satisfaction experienced by art teachers. The sample for this case study comprised of 10 male and female art teachers who were certified to teach art within the State of Florida for at least five years and were currently or formerly employed in the Central Florida region. The art teachers were invited first through email invitations and subsequent participants were recruited through the snowball method. Data gathered in this study was collected through audio and visual recordings through the semi-structured interview process. The data collected were analyzed using NVivo 11 Pro (QSR International, 2017) software to uncover themes, patterns, and critical phrases shared by participants. The five themes were: (a) there is a greater level of stress is experienced by teachers from student art assessments and teacher evaluations than ever before; (b) there is much confusion and lack of information on the purpose, procedures, and calculation of student art assessments and VAM scores; (c) class size and an overloaded schedule are detrimental to both the already heightened stress level of art teachers; (d) a supportive, understanding, and appreciative leadership team at each school has a positive impact on an art teacher; (e) a teacher evaluation system that is applicable and fitting for performing arts courses is a necessity within the district. Research findings from this qualitative study exposed the experiences, perceptions, and challenges art teachers have encountered in relation to the district-created student art assessments and teacher evaluations, while teaching in the Central Florida region.

Teacher attrition has become a concern at local, state, and national levels. As a result, a number of researchers have examined the factors that affect teacher job satisfaction and retention. However, in spite of all the efforts in research to find a solution, problems associated with teacher attrition have not significantly improved. This study was developed to examine new teachers' job satisfaction as based on their perceptions of principals' transformational and transactional leadership behaviors. Hezberg, Maunser, and Snyderman's 2-factor theory and Burns's and Bass's transformational and transactional leadership theory guided the research questions. A convenience sample of 71 new teachers with 1 to 3 years of experience participated in this study. Instruments used to collect data for the study were the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire and the Job Satisfaction Survey. Pearson product-moment correlations and partial correlational methods were employed to examine the relationships between the variables. Findings revealed statistically significant positive relationships between new teachers' perceptions of principals' transformational leadership behavior and their overall job satisfaction. Further, the findings showed that perceptions of more transactional leadership behavior were significantly and negatively related to their overall job satisfaction. Results suggest that organizational leaders who adopt the transformational leadership model and implement effective leadership practices can cultivate positive change within the organization through the development of a team-centered environment that fosters inclusion, support, growth, recognition, stability, and satisfaction.

The current mixed method study explored the job satisfaction perceptions and retention plans of 241 secondary science teachers from seven North Texas school districts. For the current study, an email questionnaire was sent to seven districts across 83 secondary campuses, which included 51 middle schools and 32 high schools. The current study intended to find reasons why secondary science teachers continue to teach or decide to leave the profession. The participants’ perceptions and intentions to continue teaching were gathered through an online survey which gathered data across seven job satisfaction domains. Demographic and retention responses provided additional data on each participant. Through a quantitative analysis of Likert type survey responses and qualitative analysis of open-ended retention responses, the current study explored secondary science teachers’ perceptions and intentions to stay teaching. The quantitative analysis of survey data found significant differences in almost all of the job satisfaction domains for all teachers. There were also significant differences across some demographic groups as well. Through a qualitative analysis, motivation to teach was the leading predictor for retention. On the other hand, school culture and compensation were the top reasons for teachers planning to leave the classroom.

This quantitative study focused on educators entering the classroom as teachers both pre- NCLB and post-NCLB enactment. The specific problems explored in this study was the motivational levels and job satisfaction factors of pre-No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and post-No Child Left Behind (NCLB) public school educators; how motivation and job satisfaction influenced educators’ decisions to remain active in the classroom within an instructional capacity. The participants in this study were public school teachers employed by a mid-sized school district. The research instrument used as part of this study was Mertler’s (1985) Teacher Motivation and Job Satisfaction Survey (TMJS); one of the few motivational/job satisfaction surveys specifically developed for application within the education profession. SurveyMonkey supported the survey, data collection, and statistical analysis. The application of a chi-square, one-way ANOVA, Pearson Correlation, Stepwise Multiple Regression, frequency distribution tables, and descriptive statistics allowed for the identification of a relationship, if one existed, between pre- NCLB and post-NCLB educators motivation factors and job satisfaction levels and teachers choosing to remain actively engaged in teaching within the classroom. The research revealed, while there was no significant differences between pre-NCLB and post-NCLB educators’ motivational levels, job satisfaction factors between the two groups were statically significant different.

Research has shown that the working environment of physical education influences teacher motivation. Identifying the characteristics of teachers’ working environment may contribute to developing a productive and motivating working environment for physical education teachers.

The first part of this dissertation study was focused on developing and validating an instrument that measures physical education teachers’ job demands/resources perception on five theorized dimensions: organizational resources, physical resources, cognitive demands, physical demands, and emotional demands. The content validity was achieved through expert evaluation of the consistency between the items and the dimensions they represent. The evaluation rendered an average consistency rating of 3.6 on a 5 point scale. The construct validity and reliability were determined with a physical education teacher sample (n=193). Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) established a five-dimension construct structure matching the theoretical construct with factor loadings ranging from .57 to .85. The intraclass correlational coefficients ranged from .75 to .80 for job resources and from .80 to .83 for job demands, respectively. The inter-scale correlational coefficients ranged from .14 to .25, showing both convergent and divergent validity. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) confirmed the construct structure found in the EFA with high dimensional factor loadings ranging from .47 to .81 for job resources scale and from .51 to .86 for job demands scale. The model fit tests produced acceptable indices including the RMSEA < .05. It is concluded that the instrument met the required psychometric standards to be useful to measure physical education teachers’ perception of their working environment.

The second part of the study was to determine the extent to which the perceived job demands and resources influence physical education teachers’ motivation regulatory processes and motivation. An a priori model was proposed for testing based on the integration of the Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and Job Demands-Resources Model. Certified physical education teachers in two southeastern states (n=193) provided self-reported data on perceived job demands and resources in the working environment, motivation regulatory processes, and motivation to teach. Structural equation modeling analysis revealed that increasing job demands in working environment enabled the teachers to adopt more autonomous regulatory processes, such as integrated regulation (γ = .20) but not more controlling regulatory processes, such as external regulation (γ = -.16) and introjected regulation (γ = -.22). The findings of the study provide empirical evidence that relate perceptions of working environment to physical education teachers’ motivation to teach.

Proponents of teacher pay for performance suggest that it reflects American values by rewarding student achievement and encouraging hard work. Supporters also say that pay for performance helps to recruit and retain teachers by increasing their compensation. Critics counter that pay for performance erodes teacher collaboration, is difficult to monitor, cannot be reliably linked to student achievement, leads to dishonest reporting of test scores, and is not a long-term solution to low teacher pay. Some researchers have found that extrinsic reward systems, such as pay for performance, can cancel the benefits that intrinsic motivation provides. As policy makers consider different pay for performance models, the link to teacher job satisfaction warrants investigation. This study examined pay for performance using the theoretical framework of Self Determination Theory. This theory suggests that employees find satisfaction when they have freedom in how they pursue organizational goals (autonomy), when they are given opportunities to improve job skills (mastery), and when employees feel they make a difference in the world (purpose). This study investigated pay for performance’s effect on teacher job satisfaction in a small, rural school district. An evaluation of both quantitative data and qualitative data determined that pay for performance can contribute to teacher job satisfaction, but only under the right conditions. This study concludes with a list of suggestions for implementing a pay for performance program that is likely to contribute to teacher job satisfaction.

Data from recent national studies indicate teacher job satisfaction is decreasing. Currently, accountability-propelled media coverage is overwhelmingly critical of the educational system, in which teachers feel less appreciated, less motivated, and less satisfied. Principals can positively influence teachers’ job satisfaction when they promote growth and autonomy through increased empowerment in educational settings. As principals work with teachers in their schools, they must understand how their own leadership style impacts their teachers’ job satisfaction. This study examined the extent to which teachers’ perceptions of their principals’ servant leadership behaviors correlate with teacher job satisfaction. The population included all high school teachers in the state’s 144 public and 18 private high schools. The final sample size consisted of 76 teachers.

The study utilized two separate survey instruments to collect perceptions of principal servant leadership characteristics and of job satisfaction data. Servant leadership characteristics included accountability, authenticity, courage, empowerment, forgiveness, humility, standing back, and stewardship. Questions investigating teacher job satisfaction were broken into two categories: intrinsic and extrinsic.

Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients were used to analyze the relationship between principal servant leadership behaviors and job satisfaction of teachers. Data from the surveys were evaluated for statistical significance at the .01 level. Results indicated a statistically significant relationship between South Dakota principals’ perceived overall servant leadership behavior and overall teacher job satisfaction. Data also show statistically significant relationships between each of the eight servant leadership characteristics and overall teacher job satisfaction. Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) items that focused on extrinsic job satisfaction indicated statistically significant relationships with overall servant leadership and each of the eight servant leadership characteristics. MSQ items that focused on intrinsic job satisfaction also indicated statistically significant relationships with overall servant leadership.

However, only seven of the eight dimensions of servant leadership indicated statistically significant relationships with MSQ items that focused on intrinsic job satisfaction. Finally, none of the demographic factors of teacher gender, years in education, years working with same principal, highest degree held, or school size suggested statistically significant relationships with teacher job satisfaction.

The purpose of this study was to determine differences in satisfaction of public university Resident Assistants (RAs) with regard to several job satisfaction factors identified on the Resident Assistant Satisfaction Survey (RASS), specifically as compared to Casey’s (2009) normative sample of RAs in privatized university housing. The RASS outlined eight Employment Aspect Factors and three Criterion Factors to determine RA job satisfaction. This study also determined if there were differences in job satisfaction for public university RAs based on gender, racial ethnic identification, or academic class standing. Resident Assistants from three Research I Florida institutions in the United States completed the RASS. There has been very little research identifying the factors influencing job satisfaction of paraprofessional RAs, specifically at Florida public institutions of higher education and as compared to a privatized university housing company. Experiencing dissatisfaction with the job can negatively affect a Resident Assistant as both staff and student. In turn, it can lead to an overall poor job performance, which could be detrimental to students living in the residence halls. This study added to the current body of research and ascertained ways in which the RA position could be improved based on identified differences and determinants of student staff satisfaction. The results that were compiled and presented demonstrate a significant difference in satisfaction on the factors of supervisor, institution, pay, facilities, intended tenure and non-involvement between public university housing RAs and privatized housing company RAs. A significant difference was also found in job satisfaction for gender in regards to promotions, but no significant differences were found based on racial ethnic identification. A significant difference was found in job satisfaction for academic class standing in regards to pay, general affect, and non-involvement. The significance and recommendations for higher education practitioners was discussed. Implications and recommendations for future research were also suggested, which included improvements in job training, recognition initiatives, staff development, and other housing aspects.

This mixed model study analyzed the relationship between school climate and teachers’ intentions to remain in their current position, teacher job satisfaction, and teacher absenteeism. All participants completed the Organizational Climate Description Questionnaire, Job Satisfaction Survey, and a personal questionnaire. Among elementary educators, significant negative relationships existed between restrictive principal behavior and disengaged teacher behavior and job satisfaction. Among middle school educators, a significant negative relation existed between restrictive principal behavior and teacher job satisfaction, and significant positive relationship existed between supportive principal behavior and teacher job satisfaction. This study led to a recommendation to focus on both teacher-principal and teacher-teacher relationships to improve job satisfaction among educators.

While the role of computers in the 21^st century has enabled organizations to become more efficient and effective, technology has also created problems for many of its users. The research literature on the use of workplace email indicated that email is causing several problems, including an interruption of workflow/productivity, email overload, stress, and work-life imbalance. The mobile market in 2015 was exploding and showed a significant growth trend and is expected to continue. In addition, working women are an increasing population in the workforce, and even more women are working virtually. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how an overload of workplace email was perceived by virtual working women to impact their stress levels and ability to maintain a reasonable work-life balance, in order for managers to better support and manage employee workloads. The theoretical framework for this study included Gilbert’s (2007) Behavior Engineering model (BEM) and Ashforth, Kreiner, and Fugate’s (2000) Boundary Theory. The basic qualitative method was utilized, in addition to nonprobability and purposeful, or convenience sampling. A total of 14 participants participated in the study and met the criteria to include (a) female, (b) age 25–65, (c) remote or virtual worker, (d) full-time employee, (e) work for a U.S. based organization, and experiencing or experienced overload from email. The research design included a combination of structured and semi-structured interviews. The findings revealed that virtual working women’s job performance was impacted and they experienced: (a) increased and decreased stress from workplace email; however, it was dependent upon the volume, tone and frequency of the emails (b) increased and decreased productivity from workplace email and (c) impacts on work-life balance, given the use of workplace email. Discovering virtual working women’s self-perceptions, as it relates to workplace email, stress, and work-life balance, provided valuable insights for managers to develop strategies and performance improvement interventions for dealing with email overload. Recommendations for future research to expand the study include: (a) the “millennial” population or the non-telecommuter (b) a quantitative study, (c) text overload, (d) gender differences, and (e) mental and physical health effects.

Criticism of the public school system tends to be aimed squarely at teachers in the classroom (Karpinski, 2012). As school principals lead in this current educational climate, it is incumbent upon them to provide their teachers an environment that is conducive to job satisfaction, emphasizing teacher retention, and mitigating the deleterious effects of teacher turnover on students’ academic achievement. To understand the practices of the principal, this study investigated teachers’ perceptions of their principals’ practice, asking the following questions: What is the relationship between teachers’ perceptions of their principal’s practice of building professional capital and teachers’ job satisfaction? What are the experiences of teachers in relation to their perception of their principal’s practice of building professional capital and job satisfaction?

Research was conducted employing an explanatory sequential mixed-methods correlational study; utilizing a researcher-created on-line survey and semistructured interviews. The results of this study indicate that teachers’ job satisfaction is independent of principals’ practice of building professional capital. The quantitative findings found no correlation between teachers’ perceptions of their principal’s practice of building professional capital and teacher job satisfaction. The qualitative data indicate that teachers attributed their job satisfaction to factors that are independent of their relationship with their principal; commitment to their students and colleagues and sense of purpose were cited as sources of job satisfaction.