Date

2-2019

Department

School of Education

Degree

Doctor of Education in Curriculum & Instruction (EdD)

Chair

Kenneth R. Tierce

Keywords

Beginning Teachers, Mentoring, Teacher Attrition, Teacher Retention

Disciplines

Education | Educational Leadership

Abstract

The purpose of this multiple case study was to discover educator perceptions of Utah school district approaches to retaining beginning teachers. Throughout the study, the term “educator” collectively describes the study participants: district leaders, principals, mentors, and beginning teachers. The overarching concept that guided this study was Sher’s (1983) Three Cs of Education framework which categorizes the factors that impact teacher retention into the following three groups: Characteristics, Conditions, and Compensation. The central research question for this study was: How do educators describe Utah school districts’ approaches to retaining beginning teachers? The sub-questions for this study were: What are educator perceptions of the ways Utah school districts address teacher characteristics as an approach to retaining beginning teachers? What are educator perceptions of the ways Utah school districts address working conditions as an approach to retaining beginning teachers? What are educator perceptions of the ways Utah school districts address compensation as an approach to retaining beginning teachers? The methods used to collect the data included semi-structured individual interviews, a focus group interview, and documents from two school districts in the state of Utah. The data were analyzed using Yin’s (2014) case study analytical techniques. The cross-case analysis revealed school districts main approaches to teacher retention included raising salaries and implementing mentoring programs. However, the participants emphasized the importance of feeling valued and garnering community support in retaining teachers.

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