Date

12-19-2022

Department

School of Education

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Education (PhD)

Chair

Grania Holman

Keywords

Alaska, teacher relocation, teacher recruitment, teacher retention

Disciplines

Education

Abstract

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 needed before making the decision to move to Alaska? (4) How do teachers explain the characteristics of teaching in Alaska that make them want to stay? (5) How do teachers explain the characteristics of teaching in Alaska that make them want to leave? Criterion sampling was used in this study to locate teachers who relocated to the second largest school district in Alaska from the lower 48 states. Data were collected through interviews, focus groups, and documents and data were analyzed using Creswell and Poth’s (2018) data analysis spiral. Data analysis revealed common themes for what teachers experienced when relocating to Alaska. Implications of the data were explored along with suggestions for future studies.

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