Thesis advisor: Joseph J. Pedulla / This paper describes the literature on teacher attrition as either focusing on the working conditions faced by beginning teachers or highlighting variations in teachers' characteristics as causes for early teacher attrition. This study uses responses to the School and Staffing Survey (SASS) along with the Teacher Follow-Up Survey (TFS) to compare these contrasting views of early teacher attrition. Two logistic regression models were constructed and their relative efficacy in explaining teacher attrition were compared using three statistical techniques; model fit characteristics (e.g. pseudo-R2, Akaike Information Criteria, Bayesian Information Criteria); a comparison of their classification effectiveness, and results from Davidson and MacKinnon's J test (1981). A final model was also constructed using the predictive elements of each of the previous models. Results suggest that the working conditions model better fits the observed data than the teacher characteristics model. The final model highlights the importance of teacher commitment and engagement in the profession in teachers' career decisions. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2011. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Research, Measurement, and Evaluation.

Retention of quality high school assistant principals is a problem in a suburban Georgia school district, where 35% of administrators left their schools in a 3-year period. Researchers indicated that high turnover rates in school leadership influence student achievement and school climate. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the perceptions of high school assistant principals concerning factors that influence them to stay in their current roles. Herzberg's 2-factor framework was used to explore the perceptions of 10 high school assistant principals regarding their decisions to remain in their administrative positions. The research questions examined how high school assistant principals in a suburban Georgian school district perceived motivating and hygiene factors that influenced them to remain at the school district or leave their job roles. Open coding was used to identify patterns and themes. Findings from the data collected with semi structured interviews revealed (a) 3 themes related to motivating factors that included relationships with students, teachers and leaders, and (b) 2 themes related to hygiene factors regarding external issues outside assistant principals' control but may influence job retention. The resulting project consisted of a white paper that recommended the school district institute the initiation of an assistant principal leadership academy as well as an assistant principal open forum to minimize the negative influence of the 2 identified hygiene factors on assistant principals' job retention. The project contributes to positive social change by providing insights to potentially stabilize the attrition of high school assistant principals and improve student and academic achievement.

Retention of first year college students has been problematic in many U.S. colleges, and different mentoring frameworks have been explored to help resolve the issue. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to examine how the mentoring program at Brown Community College (BCC; pseudonym) positively increased retention of first year college students. BCC is a community college located in a metropolitan urban area in a southern state. Tinto's model of social integration and academic success was used to undergird the study. Research questions were developed to understand how BCC's mentoring program was supporting first year students' retention and what these students perceived as integral in order to persist throughout their program of study. Another question sought faculty's perceptions of how their mentoring program influenced retention at the college. Data collection included structured face-to-face interviews with a purposeful sample of 10 first year college students and two faculty mentors who provided mentorship at BCC. Content analyses were used to identify and isolate the themes through axial coding. The results showed that mentoring may be the catalyst needed to ensure that students stay in college and increase retention and graduation rates. The findings provide useful data for developing curriculum policies that may improve service delivery opportunities for at-risk students. The findings also showed that having qualified college graduates may increase productivity in the workforce and help the college graduates become more successful citizens. Recommendations are offered to improve the existing mentoring program to enable the students to experience social changes in their pursuit of academic success.

Attrition of nursing students has a negative impact on students, university nursing programs, and the heath care community. At a local university, the nursing program and its stakeholders aspire to increase retention of nursing students in order to mitigate the nursing shortage projected over the next decade. The purpose of this study was to examine issues related to high attrition of 1st- and 2nd-year nursing students at a university located in the mid-Atlantic area of the United States. Tinto's model of retention was used as the foundation to explore variables affecting 1st- and 2nd-year nursing students who remained in (n = 30) or left (n = 10 ) the program. This quantitative, cross-sectional research study explored the root causes of nursing student attrition. A Likert-scale survey was used to gather quantitative data to determine student perceptions of academic expectations and nonacademic issues such as work and stress that may increase the risk of attrition. Discriminant analysis determined that reported levels of self-efficacy, perceived faculty support, outcome expectations, and bullying significantly discriminated between program persisters and leavers. Based upon these findings it is concluded that nursing faculty and administrators can increase student retention by increasing students' level of self-efficacy by providing greater support and reducing instances of bullying. Implementation of these practices may result in more students remaining in school, graduating, and competently serving the needs of patients, thus resulting in positive social change.

Special education teacher attrition has been an ongoing problem for at least 3 decades. This study specifically focused on the attrition of special education teachers in South Carolina. Attrition can have a negative impact on student learning, making it important to identify the causes of attrition among special education teachers to lower attrition in the state and lessen the negative impact on student learning outcomes. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine attrition whether career satisfaction, perceived administrative support, coping with job-related stress, and attitudes toward students are related to attrition in special education teachers in South Carolina. Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory served as the theoretical framework. In accordance with the study purpose, the research questions for this study assessed the relationship between career satisfaction, perceived administrative support, coping with job-related stress, attitudes toward students, and special education teachers' intent to remain in the field of special education. Data were collected via self-report survey responses from special education teachers from South Carolina and were analyzed thorough use of multinomial logistic regressions. The findings of the multinomial logistic regressions showed that career satisfaction and coping with job-related stress were significant predictors of intent to remain in special education. Perceived administrative support and attitude toward students were not significant predictors of intent to remain in special education. Implications include finding ways to reduce job-related stress for special education teachers. This study contributed to positive social change through the discovery of the reasons why special educators are leaving the field, which could lead to possible ways to alleviate attrition.

The rotary valve is a widely used mechanical device in many solids-handling industrial processes. However, it may also be responsible for most of the attrition effects occurring in a typical process. In this study, the attrition effects occurring in a rotary valve operating as a stand-alone device and as part of a pneumatic conveying system were investigated. In the former case granular attrition was carried out at three different rotary valve speeds and the experimental results obtained were found to be in good agreement with the Gwyn correlation. In the latter case three typical air flow rates were used in the pneumatic conveying system. The size distribution of the attrition product obtained at the lowest air flow rate used was not adequately described by the Gwyn correlation. The attrition process and mechanisms involved were analysed and the minimum size of the attrition product obtained from both modes of operations was found to be similar. / Singapore-MIT Alliance (SMA)

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between teacher quality variables, student demographic variables, and student performance in order to determine the influence teacher quality variables have on student performance in one large school district. The population for this study included 69 schools during the 2007-2008 school year within one large suburban school district. Included in this study were 47 elementary schools, 14 middle schools, and 8 high schools. In this three-phased study, descriptive correlations were examined, t-tests were conducted comparing each of the variable sets, and partial correlations were conducted in order to determine the strength of associations between teacher quality variables and student performance variables. Findings from this study showed several strong and significant associations. When comparing the highest and lowest quartile of schools based on average years of teaching experience, percentage of within-district transfers, and total teacher mobility, there was a significant difference seen in both the percentage of economically disadvantaged (ED) students and percentage of African American and Hispanic students combined. Further analysis showed a significant difference between the top and bottom quartiles of percentage of ED students and percentage of African American and Hispanic students combined and their performance in both math and reading. Findings showed that teaching experience was negatively associated with student performance in reading and math, however, there was a smaller association in math. Controlling for within-district teacher transfers had a small to medium association between African American and Hispanic students combined and commended performance or meeting standard in math and reading. When controlling for percentages of total teacher mobility (leavers + movers) from campuses, there was a strong negative, partial correlation between percentage of ED students and performance in math (commended only) and reading. Implications for practitioners include the need to improve school leadership, improve working conditions, provide more and better professional support, create incentives to work in challenging schools, improve preparation for work in challenging schools, streamline hiring placement policies, create a coherent set of policies to close the staffing gap, and provide greater funding targeted to student needs.

No description available.

The purpose of this descriptive and correlational study was to examine factors to determine if a faculty-centered student advisement program, which was implemented at a rural community college, affects student retention in a positive manner. The Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) was incorporated, and data collected by this group provided the basis for the study. The study was a comparative study of quantitative parameters looking at five benchmarks. The five benchmarks included active/collaborative learning, student effort, academic challenge, student faculty interaction, and support for learners based on teaching, learning and retention in community colleges with regards to personal characteristics of age, gender, ethnicity, and enrollment status. Analysis of variance provided information between the benchmarks and personal characteristics and the quality of advising, and correlations were run using the various benchmarks and personal characteristics in order to determine any connections between the benchmarks themselves and quality of advising. In addition, the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), created by this rural community college, was analyzed from 2004 to 2006 to determine any inferred connection with the benchmarks and the quality of advising because of the implementation of the QEP. Findings show that, even though the survey CCSSE instrument used to determine student engagement and its function in student retention may not provide the most accurate results in general for Navarro College, the implementation of the faculty-centered student advisement program has coincided with an increase in graduation rates, an increase in fall to first fall persistence, and an increase in GPAs as evident at Navarro College.

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of an alternative certification program on the retention of teachers in Region 20, Texas, as reported by Education Service Center, Region 20, Texas. Demographic variables were used to determine association with retention rates. Additionally, the study provided qualitative data and information that assisted in explaining the retention rates of Teacher Orientation and Preparation Program (TOPP) participants. A mixed methods research, utilizing logistic regression and a survey interview instrument, was used to determine retention rates as well as variables that influence retention rates of TOPP participants. A total of 537 TOPP participants were analyzed. Additionally, a sub-sample of 10 participants was interviewed. The study provides an analysis of the following demographic variables: ethnicity, gender, current grade type (elementary ??PK-5, middle school ??6-8, and high school ??9-12), and current socioeconomic level (as determined by the percent of children who qualify for free and reduced lunch programs). Of the four demographic variables analyzed, none was found to have an association with retention rates. A number of other variables were found to have an impact on the retention of the teachers interviewed in the sub-sample. Those variables included personal commitment to the field of education or the kids, a mentor, team support, administrative support, and new teacher induction programs. The implications from the findings of this research study are numerous and can have an effect in areas such as teacher hiring practices, teacher retention practices, and teacher preparation programs. It is important to note that the researcher recommends that expert opinions be sought and further research be conducted on teacher retention and teacher preparation programs before any recommendations for change are made.