Currently in secondary education, there is an impetus to have educators collaborate; however, teaching has often been perceived as a solitary occupation, and often logistics prevent collaboration from occurring. Furthermore, the stress of the job, teaching of different disciplines, and low morale can often prevent teachers from collaboration. The research problem addressed in this study reflects the challenges that teachers have with engaging in collaboration. The purpose of the qualitative case study was to understand how teachers are affected by collaboration, the barriers that prevent collaboration, and the possible benefits of collaboration. This case study is grounded in the constructivist theory, which holds that people learn from sharing in social settings. A qualitative case study design focused upon interviews with 18 educators, observations of collaborative sessions, and document analysis. Textual analysis of the interviews and documents through a taxonomic system of coding helped to generate themes about collaboration. Furthermore, these interview data were triangulated with observations and collaborative documents and showed consistent themes. This resulted in an aggregate of five themes including consistent definitions of collaboration and morale, an understanding that collaboration has positively affected the morale of these teachers in terms of more planning time, and a more collegial atmosphere; however, barriers such as time , which was still perceived as preventing the collaborative process. Implications for positive social change include a higher morale throughout the school that will foster a greater sense of community and environment more conducive to learning as teachers are better able to dedicate themselves to their profession, colleagues, and students.

Thesis (Ed. D)--Boise State University, 2002. / Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 141-153). Also available online via the ProQuest Digital Dissertations database.

This study sought to investigate factors influencing educator morale in the former KwaMashu Circuit in the Pinetown District. After realising that the educator morale is a national crisis, the study aimed to examine factors that influence low educator morale of high school educators. The study used interviews, questionnaires, document analysis and participant observation to collect data for the research. Having subjected sourced data to rigorous processing and analysis, the researcher concluded that the problems pertaining to low educator morale, include lack of resources, insecurity of educators because of many transformational processes, lack of discipline and cooperation from learners, lack of safety and security due to high crime rate such as theft, vandalism, violence, and killing of educators in school premises. The other salient factors contributing to low educator morale are low salaries, which are not commensurate with educator's educational qualifications and experience, lack of parental involvement in school matters, involvement of educatorunion politics in school management and promotional posts, overcrowded classrooms and heavy work loads, lack of support from District Officials and lack of transparency in decision-making and management of school finances. The study recommends that the Education Department must redress these issues by revisiting the existing policies, fast tracking infrastructure programme especially to previously disadvantaged schools, provide retraining programme, workshops to empower managers with democratic leadership styles, providing schools with security guards as well as fencing the school premises and expedite the process of appointing more subject advisors to support educators in the implementation of new curriculum. v / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--Teachers College, Columbia University. / Typescript; issued also on microfilm. Sponsor: Frances P. Connor. Dissertation Committee: Thurston A. Atkins. Bibliography: leaves 163-189.

Thesis (PhD)-Open University. BLDSC no.DX200055.

The attitude of the church school teacher must be improved, and this is the primary purpose of this paper. An attempt was made to study scientifically teacher attitudes as measured by an adaptation of the Purdue Teacher Opinionaire administered to a systematically observed sample chosen from three church school faculties in the three Southern Baptist Churches in Denton, Texas.

What factors—personal, contextual, and professional—contribute to accomplished early career urban teachers’ perceptions of effectiveness and their decisions to stay or leave their classrooms? The finding of this study was that no single factor is responsible for whether a teacher chooses to stay or leave his or her classroom; however, there is a constellation of factors that plays a role in both supporting and frustrating teachers; how the teachers respond to these factors and how these factors interact help to explain their decisions. What differentiates the degree of impact of the institutional or professional factors on the teachers’ morale and, ultimately, on their decisions to stay or leave their classrooms are the other mitigating factors—namely, the personal and contextual factors that either bolster the teachers or diminish their level of commitment. Seven connecting assertions are drawn from an examination of the commonalities and differences between and among cases regarding the factors that contribute to each teacher’s perception of success and influence his or her career decision to stay in or leave the urban classroom. These assertions regarding the factors that contribute to teachers’ perceptions of success and their career decisions include: • the alignment of each teacher’s classroom experience with his or her expectations shaped by earlier events and relationships • the ability of each teacher to cope with and manage the day-to-day challenges by incorporating self-care and cognitive reframing strategies in order to maintain optimism, resilience, and well-being • the establishment of a relationship of mutual and reciprocated trust with the school leader(s) • the teacher’s perceived quality of relationships with colleagues • the teacher’s perceived ability to establish individual, personal, and authentic connections with students • the ability to make decisions regarding curriculum and pedagogical practice • the ability to tolerate and navigate constant and seemingly questionable change

"The author has had an interest in teacher welfare throughout his many years as a teacher and as a principal. Observation of his fellow teachers gave evidence of varying stages of adjustment and varying degrees of satisfaction and happiness in the profession. Allowing, even, for individual differences, the questions in his mind were: Why are some faculties more successful than others? Why are some teachers happy and well adjusted whereas others are neurotic, unhappy, and maladjusted? What can be done to build good teacher morale? What can the principal do to improve the personal and professional welfare of the teacher?"--Introduction. / "August, 1953." / Typescript. / "Submitted to the Graduate Council of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts." / Advisor: John Permenter, Professor Directing Paper. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 31-32).

No description available.

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of visiting committee membership on teacher morale, as measured by the Purdue Teacher Opinionaire. Two hundred fifty teachers were selected to receive the PTO during October, 1981, before the initiation of visiting committee activities. Visiting committee participants received an additional administration of the test on the last day of their respective visiting committee evaluations and all study participants received the PTO during May, 1982. A direct comparison of group means and differences in gain scores between the research groups was made to determine the effect of the independent variables, visiting committee experience and demographic characteristics on teacher morale and the ten factors of morale. Differences in mean scores were tested for significance using t-test and analysis of variance statistical procedures. The findings of this study appear to justify the following conclusions: 1. Morale scores of secondary school teachers increase during the period of the visiting committee week but decrease as the school year progresses. 2. Previous visiting committee membership influences the gain in morale score experienced at the time of the evaluation week but gains dissipate as the school year progresses. 3. Visiting committee membership does not significantly affect the score on any of the ten morale factors of the PTO except the factor"curriculum issues". 4. A greater loss in morale score is experienced during the course of the school year by teachers with less than ten years teaching experience. 5. Members of visiting committees consider the experience a beneficial professional opportunity and are, generally, satisfied with the present format for the evaluation week. 6. Morale score, as defined by the ten factors of the PTO, may not be the best choice of a dependent variable to determine the lasting benefit that is derived by teachers from participation in a professional activity such as visiting committee membership. / Ed. D.