This explanatory sequential mixed methods study was designed to determine, from the perspective of beginning teachers, the extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic affected their intentions to remain in teaching. There were two additional goals in conducting the study: (a) to determine the key practices, supports, or events that played a role in impacting teachers' intentions to remain in teaching during a crisis; and (b) to determine the key practices, supports, or events teachers believe the district or school could do that might further impact their intention to remain in teaching during a crisis. In Phase 1, a survey was administered to teachers who began employment in the studied district in academic years 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021. In Phase 2, a semi-structured focus group interview was conducted with volunteer participants who had taken the survey to develop a deeper understanding of the patterns observed from the survey responses. While this study was designed to determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on teachers' intentions to remain in teaching, a statistically significant result was not identified. This study identified practices, supports, and events that impacted beginning teacher retention, focusing on what was effective, ineffective, and could have been added to increase effectiveness. Beginning teachers self-identified that mentorship within their subject and grade level, salary and benefit increases, and supportive cultures were helpful in retention. In contrast, strategies deemed ineffective included a lack of preparation for the challenges that they faced and impractical professional development. Beginning teachers explained that retention might have been increased if school leaders allowed greater opportunities for networking, as well as a greater focus on training teachers in technology and software systems for classroom use.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:unt.edu/info:ark/67531/metadc2137590 |
| Date | 05 1900 |
| Creators | Shuffield, Austin |
| Contributors | Pazey, Barbara, George, Royce J., Waddell, Stephen, Russell, Susanna |
| Publisher | University of North Texas |
| Source Sets | University of North Texas |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | Text |
| Rights | Public, Shuffield, Austin, Copyright, Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise noted. All rights Reserved. |
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