Year: 2006
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Teacher attrition is a major topic of discussion and concern in this country. \nWith the growth in the school-age population, the need to attract and retain quality \nteachers will become even greater. The purpose of this narrative inquiry was to explore \nfactors that influenced teachers’ decisions to remain in an urban school. A qualitative \nresearch design was used by conducting one interview with 13 teachers in an \nintermediate school (5th & 6th grades) in an urban school district near Houston, Texas. \nThe participants’ years of experience in this study ranged from 5-33 years. \nThey presented a diverse range of age, career experiences, and cultural/ethnic \nbackgrounds. Data were collected through audio-taped interviews that lasted 45-90 \nminutes conducted in their classrooms before or after school. Additional follow-up \nquestions and clarification statements were obtained from the participants where it was \nwarranted. The transcribed interviews and the follow-up questions were analyzed using \nthe Labov method of structuring narratives into stories. This method was used in order \nto compare participants’ narratives to identify emergentthemes among the rich stories \nthat the participants shared with me. The findings are presented as three emerging themes on why teachers choose to \nremain in an urban school. These themes were recurrent and dominant throughout the \nnarratives. Participants generally felt that there were three main reasons why they \nremained to teach in this urban school. Those three reasons manifested themselves in \nthe form of themes. Those three dominant themes were: (a) making a difference in the \nlives of young people, (b) having no reason to leave, and (c) having administrative \nsupport, which was the leading factor that influenced teachers to remain in an urban \nschool. Each theme had several supporting themes that were explored also. \nImplications for practice and recommendations for further study were also discussed.
Author: Archie L Blanson
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2748375025