Alternative Title

Teacher Retention Strategies

Subject Area

Business and Management, Education, Humanities, Social Sciences, General/Other

Abstract

The purpose of this research study was to improve retention of Black educators of K-12 schools during a national crisis. To do so, this research study investigated Black educators of K-12 schools to determine factors that motivated them to stay and teach during a national crisis. This research used Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory of Motivation- Hygiene for its theoretical framework. A convergent mixed-methods design was used to collect the qualitative and quantitative data, analyze the data separately, and then merge the data to determine the findings from this research study (Creswell, 2018). The data collected was from Black educators of K-12 schools who taught during the crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic. An electronic survey was used to collect the quantitative data to learn trends and similarities of the participants' responses relating to this research study's purpose. There were 60 participants who initiated the survey and 34 who completed the survey. Informal interviews were used to collect the qualitative data of 10 survey participants to gain more insight and understanding of their human experiences while teaching during a national crisis. This research discovered from the survey responses and informal interviews that student support in relevance to student safety and academic success were the leading factors that motivated Black educators of K-12 schools to remain in the classroom and teach during a national crisis. Additional factors that motivated Black educators to stay and teach at a K-12 school during a national crisis was years of employment. This research also discovered that work conditions in relevance to occupational health, the role of technology, and administration support impacted Black educators' experiences while teaching at a K-12 school during a national crisis.

Degree Date

Spring 3-27-2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Department

Human-Centered Interdisciplinary Studies

Advisor

Ben Voth, Ph.D.

Second Advisor

Reginald L. Bell, Ph.D.

Third Advisor

Allison Kanny, Ph.D.

Acknowledgements

Dr. Voth, from our first encounter as your student, you have been a huge supporter of my research study. You wanted to make sure that I arrived at the finish line of this doctoral program. Thank you for your encouragement, your incitement, and your steadfastness to stay with me from the beginning of my dissertation journey to the end. I appreciate your faith and trust in me as a doctoral scholar, which motivated me to grow and to finish strong. Dr. Bell, you were the first professor that I met during my academic journey who encouraged your scholars to write and publish their research. Your encouragement ignited a light within me and other scholars to follow the path of academic writing and publishing. You also put your name on the line to write a letter of recommendation for me to enter this Doctoral program and you joined my dissertation committee. Thank you for going beyond your duty as a professor and carrying the torch of excellence. Dr. Kanny, thank you for becoming my official third reader without hesitation. Your agreement to step in and be part of my dissertation committee is much appreciated. Thank you for sharing your expertise in research and for providing recommendations that balanced and rounded my research study. Dr. Montgomery, thank you for being kind, considerate, and very patient. You were always flexible and thoughtful, allowing me to work at my own pace yet pushing me to get to the finish line. SMU found a gem when that appointed you as the Department Chair of Human-Centered Interdisciplinary Studies Graduate Liberal Studies and Dispute Resolution Programs. I look forward to working with you as an alum of this program. I want to acknowledge the educators who participated in my survey and informal interviews your shared experiences made a difference in my research. Thank you for sharing your experiences with me and trusting me to keep true to who you are and your love as an educator. To my support groups, who carried me, supported me, and encouraged me during the ups and downs of my doctoral journey, thank you. Thank you, Rev. June Rice, Chaplain Rita S. Williams, Elder Yolanda Moten, Chaplain Crystal Bates, Chaplain Nancy Brunett, and Faye Hill of On Point Ministries. Thank you to my Lioness Sisters of NGT, Inc. Thank you to my doctoral sorority sisters and chaplain sorority sisters of Sigma Gamma Rho, Sorority, Inc. When I was silent and when I was struggling, each of you in each of my support groups remained faithful with your sisterhood. I am eternally grateful for your support and love. To my pastor, my father in ministry, Rev. Dr. Frederick D. Haynes, III, thank you for encouraging your ministers to be spiritually, intellectually, and academically sound. My love for education and to be educated is because of the fire that you lit within us. To my mom, who is my shero thank you, love you. To my children, my grandchildren, and my sisters, who will continue the family legacy of educators, thank you for allowing me the time to study, research, and write. Love you!

Number of Pages

286

Format

.pdf

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License

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