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Dr. Lautrice Nickson Dissertation Defense Power Pt.
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Transcript of Dr. Lautrice Nickson Dissertation Defense Power Pt.
7/28/2019 Dr. Lautrice Nickson Dissertation Defense Power Pt.
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AN ANALYSIS OF
FACTORS
INFLUENCING
SPECIAL EDUCATIONTEACHERS’
RETENTION AND
ATTRITION IN TEXAS
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
A Dissertation Defense
by
LAUTRICEMCCARTY NICKSON
William Allan Kritsonis, PhD
Dissertation Committee Member
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Purpose of the Study
Add to the body of research that will help identifyreasons for the mass exodus of special education
teachers after three years.
Identify important factors that influence special
education teachers’ decisions to remain in or leave
the field of special education.
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Presentation Format
I. Theoretical Framework
II. Research Questions (Quantitative andQualitative)
III. Quantitative Methods
IV. Quantitative Major Findings
V. Qualitative Emergent Themes
VI. Qualitative Major Findings
VII. Integrate Quantitative and Qualitative findingswith literature
VIII. Recommendations
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Theoretical Framework
School
ClimateFactors
Parental
SupportFactors
Mentors
and
ColleaguesSupport
Factors
Central
OfficeSupport
Factors
Campus
Administrative
Support
Factors
Teachers’
Retention and
Attrition
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Quantitative Research Questions
Are
Campus administrative support
Central office support
Mentors and colleagues support Parental support
School climate
factors associated with special education
teachers’ retention and attrition in the field of
special education.
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Null Hypotheses
There is no statistically significant difference in
teachers’ scores of
Campus administrative support
Central office support Mentors and colleagues support
Parental support
School climate
factors between special education teachers whoremain in special education and those who leave
the field of special education.
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Qualitative Research Questions
What do special education teachers who stay or
leave special education describe as the most
important factors that influence their decisions toremain in or leave special education?
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Qualitative Research Questions
What specific things are done to enhance the
involvement and commitment of special education
teachers who stay in the field of special education?
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Quantitative Methods
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Quantitative Method
Descriptive statistics
Comparison of means (Independent t-tests)
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Quantitative Method
Independent Variable –
Special education teachers who remain and those
who leave.
Dependent Variables –
Campus administrative support factors
Central office support factors
Mentors and colleagues support factors
Parental support factors
School climate factors
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Quantitative Method
Subjects of the Study
All accessible current and former special
education teachers in Texas public schools with
three years or fewer experience
Grades K through 5
Each school district had a total student enrollment
greater than 5,000
10 school districts in Southwest Texas
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Quantitative Method
94 current special education teachers respondedout of 200.
38 former special education teachers responded
out of 100
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Quantitative MethodInstrumentation
Six point Likert- type instrument
Teachers’ Retention and Attrition Factors Survey
Instrument Measured Support from
1. Campus administrators
2. Central office administrators
3. Mentors and colleagues
4. Parents
5. School climate
Possible Range 10-60
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Pilot Study Campus administrative support factors .848
Central office support factors .908
Mentors and colleagues support factors .961
Parental support factors .819
School climate factors .809
Teachers’ Retention and Attrition Factors Survey .959
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Major Quantitative
Findings
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Major Findings
Research Question 1
Are campus administrative support factors associated with special
education teachers’ retention and attrition in the field of special
education?
Mean score for campus administrative support factors
Current Special Education Teachers= 43.12
Former Special Education Teachers= 38.37
Mean difference of 4.75
p=.032
p<.05*
effect size = .45
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Major Findings
Research Question 2
Are central office support factors associated with special education
teachers’ retention and attrition in the field of special education?
Mean score for central office support factors
Current Special Education Teachers= 37.55Former Special Education Teachers= 34.66
Mean difference of 2.89
p=.159
p<.05*
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Major Findings
Research Question 3
Are mentors and colleagues support factors associated with special
education teachers’ retention and attrition in the field of special
education?
Mean score for mentors and colleagues support factors
Current Special Education Teachers= 41.50
Former Special Education Teachers= 31.82
Mean difference= 9.68
p=.001
p<.05*
effect size=.64
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Major Findings
Research Question 4
Are parental support factors associated with special education
teachers’ retention and attrition in the field of special education?
Mean Score for Parental Support Factors
Current Special Education Teachers= 38.15
Former Special Education Teachers= 42.16
Mean difference= 4.01
p=.048
p<.05*
effect size=.37
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Major Findings
Research Question 5
Are school climate factors associated with special education teachers’
retention and attrition in the field of special education?
Mean Score for School Climate Factors
Current Special Education Teachers= 46.39Former Special Education Teachers= 43.87
Mean difference= 2.52
p=.167
p<.05*
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Results of Major Quantitative
Findings
Research question 1 Campus Administrative Support:
Findings were significant
Research question 2 Central Office Support:
Findings were not significant
Research question 3 Mentors and Colleagues Support:
Findings were significant
Research question 4 Parental Support:
Findings were significant
Research question 5 School Climate Factors:
Findings were inconclusive
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Qualitative Findings
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Qualitative Subjects
Subjects
10 current special education teachers
10 former special education teachers
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Qualitative Research Question 6
What do special education teachers who stay or
leave special education describe as the most
important factors that influence their decision to
remain in or leave special education?
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Emergent Themes: Important
Factors
Current Teachers
Relationships with
colleagues Support of campus
administrators
Vested interest in
students
Former Teachers
The need for campus
administrative support The desire for
collaboration with
colleagues
The lack of assistancefrom central office
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Qualitative Research Question 7
What specific things are done to enhance the
involvement and commitment of special education
teachers who stay in the profession?
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Qualitative Research Question 7
Campus administration support
“My decision to remain in special education is based on the
support of my principal.”
Mentor and colleague support
“Without my colleagues I would have quit after my first
year.”
Student interest
“Each year I am able to see the growth that my students
make and I like being a part of that.”
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Integration of Quantitative Findings,
Qualitative Findingsand Review of
Literature
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Research Question 1
Campus Administrative Support
Review of LiteratureQuantitative and Qualitative Findings in this study were
consistent with the findings in the literature.
Marsal (2001) The absence of administrative support is
considered a cause for leaving the profession.
Gersten (2001) Principal or administrative support plays a
very important role in the retention of teachers. Understanding specific ways that principals can support teachers help reduce
the frustrations teachers experience.
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Research Question 2
Central Office Support
Review of LiteratureQuantitative findings were not consistent with the literature.
Qualitative findings were consistent with the literature.
Gersten, et al. (2001) found that central office administrators
exerted an indirect influence on attrition via professional
development opportunities and stress related role design.
Billingsley, et al.(1995) Conducted a study that found that 25%of those who left teaching were influenced to leave due
to their dissatisfaction with central administration support.
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Research Question 3
Mentors and Colleagues Support
Review of LiteratureQuantitative and Qualitative findings were consistent
with the literature.
Cohen (2005) New teachers are more likely to continueteaching in their schools of origin, when they receive
support from mentors and colleagues.
Darling-Hammond (2003) Young teachers not only stay in
the profession at higher rates due to mentors and colleaguessupport but they also become competent more quickly than
those who must learn by trial and error.
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Research Question 4
Parental Support
Review of LiteratureQuantitative findings in this study were consistent with the
literature.
Qualitative findings in this study were not consistent with theliterature.
George, et al. (1992) 23% of teachers who intended to stay
indicated receiving adequate support from parents,
compared to a mere 3% of those who intended to leave.
Platt and Olson (1990) 53% of educators surveyed
indicated that "lack of support" from parents was a reason for
attrition.
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Research Question 5
School Climate Factors
Review of LiteratureQuantitative findings were inconclusive.
Qualitative findings were not consistent with the literature.
Cotton (2004) Positive, safe, secure learning environments
and nurturing school climates are critical to reducing teacher
attrition.
Billingsley (2004) Teachers who view school climate positively are more likely to stay or indicate intent to stay than
those who have less positive views.
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A Review of the
Quantitative andQualitative Findings
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Findings
Quantitative Findings
Significant Factors
Campus administrative
support
Mentors and Colleaguessupport
Parental Support
Factor that was not
Significant Central office support
Inconclusive Factor
School Climate
Qual itat ive Finding s
Significant Factors
Campus administrative support
Mentors and colleagues
support Central office support
Factors that were not Significant
Parental support
School climate
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Recommendations
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Recommendations
Campus Administration Support
(1) Campus administrators should have an open door policy.
(2) Recognition should be given to teachers by campus
administrators.
(3) Campus administrators should assist teachers in solving
problems.
(4) Campus administrators should assist teachers in the
decision making process.(5) Campus administrators should provide teacher assistants
who can help with certain task.
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Recommendations
Central Office Administrators Support
(1) Central office administrators should provide guidance in
teachers’ professional growth.
(2) Central office administrators should reduce the large
amounts of paperwork that special education teachers
are required by the district to complete.
(3) Central office administrators should implement effective
mentor programs for new teachers.
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Recommendations
Mentors and Colleagues Support
(1) Mentors and colleagues should provide assistance withclassroom management.
(2) Mentors and colleagues should allow teachers toexpress their feelings and ideas.
(3) Mentors and colleagues should assist teachers insolving problems.
(4) Mentors and colleagues should provide teachers with
ideas for lesson plans.
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Recommendations
Parental Support
(1) Parents should support teachers.
(2) Parents should respect teachers.
(3) Parents should treat teachers as professionals.
(4) Parents should have realistic expectations of teachers.
(5) Parents should feel responsible for the way their children
perform in school.
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Recommendations for Further
Studies
To make this study more representative of special educationteachers who have remained in or left the field of specialeducation, future studies should include special educationteachers who teach students in 6th-12th grade.
Given that school climate factors were inconclusive in
this study, but have proven to be significant in other studies,school climate factors should be explored further.
Interviewing campus administrators, central officeadministrators and parents may provide a deeper understanding of how they contribute to the retention andattrition of special education teachers.
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Recommendations for Further
Studies
Explore “other” factors that teachers listed as
reasons for their decisions to either remain in or
leave the field of special education.
Student interest
Personal factors
Job satisfaction
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Theoretical Framework
SchoolClimate
Factors
Parental
Support
Factors
Mentors
and
Colleagues
Support
Factors
Central
OfficeSupport
Factors
Campus
Administrative
Support
Factors
Teachers’
Retention and
Attrition