Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios
Date of Award
12-2017
Document Type
Dissertation
Granting Institution
Lynn University
Degree Name
Doctor of Education (EDD)
Degree Program
Educational Leadership / School Administration
Department
College of Education
First Advisor
Joseph Melita
Second Advisor
Phyllis Superfisky
Third Advisor
Jennifer Lesh
Abstract
The purpose of this research study was to survey the perceptions of teachers regarding factors affecting teacher turnover in low-performing charter schools in high-poverty areas in a south Florida public school district. The ultimate goal of the researcher was to identify factors for the purpose of ameliorating the situations which contribute to teacher turnover. A total of 245 teachers from seven targeted charter schools were invited via email to participate in the research. The sample consisted of 28% White, 21% Hispanic, 39% Afro-American, and 1% Asian teachers. The remaining 11% chose not to respond to the question about race. While 5% of the sample preferred not to answer the item related to gender, 16% of the participants self-identified as male, and 79% self-identified as female. The research population consisted of four groups of teachers: (1) those who are working in the same charter schools; (2) those who moved from one charter school to another charter school; (3) those who are no longer employed at charter schools, but are now working in public schools; and (4) those who are no longer teaching. Participants were asked to provide electronic consent to complete an online survey using a Likert scale to record their level of agreement with 17 statements. The survey concluded with an optional open-ended invitation to describe possible items of value not included in the survey. The data from the first 100 completed surveys were analyzed using Survey Monkey. The responses led to a rank ordering of questions according to the percentage of teachers who strongly agreed with the statements and the following four themes emerged as factors contributing to teacher turnover in targeted schools: (1) financial issues; (2) lack of support and mentoring; (3) internal and external working conditions, and (4) test-related stress. Based on the concerns expressed by teachers in this study, it was determined that legislation at the state level is needed as soon as possible to require salary and benefits for teachers in charter schools commensurate with their other public school colleagues. It is expected that equitable salary and benefits mandated by law and supervised by local school district authorities will increase the retention of qualified charter school teachers and ultimately enhance student achievement.
Recommended Citation
Guerra, A. (2017). Factors Affecting Teacher Turnover at Low-Performing Broward Charter Schools in High-Poverty Areas [Doctoral dissertation, Lynn University]. SPIRAL. https://spiral.lynn.edu/etds/296
