Graduate Thesis Or Dissertation
 

Early teacher attrition background data and professional concerns of teachers who leave the profession

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  • The Purpose of the Study: The purpose of this study was to examine early teacher attrition through a follow-up of Washington County teachers in Oregon who left the profession with five years of experience or less. Focus was given to background data and areas of greatest professional concerns for former teachers. The Procedures: Washington County teachers with up to five years of experience and who left the profession from 1976 to 1978 were this study's population. Data was obtained through personnel files at the State Department of Education (through provisions of Oregon Revised Statute 192.420) and from two-part questionnaires completed by respondents. Former teachers were sent introductory letters explaining the study; and a follow-up telephone call was made to answer questions before mailing the questionnaires. Part I of the questionnaire asked for background data, and Part II required former teachers to indicate their degrees of concern for 43 educationally related statements. The chi square statistic was used in Part I to determine whether significant differences existed between the obtained and expected frequencies of variables for women, men, and the total population, respectively. In Part II, the 43 concerns were ranked individually and in the following clusters; Self, Teaching Situation, Teaching Capabilities, and Personal Ambition. Summary of Findings: Seventy per cent of the former teachers in this study had intended, upon receiving their degrees, to teach five or more years. In reality, only one-fourth of them did teach five years before leaving the profession. Sixty per cent of the population had only one to two years experience in their districts of leave. Greater than seventy per cent of the sample were married. One-third more women than expected left the secondary level; and twice as many women as expected left the smallest districts. Thirty per cent of the women had tenure, and almost 40 per cent had salaries of less than $10,000. More than half had one to two dependents, including spouse. Seventy five per cent of the men who were employed after leaving the profession had annual salaries of at least $800 greater than their teaching salaries. Twenty per cent were not employed during the subsequent year. Thirty five per cent of the men identified "administration and/or supervision" as the factor most influencing their decisions to leave teaching. More than half the men and one-third of the women deemed it unlikely that they would return to teaching. An Additional 20 per cent of the men and 14 per cent of the women said they definitely would not return. Predominant concerns expressed by former teachers dealt with meeting needs of students, including: increasing students' feelings of accomplishment, whether students are learning what they should, insuring that students grasp subject matter fundamentals, and meeting needs of different kinds of students. A low-ranking concern for both women and men was "excessive time spent on teacher negotiations." When concerns were organized into the four clusters, concerns about Teaching Capabilities were ranked highest for both women and men. In descending order, the others for women were: Self, Personal Ambitions, and Teaching Situation. For men, the following rankings were shown: Teaching Capabilities, Teaching Situation, Personal Ambition, and Self. Summary of Conclusions: Former teachers in this sample had greater expectations of their commitment to teaching upon receiving their degrees than they experienced in reality. Economics was a major factor in the early attrition of men. Of greatest concern to former teachers were their teaching capabilities in relation to the process of student learning, as well as concerns about themselves. Former teachers with one year of experience had greater general concerns than those with additional experience. Women had higher levels of concern than men. Also, former elementary teachers had a higher general level of concern than those at the secondary level.
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