Dr. William Allan Kritsonis, PhD Dissertation Chair, Jennifer Butcher, Dissertation Power Pt.

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An Examination of Factors Related

to the Job Satisfaction and

Retention of Alternatively Certified

Teachers

A Dissertation Defense

by

Jennifer T. Butcher

Dissertation Chair: William Allan Kritsonis, Ph.D.Prairie View A & M University

Educational Leadership

March 2009



Committee Members

William Allan Kritsonis, Ph.D.

Chair

Donald R. Collins, Ph.D.Member

David Herrington, Ph.D.

MemberRonald Howard, Ph.D.

Member



Dissertation Defense

Format

I. Statement of the Problem

II. Theoretical Framework

III. Purpose of the Study IV. Research Questions

V. Method

VI. Quantitative Major Findings

VII. Qualitative Major FindingsVIII. Review of Literature

IX. Recommendations



Statement of the Problem

Due to the influx of new teachers fromalternative certification programs, it isimportant to address the problems of

attrition and identify strategies that focuson the retention of alternatively certifiedteachers. There is a need to determine if current alternative certification programsand school districts are providing thetraining, support, and continuedmonitoring of alternatively certifiedteachers (Hill & Barth, 2004).



Theoretical Framework

One theory guiding this study is

derived from the economic labor

market theory of supply and demand. In the same vein, Frederick

Herzberg’s theory of motivation and

job satisfaction which was developed

from his studies of engineers andaccountants complements the supply

and demand theory.



Theoretical Framework

Supporting Literature

Numerous authors have described theapplication of the supply and demand theory tothe specifics of teacher labor markets in detail

(Haggstrom, Darling-Hammond, & Grissmer,1988; Boardman, Darling-Hammond, & Mullins,1982). The supply for teachers is related to the number of

qualified individuals willing to teach at a given level of

overall compensation. The demand can be defined as the number of teaching

positions offered at a given level of overallcompensation.



Purpose of the Study

The purpose of the study was two-fold.

To examine factors related to the job

satisfaction and retention of alternatively

certified teachers.

To examine factors related to

alternatively certified teachers’ decisionto enter and remain in the teaching

profession.



Research Questions

Quantitative

1. What is the profile of alternatively

certified teachers in the selectedurban school district included in

this study?

2. To what extent do alternatively

certified teachers feel supported as

novice public school teachers by the

district and administrators?



Research Questions

Quantitative

3. To what extent do alternatively

certified teachers feel committed toremain in the teaching profession?

4. Is there a relationship between

alternatively certified teachers’

perception of support and their

commitment to remain in the

teaching profession?



Null Hypothesis

H01: There is no statistically significant

relationship between alternatively

certified teachers’ perception of supportand their commitment to remain in the




Research Questions

Qualitative

1.What do alternatively certified

teachers report to be the reasonsfor entering the teaching

profession?

2. What do alternatively certified

teachers perceive to be the factors

that assisted in their development

as teachers?



Research Questions

Qualitative


teachers perceive to be the factorsthat hindered their development as

teachers?


teachers report to be the reasons

that they have remained in the




Research Questions

Qualitative


teachers report about their early educator preparation experiences?

6. What strategies do the selected

urban school district employ to

identify and utilize factors that

encourage teacher job satisfaction

and retention?



Method



Method

Quantitative Data was collected in the form of

a researcher developed questionnaire and

survey.

Descriptive statistics were used to acquire aprofile of participants of the study.

Pearson’s Correlation was used to examine

whether a statistical significant relationship

existed between alternatively certifiedteachers’ perception of support and their

commitment to remain in the teaching

profession.



Method

Qualitative data was collected in the form of

structured personal interviews.

Member checking was utilized to give the

interview participants an opportunity to review

and clarify their responses to the interview

questions.

Data was reduced and extracted by clustering

and coding.

Data was used to identify emergent themes.



Method

Subjects of the Study (Quantitative)

Alternatively Certified Elementary Teachers

Grades Kindergarten through fourth grade One major urban school district in Texas

85 alternatively certified teachers responded

out of 150

57% rate of return



Method

Subjects of the Study (Qualitative)

5 alternatively certified elementary teachers

2 Human Resources directors 8 elementary administrators

5 elementary mentors



Method

Instrumentation Researcher developed questionnaire was used to

collect data related to the demographics of respondents in the study.

Researcher developed survey was used to collect datarelated to the attitudes of alternatively certifiedteachers in regards to their retention in the field Five point Likert type instrument

Researcher developed interview guide was used tocollect data from selected alternatively certified

teachers, mentors, administrators, and HumanResources directors

Pilot study was conducted using individuals that werenot included in the study



Major Findings

Quantitative Research

Question 1What is the profile of alternatively

certified teachers in the selected

urban school district included inthis study?



Major Findings


Question 1Demographic Characteristics of Alternatively Certified Teachers

Gender

Years of Teaching Experience

Grade Level Taught Career Goals

Reason for applying for alternative certification

Prior Teaching Experience

Undergraduate Degree

Undergraduate Major

Undergraduate University Attended Graduate Degree

Graduate Major

Graduate University Attended



Major Findings


Question 1Gender

Female 83.5%

Male 16.5%



Major Findings


Question 1 Teaching Experience

Years

0-5 51.7%

6-10 35.3%

11-15 7.1%16-20 2.4%

More Than 20 3.5%



Major Findings


Question 1Grade Level

Kindergarten 30.6 %

First Grade 20.0%

Second Grade 24.7% Third Grade 17.6%

Fourth Grade 7.1%



Major Findings


Question 1Career Goal

Remain a Classroom Teacher 34.1%

Educational Support System 41.2%

Administrator 20.0%

Remain in education until 4.7%

finding another job



Major Findings


Question 1Reason for Applying for Alternative Certification

Retirement 1.2 %

Job Layoff 4.7 %

Job Dissatisfaction 15.2 %

Love of Teaching 42.4 %

Something that was 16.5%always desired

Passion for working 17.6%

with childrenOther 2.4%



Major Findings


Question 1Prior Teaching Experience

None 14.1%

Trainer at previous job 14.1%

Teaching in a religious 27.1%

sectorDaycare Teacher 14.1%

Other 30.6%



Major Findings


Question 1Undergraduate Degree

BA 68.2%

BS 31.8%



Major Findings


Question 1 Undergraduate Majors of Respondents

22 different majors reported

Top 3 Undergraduate Majors

(28.2%) respondents majored in Psychology

(9.4%) respondents majored in Communications (9.4%) respondents majored in Business

Universities Attended for Undergraduate Degree 30 universities reported

Top 3 Universities attended for undergraduate degree

(27.1%) respondents attended University of Houston (11.8%) respondents attended Sam Houston State

University

(8.2%) respondents attended Stephen F. AustinUniversity



Major Findings


Question 1Graduate Degree

None 82.3%

MEd 5.9%

MA 5.9%MBA 3.5%

MS 2.4%



Major Findings


Question 1Graduate Major

None 82.3 %

Curriculum and 4.7%

InstructionCounseling 3.5%

Social Work 1.2%

Physics 3.5%

Business 2.4%

Administration

Criminal Justice 1.2%Educational 1.2%

Administration



Major Findings


Question 1University Attended for Graduate Degree

None 82.3%

Texas Southern 1.2 %

Prairie View A&M 7.0%University of Phoenix 3.5%

University of Texas 1.2%

Arlington

Center of Advance 1.2%

Research Mexico City

University of Central 1.2%Florida

Lamar 1.2%

Georgetown University 1.2%

f



Review of Literature


Question 1It is extremely difficult to create a profile

of the typical alternative certification

candidate. Alternative certificationprogram participants are a diverse group

of individuals who defy generalizations

(Humphrey and Weschsler, 2007).

j i di



Major Findings


Question 2 To what extent do alternatively

certified teachers feel supported as

novice public school teachers by thedistrict and administrators?

M j Fi di



Major Findings


Question 2 71.7% of the respondents agreed that the district offered

professional development opportunities specifically

designed for new alternatively certified teachers.

85.9% of the respondents agreed that the quality of theprofessional development offered to new teachers

supported the quality of instruction provided to their

students.

78.8% of the respondents agreed that as a new teacher

they met with their mentor at least once a week. 83.4% of the respondents agreed that their mentor

provided emotional support during the first year.

M j Fi di



Major Findings


Question 2 78.8% of the respondents agreed that their mentor

provided instructional support during the first year.

84.7% of the respondents agreed that the mentoring

program at their school was beneficial. 84.7% of the respondents agreed that the principal at

their school supported and encouraged alternatively certified teachers.

78.8% of the respondents agreed that as a new teacher,

the principal met with them to discuss their progress.

R i f Li





Question 2 Staff development must be implemented

by each school system in order to

maintain a skilled and knowledgeablestaff (Rebore, 2007).

The benefits of mentorship programs not

only reduce attrition rates among new

teachers, but also improve teachingcapabilities (Mullinix, 2002).

M j Fi di



Major Findings


Question 3 To what extent do alternatively

certified teachers feel committed to

remain in the teaching profession?

M j Fi di



Major Findings


Question 3 92.9% of the respondents agreed that they are committed

to teaching as a career.

89.4% of the respondents agreed that they are satisfiedwith their teaching career.

82.3% of the respondents agreed that they are satisfiedwith the degree of administrative support they receive attheir school.

77.6% of the respondents agreed that they are satisfiedwith the duties required for their work.

83.5% of the respondents agreed that they intend to stay

in teaching more than five years.

R i f Lit t





Question 3 Teachers’ feelings about

administrative support, resources

for teaching, and teacher input intodecision making are strongly related

to their plans to stay in teaching

and to their reasons for leaving(Darling-Hammond, 2007; Ingersoll,

2001).

M j Fi di



Major Findings


Question 4 Is there a relationship between alternatively certified

teachers’ perception of support and their commitment toremain in the teaching profession?

Null Hypothesis:

H01: There is no statistically significant relationshipbetween alternatively certified teachers’ perception of support and their commitment to remain in the teachingprofession. Pearson’s r = .236 is significant at the p<.05 level of

significance.

Correlation is significant at the .05 level (2-tailed). Therefore,the null hypothesis is rejected.

There was a statistically significant relationship between

alternatively certified teachers’ perception of support and

commitment to remain in the teaching profession.

R i f Lit t





Question 4Lack of administrative support can

impact a teacher’s decision to leave

the profession (Busch, Pederson,Espin, and Weissenburger, 2001).

M j Fi di



Major Findings

Qualitative Research

Question 1What do alternatively certified

teachers report to be the reasons for

entering the teaching profession?

M j Fi di



Major Findings


Question 1 Always wanting to teach

“Some always wanted to be a teacher, but for financialreasons did something else or family told them that itwas not the best profession” (HR1).

Parents and family members were teachers “I have always had a desire to become a teacher. This

desire may have been influenced by having a motherin the profession; however, I have always viewedteaching as an opportunity to make a difference” (T2).

R i f Lit t





Question 1Studies demonstrate that people do not

start looking for new jobs because of

money; rather they seek careers inorganizations that increase their sense of

value and offer them an opportunity for

empowerment, career mobility, personal

growth, and opportunities to acquire newskills. This may include alternatively

certified teachers (Rosenow, 2005).

Major Findings



Major Findings



teachers perceive to be the factors

that assisted in their developmentas teachers?

Major Findings



Major Findings


Question 2 Observance of teachers

“My development as a teacher has been mainly from my

classroom experience and observance of my fellow teachers”

(T4 ).

Professional development

“Staff development is provided in areas such as classroom

management, subject area, dealing with special populations,

technology, and communication with parents” (ADM2).

Mentor program

“Mentors are chosen based on strength. I match mentors

with mentees according to grade level and subjects taught”

(ADM1).






Question 2 Staff development must be implemented

by each school system in order to

maintain a skilled and knowledgeablestaff (Rebore, 2007).

Teacher mentors should be selected

based on their ability to develop

curriculum, personal interests,educational philosophies, and compatible

personalities (Mullinex, 2002).

Major Findings



Major Findings



teachers perceive to be the reasons

that hindered their development asteachers?

Major Findings



Major Findings


Question 3 Lack of classroom management

Not having contact with children prior tothe first year teaching “They did not have the student teaching

experience. They lack student management. They did not have the opportunity to watchveteran teachers. They did not have the

opportunity to accumulate prior classroomobservation hours while they were in college”(ADM2).

Literature Review



Literature Review


Question 3Alternatively certified teachers’

limited preparation impacts their

sense of efficacy as well as jobsatisfaction (Easley, 2006).

Major Findings



Major Findings



teachers perceive to be the reasons

that they have remained in theteaching profession?

Major Findings



Major Findings


Question 4 Love for children

Love for teaching

“I have a love for teaching, and I find joy inthe students I work with every day. It’s

amazing to see their light bulbs go off and to

see them grow” (T1).

Found their niche Rewarding field






Question 4 The main contributors to high levels

of teacher job satisfaction are

working with children particularly where teachers can develop strong

professional relationships (Spear,

Gould, and Lee, 2000).

Major Findings



Major Findings



teachers report about their early

educator preparation experiences?

Major Findings



Major Findings


Question 5 Enrolled in Alternative Certification Program

“I think that they should complete all class work andreceive certification before being placed in a classroom. The state should have set standards for all programs. The basic classes should be like universities. They should have more classroom management and lessoncycle information incorporated in their program. They should receive all necessary training before beingplaced in the classroom to deal with children” (ADM 5).

Working as a substitute teacher Volunteered in an after school program

Taught pre-school






Question 5Considering that No Child Left Behind is

calling for a qualified teacher in every

classroom, a concern with nontraditionalteachers is that they are actually the

teacher of record who may not yet have a

high degree of confidence in their

teaching ability (Desjean-Perrotta, Flores,and Steinmetz, 2004).

Major Findings



Major Findings


Question 6What strategies do the selected

urban school district employ to

identify and utilize factors thatencourage teacher job satisfaction

and retention?

Major Findings



Major Findings


Question 6 Mentors/Campus Mentor Programs

“The district assigns experienced teachers to mentorour incoming teachers. I feel this is a good program,because it gives the new teachers someone to lean onfor guidance” (M1).

Staff Development “The district offers several professional development

opportunities that have benefited me in several ways. Ihave attended training on classroom management,

learning styles, and organization. These types of workshops have helped me tremendously” (T3).






Question 6Studies found that districts that provided

established pre-service, induction and

staff development programs that factoredin the professional background and

personal histories of alternatively

certified teachers tended to retain more

of these teachers (Wang, 2007).

Recommendations



Recommendations

from the Study

Alternative teacher certification programsshould provide opportunities for classroomobservations and field experiences in teaching

environments prior to entering the classroomas the teacher of record.

Alternative teacher certification programsshould provide training preparedness in theareas of designing classroom instruction,

assessment, and classroom management.

Recommendations



Recommendations

from the Study

Principals should provide opportunities

for alternatively certified teachers to

observe novice teachers. Principals should conduct a needs

assessment of first year alternatively

certified teachers to determine their

confidence of preparedness for theclassroom.

Recommendations



Recommendations

from the Study

Principals should ensure that mentoringsupports are in place for alternatively certified teachers, and provide time for

collaboration between mentors andmentees.

Principals should provide professionaldevelopment opportunities for

alternatively certified teachers inclassroom management, technology, andareas based on needs assessment.

Recommendations for



Recommendations for

Further Study

A study could be conducted with middle

schools and/or high schools in

examining factors related to the jobsatisfaction and retention of alternatively

certified teachers.

A study could be conducted in examining

the impact of mentoring on the retentionof alternatively certified teachers.

Recommendations for



Recommendations for

Further Study

A study could be conducted in examining

the impact of student academic

achievement on the retention of alternatively certified teachers.

A study could be conducted evaluating

selected Alternative Certification

Programs and teacher retention.



References

Boardman, A., Darling-Hammond, L., and Mullin, S. (1982). A framework

for the analysis of teachers’ demand and supply. Economics of Education Review , 2(2), 127-155.

Busch, T.W., Pederson, K., Espin, C.A. & Weisenburger, J.W. (2001).

Teaching students with learning disabilities: perceptions of a first-year

teacher. Journal of Special Education, 35 , 100-104.Darling-Hammond, L. (2007b). Evaluating no child left behind. The Nation ,

11-18.

Desjean-Perrotta, B., Flores, B., and Steinmetz, L. (2004). Teacher efficacy:A comparative study of university certified and alternatively certifiedteachers. Action in Teacher Education, 26 (2), 37-46.

Easley, J. (2006). Alternative route urban teacher retention and implicationfor principals’ moral leadership. Educational Studies, 32 (3), 241-249.

Haggstrom, G., Darling-Hammond, L., and Grissmer, D. (1988). Assessing teacher supply and demand . Santa Monica, CA: RAND.



References

Humphrey, D. and Wechsler, M. (2007). Insights into alternativecertification: Initial findings from a national study. Teachers College Record, 109 (3), 483-530.

Ingersoll, R. (2001). Teacher turnover and teacher shortages: anorganizational analysis. American Educational Research Journal , 38 (3),499-534.

Mullinix, B.B. (2002). Selecting and retaining teacher mentors .Washington, DC. (Eric Document Reproduction Service No.

ED477728).

Rebore, W. (2007). Human resources administration in education . Boston,MA: Allyn and Bacon.

Rosenow, D. (2005). Stress, burnout and self-esteem among educators.Journal of Border Educational Research, 4 , 87-90.

Spear, M., Gould, K., and Lee, B. (2000). Who would be a teacher? A review of factors motivating and demotivating prospective and practicing teachers (Slough, UK, NFER).

An Examination of Factors Related



to the Job Satisfaction and

Retention of Alternatively Certified

Teachers

A Dissertation Defenseby

Jennifer T. Butcher

Dr. William Allan Kritsonis, PhD Dissertation Chair, Jennifer Butcher, Dissertation Power Pt.

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