Retaining Teachers, Sustaining Commitment

• In Event: 30.061 - Attracting and Keeping the Best Teachers

Abstract

Objectives
This paper reports research that investigated how mid-career teachers sustained or did not sustain their commitment to teaching in changing policy contexts that threatened their sense of professional identities, moral purpose, and perceived teaching effectiveness. It sought to identify similarities and differences between their levels of commitment and the part played in this by individual, school, external policy and social contexts.

Perspectives
Research internationally indicates that self-efficacy, commitment, job satisfaction and morale are key factors associated with quality retention among teachers across all career phases (e.g. Borman & Dowling, 2008). Additionally, Scheopner’s (2010) review confirms other trustworthy, large scale research (Day et al., 2007) that retention strategies should focus on, ‘building and sustaining teacher quality and effectiveness over the whole of their careers…since it is, above all, retaining teachers’ commitment that is most likely to lead to the retention of quality teaching’ (p. 254). These and many other international studies all identify workplace conditions as having a key influence (e.g. Johnson, 2004). This paper will examine the workplace factors that cause teachers to sustain their individual and collective commitment rather than leave the school or profession.

Methods and data sources
The paper analyses in-depth interview data from thirty mid-career teachers in ten elementary and five high schools in England. The semi-structured interviews took place over a period of three consecutive years, as part of a larger, mixed methods project aimed at understanding the complexities and variations of teachers’ work and lives.

Results
The study found that a number of internal and workplace factors interacted to influence teachers’ willingness and strength of capabilities to sustain their commitment to teach to their best and well. Chief among these were strength of moral purpose, efficacy and sense of professional identity. These were influenced by the culture of the school and the support from leaders, colleagues and the personal support from friends and family. These factors were perceived to ameliorate policy mandates that challenged but did not result in alienation, cynicism or burnout. However, the study also revealed that even those teachers who sustained their commitment experienced fluctuations and these affected their perceived effectiveness.

Scholarly significance

Whilst previous research has identified single factor influences (e.g. work engagement, moral purpose) the findings of this study show that it was combinations of multiple factors that interacted to influence mid-career teachers’ in sustaining or not sustaining their commitment.

References
Borman, G. D., & Dowling, N.M. (2008). Teacher attrition and retention: A meta-analytic and narrative review of the research. Review of Educational Research, 78, 367-409.

Day, C., Sammons, P., Hopkins, D., Harris, A., Leithwood, K., Gu, Q., Penlington, C., Mehta, P. & Kington, A. (2007) The Impact of Leadership on Pupil Outcomes: Interim report, DSCF Research Report RR018 Nottingham: Department of Children, Families & Schools/National College of School Leadership.

Johnson, S.M., & The Project on the Next Generation of Teachers. (2004). Finders and keepers: Helping new teachers survive and thrive in our schools. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Scheopner, A.J. (2010). Irreconcilable differences: Teacher attrition in public and catholic schools. Educational Research Review 5(3), 261-277.

Author

• Christopher W. Day, University of Nottingham