Why Did Former Teachers Quit Their Jobs and Decide to Pursue Doctoral Degrees?

• In Event: Sheraton Roundtable Session 36
  In Roundtable Session: Loving Our Teacher Selves: Reflection, Engagement, and Growth

Abstract

Teacher turnover is one of the major issues in the field of education. This inquiry project examines the reasons why teacher leave their profession and pursue a doctoral degree, driven by the following anchoring question: Why did former teachers quit their jobs and decide to pursue doctoral degree? Three participants from the School of Education were interviewed. Two large categories emerge from the analysis of the data: individual, professional and organizational elements. Seven sub-themes are developed to elaborate individual decision processes. Finally, implications and limitation of the study are discussed.

Authors

• Yanmiao Xie, Unniversity of Delaware

• Huijing Wen, University of Delaware