Doctor of Education (Educational Leadership), Youngstown State University, 2024, Department of Teacher Education and Leadership Studies

This investigation examined the relationships between teacher self-efficacy, teacher job satisfaction, and intent to leave. The 156 participants in the study were K-12 public-school teachers in the state of Ohio. A mixed-methods study consisting of questions relating to teacher self-efficacy, job satisfaction, and intent to leave was distributed to participants via snowball sampling. Results indicate that Job Satisfaction is significantly correlated with the teacher self-efficacy factors, while intent to leave is not. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was conducted. Results of the MANOVA indicate that there is a statistically significant relationship between job satisfaction and the multivariate factor of self-efficacy, F(3,152) = 7.58, p < .001. The relationship that exists is an inverse relationship between teacher self-efficacy and job satisfaction—as self-efficacy increases, job satisfaction decreases. Inductive coding was used in the qualitative analysis to examine factors that cause teachers stress in their job and impact job satisfaction. The results of the study contradict previous research, the theoretical framework of Bandura's theory of self-efficacy, and the theory of self-determination. To recruit and retain high-quality teachers who provide the best educational outcomes for students, all stakeholders must closely examine the development and evaluation of teacher self-efficacy, the factors contributing to teacher job satisfaction, and then identify the connections between the two.

Committee: Karen Larwin Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Melanie Brock Ed.D. (Committee Member); Jennifer Hollinger Ed.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Teaching

Specialist in Education (Ed.S.), University of Dayton, 2024, School Psychology

School psychology continues to experience professional shortages in the face of increased need. Burnout and other sources of job turnover have been researched; however, there are limited studies on the specific factors influencing retention. The present study investigated sources of job satisfaction among experienced school psychologists. Seven school psychologists with at least 10 years of experience in the state of Ohio were interviewed regarding their reasons for remaining in their roles. Interview transcripts were subjected to thematic analysis to identify themes across participant experiences. Results indicated both intrinsic and extrinsic sources of job satisfaction in the field of school psychology. Common themes across participants included the value of meaningful work, professional autonomy, supportive work environments, and positive staff relationships. This study provides insight regarding drivers of motivation for school psychologists to remain in the field long-term, which contains implications for improving the current shortage of these professionals in the state of Ohio. Educational agencies seeking to retain professionals should foster supportive environments, clear roles, professional development, and work-life balance.

Committee: Susan Davies (Committee Chair); Meredith Montgomery (Committee Member); James Ayers (Committee Member) Subjects: Educational Psychology; Mental Health; Psychology

Doctor of Education , University of Dayton, 2024, Educational Administration

Many school districts in the United States struggle to retain assistant principals (APs), thus losing the opportunity to prepare and promote quality internal candidates for the principalship. The purpose of the critical participatory action research study was to add to the limited research on AP experiences and how to support their professional development in a way that successfully leads APs to the principalship. The research aimed to add qualitative data from APs employed in public school districts in Ohio to provide much-needed insight into how to better retain school administrators and create an internal candidate pool of highly qualified school principals. The research questions centered around providing insights into AP on-the-job socialization and experiences that impacted their career path decisions and gathered their recommendations for school districts when creating a principal pipeline program or other intentional supportive professional development opportunities for APs. Purposive, stratified/cell sampling was used to collect data from homogeneous participants who share a geographic location (state) and the same biographical background of making lateral career moves as APs of one school district to another, but are considered representative of various demographic groups. The APs shared their experiences through semi-structured interviews and made recommendations for how school districts could better support APs and prepare them for a future principalship. The questions encouraged interviewees to employ a systems thinking approach and DSRP metacognitive process to reflect. I used a critical constructivist grounded theory methodology to analyze the data collected through an iterative inductive process of initial and focused coding and memoing combined with input from participants to uncover, compare, and synthesize common themes. Four APs were interviewed, which provided insights into their on-the-job socialization and experiences. Two (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Greg Smith (Committee Chair); Ricardo Garcia (Committee Member); Andrea Townsend (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Education Policy; Educational Leadership; Organizational Behavior; School Administration; Social Psychology; Systems Design

Doctor of Education , University of Dayton, 2023, Educational Administration

The study examined the high turnover rate of academic advisors at The University and focused on potential growth areas and strategies to slow down employee turnover. The study focused on conducting qualitative research around areas that may cause academic advisers to leave the field, such as pay, connection to work, relatable professional development, job satisfaction, and career mobility, to see if those play significant factors in turnover. Findings show that these factors are a major cause of employee turnover. I have generated a professional development opportunity that promotes career progression in my action research. As an English academic advisor at The University, my action plan consists of engaging the academic advisors in being a part of their professional development that can help build their resume for potential career growth or growth in their current role. Academic advisors will have the opportunity to measure their levels of transferable skills with a list generated by the research and a focus group. Academic advisors will build their learning plan on the transferable skills they must include. I hope academic advisors take pride and accountability in building their professional development plan to further their career development. Overall, this action plan is designed to bridge the gap between qualified employees and meaningful professional development, promote connection with the university, and provide an opportunity for the administration to communicate with academic advisors.

Committee: Dr. Aaliyah Baker (Advisor) Subjects: Organization Theory; Organizational Behavior

Doctor of Education (Educational Leadership), Youngstown State University, 2018, Department of Teacher Education and Leadership Studies

Teacher leadership may affect job satisfaction in positive ways, helping to retain teachers in the field of public education. Providing and facilitating these positions may enable school districts to improve upon the growing teacher retention crisis. Thus, this study explores the ways teacher leadership relates to job satisfaction. Semi-structured interviews, direct observations, and document reviews are utilized to understand how teacher leadership roles relate to job satisfaction. This qualitative case study explores how four teacher leaders in one school district perceive their roles, responsibilities, and experiences. Each of the teacher leaders completed a formal Teacher Leadership Endorsement Program (TLEP) through an accredited university and are classroom teachers in addition to their leadership duties. The gathered data indicate that the teacher leadership role does not stand alone in improving job satisfaction and retention. Instead, it is the interplay between the teacher leader role and the TLEP that improved job satisfaction and retention in the four teacher leaders studied. Additionally, teacher leaders showed increased levels of empowerment, confidence, self-efficacy, decision making, and autonomy by having a teacher leadership role in addition to TLEP training. The results of this study should encourage policymakers and educational leaders to not only support teacher leaders practices but also teacher leadership training through formal TLEP's.

Committee: Jane Beese Ed.D. (Committee Chair); Charles Vergon J.D. (Committee Member); Patrick Spearman Ph.D. (Committee Member); Liang Xin Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Education Policy; Educational Leadership; Teacher Education; Teaching

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2018, Educational Studies

Teacher turnover is widely understood to be one of the most pressing challenges facing the American elementary and secondary education system. Studies indicate mid-career teacher attrition is a growing phenomenon in the United States. The purpose of this study is to explore the experiences of mid-career teachers with an aim toward understanding the factors that encourage them to stay in the profession and those that repel them from it. Using a qualitative research design, I employed a life history approach from a naturalistic inquiry and constructivist paradigm. I interviewed eight mid-career teachers, four who currently teach and four who left teaching at mid-career. Findings indicate there is a range of factors that influence teacher's career decisions. Some of these factors are particular to the individual and some are particular to the profession. While experience mitigates some of the challenges of being a beginning teacher, adverse working conditions present ongoing barriers to satisfaction. The mid-career teachers in this study who continued in the profession developed strategies to confront these barriers. Relationships are the key sustaining force for the participants in this study. For some, a sustaining force is their faith. Policies could better support teachers, so they could rely less on themselves, their families, their colleagues and their faith, and more on institutional and organizational structures. Further, education policy to stem mid-career teacher attrition needs to respond to the objective professional aspects of the job and not the personal ones. We will never be able to eliminate an individual's preference to stay or leave teaching, nor would we want to, but we can make schools and the profession more desirable places to work for teachers in the system and those considering becoming a part of it.

Committee: Belinda Gimbert (Advisor); Antoinette Errante (Advisor); Ann Allen (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Education Policy; Educational Leadership

MA, Kent State University, 2017, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Sociology and Criminology

The recent introduction of women into the special forces of the United States military has reignited the debate on how women will integrate into these previously all male roles. Drawing on the Job-Demand-Control-Support (JDCS) model and focusing on the support aspect of this model, this study examines the role of sex discrimination and sexual harassment, two commonly experienced actions by members of a gender-homogeneous team, on voluntary retention. The author tests five hypotheses and three gender-related sub-hypothesis concerning the effects of sex discrimination and sexual harassment on retention via perceived organizational support and workplace satisfaction. Multilevel structural equation models were produced using data from the public use version of the 2012 Workplace and Gender Relations Survey of Active Members. Finding show there is no significant gender differences in the direct effects of sex discrimination and sexual harassment on retention. However, there is a gender difference in the indirect paths of sex via perceived organizational support and workplace satisfaction. This study informs the JDCS model by suggesting that perceived organizational support is constructed and influences job-related outcome differently for males and females.

Committee: Timothy Owens (Advisor); Clare Stacey (Committee Member); Adrianne Frech (Committee Member) Subjects: Social Psychology; Sociology

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2011, Industrial/Organizational Psychology (Arts and Sciences)

Using a work-role attachment perspective, this study examined the impact of work attitudes (i.e., job involvement, organizational commitment, and career commitment) on desires to extend career employment through phased retirement. Data were collected via questionnaires that were emailed to non-faculty university employees, and hypotheses were tested with correlational analyses and hierarchical regression analyses. Consistent with predictions, job involvement, organizational commitment, and two dimensions of career commitment (career identity and career resilience) demonstrated significant, positive bivariate relationships with preferences to work beyond the planned retirement age in phased retirement. Further, work attitudes collectively contributed to variation in phased retirement preferences, even after controlling for age, finance, and health. Consistent with previous research, some support was found for the influence of work attitudes on decisions regarding the timing of traditional retirement (as measured by the planned retirement age). Taken together, the results lend some support for the assumption that phased retirement may be used as a retention tool for dedicated workers. Future research is necessary to test whether these preferences are manifested in actual participation in a phased retirement program.

Committee: Rodger Griffeth PhD (Committee Chair); Jeffrey Vancouver PhD (Committee Member); Diana Schwerha PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Business Administration; Labor Relations; Management; Organizational Behavior; Psychology; Vocational Education

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2010, Industrial and Systems Engineering (Engineering and Technology)

According to Bureau of Labor Statistics, during the next decade the annual growth rate of the 55 year and above age group will be 4.1%, four times the rate of the overall workforce. Seventy-six million baby boomers are projected to retire in the next 30 years and only 46 million are entering the workforce. A need exists for the companies to overcome these labor shortages and the best way is to retain their older employees.Employee retention has been related to financial, social, health and job satisfaction factors. Although the presence of ergonomic factors has been linked to injury, limited research has been done in the past on the impact of ergonomic interventions on employee retention. The present study examined the various ergonomic risk factors related to physical and cognitive aspects of the job environment by conducting an employee retention survey. The relationship between the risk factors, tiredness, job satisfaction, age and intent to leave was explored. Results indicated that ergonomic factors predicted physical tiredness, job satisfaction and intent to leave.

Committee: Diana J. Schwerha PhD (Committee Chair); Rodger W. Griffeth PhD (Committee Member); David A. Koonce PhD (Committee Member); Dale Masel PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Industrial Engineering

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2003, Curriculum and Instruction (Education)

The retention of mental health professionals stands as a major problem in rural areas. Although a number of studies have examined the retention of rural allied health professionals and physicians, few, if any, have looked specifically at rural mental health providers. Two major contributing factors cited in the literature are (1) isolation of practitioners (both personal and geographic) and (2) lack of educational activities for professional development and continuing education. One solution suggested in the literature is the use of technology to address the needs of rural practitioners such as isolation, little or no access to experts and consultants, lack of peer support, and difficulty obtaining education and career development programs. This study examined(1) technology use and expertise in relationship to job satisfaction and (2) the difference in job satisfaction between mental health providers who state that they plan to remain in rural practice and those who plan to leave within two years. Three hundred and twenty rural mental health providers in southeast Ohio were surveyed, of which 163 returned usable surveys. The study did find a significant, but weak, relationship between technology use and expertise and job satisfaction, but no significant difference in job satisfaction between those who plan to stay and those who plan to leave their rural practice within the next two years. The study found that, despite the fact that over 90% of respondents have access to both a computer and the Internet, they are not using them to communicate with friends or peers nor are they accessing professional resources and educational programs via the internet or other distance technology. Two other factors emerged that influence job satisfaction, household income and years in rural practice, neither of them cited as significant contributors in the retention literature. This study raises questions about the use of technology as a tool to improve job satisfaction and thus reten (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Sandra Turner (Advisor) Subjects:

BS, Kent State University, 2011, College of Nursing

Purpose: Individual characteristics may influence nurses' choice of clinical specialties. Despite reports concerning general consistency of personality type across specialties, differences among specialties exist and may require unique skill sets. Thus, it is arguable that nurses across specialties may have unique traits. These traits may influence why some nurses choose and excel in specific clinical specialties. The purpose of this study was to describe the lived experiences of nurses as told by the participants and interpret the narrative data to gain understanding of how they enacted nursing in their clinical specialty, identifying themes related to a nurse's sense of clinical fit across specialties. Theoretical Framework: As a philosophy of science and method of interpretation, hermeneutic analysis provided information regarding participants' subjective sense of fit between their individual characteristics and their clinical area of expertise. Participants: Nine clinically-expert nurse faculty members, familiar with student and clinician characteristics, specializing in pediatric nursing, mental health nursing, maternal health nursing, oncology nursing, medical-surgical nursing, telemetry nursing, emergency nursing, critical care nursing, and perioperative nursing. Methods: Qualitative investigation described nurse characteristics across specialties. Interviews and demographic assessments were conducted with a purposive sample. Data were analyzed using Lanigan's approach to Heideggarian hermeneutics. Responses were sorted to identify characteristics by theme according to specialty. Data description, reduction, and interpretation resulted in better nurse characteristic understanding. The method supported auditability of themes and supports the credibility of the investigator's interpretations. Results: Similarities and variances emerged among participants across specialties. Analysis revealed a continuum between interpersonal nurse focus and environmental n (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Laura Dzurec PhD (Advisor); Stidham Warner PhD (Advisor); Mary Beth Lukach MSN (Committee Member); Patricia Tomich PhD (Committee Member); Sara Newman PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Academic Guidance Counseling; Adult Education; Behavioral Psychology; Behavioral Sciences; Behaviorial Sciences; Business Administration; Business Education; Continuing Education; Cultural Anthropology; Educa; Education; Educational Leadership; Educational Psychology

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2007, Leadership Studies

The purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationships between demographic characteristics, academic climate perceptions, and retention plans of 103 tenured and tenure-track faculty of color at 11 four-year predominantly White public universities in Ohio. The 59-item Faculty Retention Questionnaire was administered online and assessed perceptions of the academic climate defined by six variables (job satisfaction, social climate, faculty-student relationships, role conflict, role clarity, and retention). Demographic characteristics were also measured (e.g., racial/ethnic background, gender, age, sexual orientation, country of origin, institution type, academic discipline, marital status, with/without children, and tenure status). Likert-type scales, multiple choice, and open-ended questions measured employment values and intent to stay in current position. Of the 725 surveys distributed, 103 were submitted, yielding an overall response rate of 14%. Critical Race Theory (CRT) framed this study. Correlational results indicated that job satisfaction was significantly related to and highly important to the retention variable. Analysis of variance revealed that U. S. born faculty of color are more likely to be retained than non-U. S. born. Forward multiple regression analysis identified job satisfaction as the sole predictor of retention with job satisfaction only accounting for 23% of variance in retention. Further regression analysis identified social climate, role clarity, and role conflict as factors that best predict job satisfaction. Conclusions from the study raised larger questions regarding job satisfaction: (1) Does job satisfaction mean something different to faculty of color than it does to mainstream faculty? (2) Do faculty of color perceive job satisfaction as part of their social/cultural experience? (3) Is job satisfaction a part of the dual reality that is inherent in people of color through the identification of being a member of an und (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Rachel Vannatta (Advisor) Subjects:

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2010, Leadership and Change

Those who choose to teach special education have accepted some of the most challenging jobs teaching has to offer. Unfortunately for their students, almost half of special education teachers leave the profession within their first five years (Singer, 1992). Finding and keeping qualified special education teachers in positions working with more challenging students has become a national problem. Through qualitative interviews, this study examines the stories of 14 Colorado special educators. These teachers have demonstrated their commitment to the field by teaching for four or more years. Their stories give valuable insight into the issue of teacher commitment in difficult conditions. The results are presented as a series of thematic reflections, both by the participants and by the author. The electronic version of this dissertation is at OhioLink ETD Center, www.ohiolink.edu/etd .

Committee: Philomena Essed PhD (Committee Chair); Jon Wergin PhD (Committee Member); Alan E. Guskin PhD (Committee Member); Colleen A. Thoma PhD (Other) Subjects: Educational Leadership; Special Education