Date of Award
1-23-2026
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Educational Leadership, Ed.D.
First Advisor
Bronwyn McFarlane
Second Advisor
Twilla Patten
Committee Members
Kathryn Tomlinson
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic caused an interruption to instruction for teachers and students across the United States and left educators unsure of the future as they returned to in-person classes. This phenomenological qualitative study concluded on the lived experiences of middle school teachers in two North Carolina districts to help uncover the reasons why they are satisfied or dissatisfied with their jobs after returning to the classroom since the pandemic. Inspired by Herzberg’s Motivation-Hygiene Theory, this research investigated the extent to which working conditions influence teacher morale, retention, and job satisfaction. Fourteen teachers of various subject areas, years of experience and types of school were interviewed in a semi-structured way. The analysis of the themes found that dissatisfaction was primarily related to hygiene factors such as added workload, reduced planning time, students whose behavior was challenging, and inadequate administrative support. Motivation (collegial collaborations, teaching dedication, teaching autonomy, and acknowledgment) played a significant role in terms of a teacher’s engagement level despite poor working conditions. Although not gender specific, trends appeared in terms of career stage and subject area. Early-career teachers were stressed, and uncertain, veteran teachers were dissatisfied about the increasing demands of teaching, core subject teachers spoke about pressures from accountability, and elective teachers described their experiences as insignificant. Participant’s responses also varied by school context, with teachers in low-performing schools highlighting resource disparities and high-level student needs, and those in high-performing schools focusing on participative leadership and collaboration. The results add to literature by locating Herzberg’s model in the post-COVID education context. They emphasize the need to work towards removing hygiene factors to bring about a decrease in dissatisfaction and at the same time improving motivators to create conditions for teacher satisfaction and retention. Such findings are of importance to policy makers, district leaders, and school administrators concerned with creating satisfaction in the teacher workforce and developing suitable working conditions and equitable educational opportunities.
Rights Management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Young, Thomas, "Factors Affecting Teacher Satisfaction at Two School Districts in North Carolina Post Covid-19 Pandemic" (2026). Student Theses and Dissertations. 1143.
https://arch.astate.edu/all-etd/1143
