Date of Award

9-11-2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Educational Leadership, Ed.D.

First Advisor

Topeka Singleton

Committee Members

Jodi Elder, Mary Spence

Call Number

LD 251 .A566d 2024 E84

Abstract

The purpose of this case study was to examine the qualities novice teachers find valuable when determining whether or not they want to stay in their schools and districts after their first years of teaching. This case study also included undergraduate teacher preparation programs and whether or not graduating from a program with a partnership school model better prepares novice teachers for the classroom. Applying Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory, this study involved the analysis of eight teachers’ questionnaires and interviews to determine what job satisfaction looked like to novice teachers from the same school district and whether or not participating in a partnership school model aided in preparing them for their first years in the classroom. After analyzing the data, it was concluded that the novice teacher participants valued communication, administrative support, clear and meaningful feedback, and partnerships with their local community. Data also showed that participants believed that the partnership school model was beneficial to their experiences in undergraduate teacher development. The potential implications for successful novice teacher retention included open lines of communication with their schools’ and districts’ leaders, having points of contact for teachers when they needed classroom support or resources, feedback that included ideas to try in their classrooms and not just a list of what was wrong with lessons and opportunities to partner with the local community to enhance lessons and bring real-world experiences to the school. Recommendations for future practice included offering continual support from building and district leaders, meaningful and applicable feedback, and partnering with state colleges and universities to strengthen undergraduate teacher preparation program coursework and field experiences. Keywords: novice teacher, micropolitan school district, partnership school, teacher retention

Rights Management

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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