Date of Award

Summer 8-2015

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Educational Leadership and School Counseling

Committee Chair

Thelma Roberson

Committee Chair Department

Educational Leadership and School Counseling

Committee Member 2

David E. Lee

Committee Member 2 Department

Educational Leadership and School Counseling

Committee Member 3

Stacy R. Reeves

Committee Member 3 Department

Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education

Committee Member 4

James T. Johnson

Committee Member 4 Department

Educational Studies and Research

Abstract

In an effort to identify relationships between certain demographic variables (i.e. age, years of experience, type of certification) and long-term retention, a group of public school teachers from a South-Central district of Mississippi were surveyed and asked to provide both demographic and opinion data that was compared to their response to a question asking how long they expected to remain in the teaching profession.

One purpose of this study was to determine whether there was a relationship between certain demographic factors and the amount of time teachers spend in the profession. Another purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between teachers' perceptions of preparedness to work in the profession and their retention rates.

Data was collected from 165 certified public school educators in a Mississippi school district. The Teacher Retention Study survey included 18 questions that contained 7 questions that asked about demographic data. The rest of the questions asked for opinion data from the participants that included Likert scale responses, short answers, and a short paragraph.

There were significant relationships between certain demographic factors and teachers' expectations to remain in the profession until retirement. The variables of age, years of experience, and a teachers' perception of his or her preparedness had a positive effect and led to his or her intent to remain in the profession until retirement. The relationship of age indicated that the older educators were more likely to remain in the field of education until they retired, as opposed to younger educators.

Finally, the more prepared educators perceived themselves to be in the field of education, the more they felt they would remain in education until retirement.

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