Date of Award

Summer 2018

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Center for Science and Math Education

School

Center for Science and Math Education

Committee Chair

Sherry Herron

Committee Chair Department

Center for Science and Math Education

Committee Member 2

Kyna Shelley

Committee Member 2 Department

Educational Research and Administration

Committee Member 3

Thomas J. Lipscomb

Committee Member 3 Department

Educational Research and Administration

Committee Member 4

Christopher Sirola

Committee Member 4 Department

Physics and Astronomy

Committee Member 5

Shahid Karim

Committee Member 5 Department

Biological Sciences

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to compare the protective factors of teachers in various fields: discipline, tested and non-tested subject areas, and teacher certification route. The study involved 161 kindergarten to twelfth grade Mississippi teachers who were full-time during the 2016-2017 school year. The 36-item Resiliency Questionnaire was used to measure the presence of six protective factors. The six protective factors that were examined on the questionnaire are: purpose and expectation (PE), nurture and support (NS), positive connections (PC), meaningful participation (MP), life guiding skills (LGS), and clear and consistent boundaries (CCB). A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) test was used to analyze the differences in protective factors based on discipline, tested and non-tested subjects, and teacher education route. The univariate analysis of the MANOVA was used to examine the relationship among the independent variables and the six protective factors subscales separately. The data showed that each independent variable does not have a significant effect on the protective factors when they were considered collectively. There were significant differences among teaching disciplines on the subscale of nurture and support, purpose and expectations, and life-guiding skills. There was also a significant difference between teachers who are traditional and alternate route certified on the subscale of nurture and support.

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