Date of Conferral

2-12-2024

Date of Award

February 2024

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

School

Education

Advisor

Dr. Andrea Wilson

Abstract

Excessive workplace stress and burnout have been persistent issues for teachers in the public school setting. The problem addressed in this project study was that K–12 school principals are inconsistently implementing leadership practices (LPs) to support teachers who experience burnout in two public school districts under study. Guided by the instructional leadership theory of Hallinger and Murphy, the purpose of this project study was to examine the perceptions of K–12 school principals regarding their implementation of LPs to support teachers who experience burnout. In this basic qualitative research design 10 K–12 principals from a local school district were purposefully selected for semistructured interviews. Interview data were analyzed using open and axial coding to identify themes. The themes revealed that the K-12 principals applied their LPs to (a) support teachers who experience burnout by providing feedback, (b) retain teachers by resolving teachers’ work-related issues, (c) create a positive work environment for teachers, and (d) clearly communicate curriculum expectations to teachers. These findings reinforce the need for principals to provide support aimed at preventing and mitigating burnout among their teachers whenever possible. Thus, a position paper was developed with recommendations for K–12 school principals to apply LPs to support teachers who experience burnout. By helping K–12 school principals better understand and address the needs of teachers who experience burnout, teachers may be better prepared to teach and more likely to remain in the teaching profession, prompting positive social change over time.

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