Date of Conferral

1-1-2021

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

School

Education

Advisor

Joshua Bass

Abstract

Teacher attrition has been an issue in the local urban area resulting in students being taught by teachers and substitutes who may not be knowledgeable about the content. The attrition of experienced teachers is a concern for administrators, fellow teachers, parents, and students. The purpose of this study was to investigate teachers’ perceptions of administrator support, teacher retention, and teacher attrition. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological system theory served as the conceptual framework that guided this study. A basic qualitative research design was used to capture the insights of 10 middle school teachers in an urban district in the eastern United States through interviews. The research questions addressed middle school teachers’ perceptions of administrator support, why teachers leave a school, and why teachers stay at a school. Emergent ideas and patterns were identified through open coding then organized into meaningful themes. Trustworthiness was established through member checking, reflexivity, and rich and detailed descriptions. The findings revealed that teachers leave a school due to a lack of administrator support such as lack of emotional support, instructional support, help with student behavior, sufficient resources, and positive school climate, but the teachers would remain at their schools if they received these supports from their administrators. This study may influence positive social change by suggesting ways administrators and school district officials can increase teacher retention in schools locally and nationally.

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