Date of Conferral

2-28-2025

Degree

Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.)

School

Psychology

Advisor

Joann McAllister

Abstract

Recent studies show that teachers are leaving the profession at a rapid rate, which is leading to a shortage in the classroom that is impacting school districts across the United States. Teachers are leaving the profession within their first 5 years of teaching as opposed to finishing their careers and retiring. Studies show that teachers leave the profession for various reasons, such as emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, lack of resources, student behaviors, and personal accomplishment. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to learn about the experiences of teachers who left the profession within the first 5 years of teaching from their perspectives. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs was the study’s theoretical framework. Data were collected through semi structured interviews with 8 teachers in the Southeast United States who left the teaching profession in their first 5 years. A thematic analysis of the data was conducted, and three themes and six subthemes were identified. Theme 1 was support and had subthemes of lack of support from administration and parent involvement; Theme 2 was training and had a subtheme of career development; and Theme 3 was burnout and had subthemes of student behaviors, workload, and COVID-19. The findings from this study may have implications for positive social change by contributing to insights that can aid school districts in knowledge to provide possible solutions to the challenges experienced by teachers in their first 5 years of teaching.

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