Date of Conferral

6-2-2025

Date of Award

June 2025

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

School

Education

Advisor

James Bailey

Abstract

The problem that was addressed through this study is increasing job demands and insufficient job resources plaguing K-8 principals across the nation. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to investigate K-8 principals’ perceptions of increased work demands and their influence on excessive stress, burnout, and turnover in a private, Midwestern school district. Bakker and Demerouti’s job demands-resources theory served as the theoretical foundation for this study. Data were collected from semistructured interviews with 10 principals from the same district. Participant responses were analyzed through several rounds of coding, which led to the emergence of the following six themes: (1) most participants have a negative work-life balance due to overwhelming job demands; (2) resource constraints prohibit principals from effectively doing their jobs; (3) principals desire a leadership team with whom to collaborate and make decisions; (4) principals face role conflict as they are required to cover additional duties outside of their role; (5) participants experience serious health conditions due to escalating job demands; and (6) some principals embrace a mindset shift to help them maintain balance and sustainability in their role. The implications for positive social change are the recommendations for principals on improving the sustainability of the principal role with a focus on a healthy work-life balance and overall wellness. As the principal’s longevity in a school can be tied to student achievement, staffing turnover, and school climate and culture, all school stakeholders can benefit from this research.

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