Date of Award

1-1-2017

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Organizational Unit

Morgridge College of Education

First Advisor

Bruce Uhrmacher, Ph.D.

Second Advisor

Paul Michalec

Third Advisor

Kristina Hesbol

Keywords

First year teacher, Social emotional support, Teacher attrition

Abstract

The teaching profession is notoriously difficult. The attrition rate for teachers in their first three years is 25% compared to the national attrition rate of 3.4% (BLS, 2016). Many studies indicate that teaching conditions and school culture influence a teacher's decision to stay or leave (Headden, 2014; Loeb, Darling-Hammond, & Luczak, 2005), but very few studies explore in depth the existential shifts that occur in teachers in their first year. It is this researcher's belief that the seed of attrition is planted in the first year, and that by attending with greater sensitivity to the struggles experienced by first-year teachers, schools can increase their chances of retaining teachers in the profession. This phenomenological study takes the first step toward detailing those supports by following a diverse pool of four first-year teachers in various urban settings through their first year. Through the lens of an Existentialist philosophical framework, this research explores in depth the personal, professional, and philosophical evolution of first-year educators.

Publication Statement

Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.

Rights Holder

Katherine Newburgh

Provenance

Received from ProQuest

File Format

application/pdf

Language

en

File Size

152 p.

Discipline

Educational Philosophy

Download



Share

COinS