A Qualitative Study on Elementary Teachers' Perceptions of Burnout and Job Satisfaction.
| Author | Cox-Dunman, Laurie |
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
This work would not have been possible without the support of the Fayetteville State University IRB Board and that has served so diligently throughout the process of this research. I am especially indebted to Dr. Linda Wilson- Jones who has been supportive of my career goals and who worked actively to provide me with the protected academic time to pursue those goals. I am grateful to all of those with whom I have had the pleasure to work with during this and other related projects.
I would especially like to thank my mother for never letting me fall through the cracks. She always encouraged me to aim for the stars. I would love to thank my Father for always proofreading my papers and having more red on my paper than black. This guided me to be a great writer. The members of my family have supported me along my journey. The key is to never give up no matter what adversity happens. Out of adversity comes opportunity.
DEDICATION
This study is dedicated to the people I love the most. To my handsome son and beautiful daughter Andrea. These children have been my heart and soul for 18 years. These kids who could not understand why they had to be quiet at times and why their friends could not come over or they could not do anything. I love them with all my heart more than life
This study is also dedicated to all the educators who have been on the list from the administration. This is not a great situation. This situation can affect both mentality and mindfulness. This research is also dedicated to all the students and teachers that have been called "not the sharpest tool in the shed".
TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter I: Introduction Statement of the Problem Purpose of the Study Importance and Significance of the Study Limitations of the Study Theoretical Lens and Framework Research Questions Researcher's Perspective Definition of Terms Organization of the Study Chapter II: Review of Literature Historical Background on Teacher Stress and Burnout Historical Background on Teacher Job Satisfaction Historical Background of Teacher Working Conditions Theory Relevant to Research Questions Current Empirical Literature Relevant to Research Question and Hypotheses Summary Chapter III: Methodology Research Design Interview Protocol Setting Selection Criteria of Participants Recruitment and Access Description of Participants Data Collection Procedures Data Analysis and Interpretation Data Storage Trustworthiness Conclusion Chapter IV: Findings Description of Study Participants Demographics Participant 1 Participant 2 Participant 3 Participant 4 Participant 5 Participant 6 Participant 7 Participant 8 Participant 9 Participant 10 Interview Question 1 Overwhelming Instructional Delivery Interview Question 2 District Support System Interview Question 3 The Process of Learning New Technological Resources Interview Question 4 Technology Creativity Interview Question 5 Restructuring Teaching and Learning Interview Question 6 Extra Funding for Technology and Inclusive Decision-Making Interview Question 7 Job Demands/Teacher Self-Efficacy Interview Question 8 Mindfulness Self-Reflecting Prioritizing and Focusing on Students' Needs Interview Question 9 Teaching Effectiveness Interview Question 10 Technology Platform Changes Summary Chapter V: Conclusion, Implications, and Recommendations Overview of Study Discussion Discussion of Theoretical/Conceptual Framework Linking Literature to Findings Implications for Teachers, Educational Leaders, and Policymakers Implications for Change Recommendations for Future Research Limitations of the Study Delimitations of the Study Concluding Thoughts References Appendices Chapter I: Introduction
In recent years, teacher burnout has been a concern for many policymakers within the education forum. As the practice of teacher appraisal instruments and teacher support issues have evolved, its weight within the school climate has become more critical. Using teacher working conditions surveys has been a way to ensure the educational system's accountability to the public and society. Additionally, these teacher appraisal instruments often look at curricular facets, not the growth of social-emotional needs within students. Unfortunately, there has been an increase in adverse outcomes due to educators' lack of support mechanisms. As a result, teacher burnout has risen, resulting in a teacher shortage and producing side effects relative to teacher performance. Furthermore, some of the causes around teacher burnout was that job demands are getting more rigorous. There is very little turn around for reports and assessment data to be submitted. Also, data was analyzed for detail. Many educators are not given respect as an important member of society like they once were. Educators are often second guessed by administrators and parents and not seen as professionals (Cawelti, 2014).
Policymakers have found it beneficial to consider other options besides traditional teacher appraisals for educational accountability purposes. The stress associated with teaching causes many exceptional teachers to leave the field. The problem is that a teacher's career is held accountable based upon the results of one day of teaching and other socially centered and environmental aspects that are beyond their control (Leiter, 2019). This career uncertainty makes teaching a very high-stakes position. According to No Child Left Behind (NCLB), education focuses on using reading and mathematics scores to determine whether schools and teachers are making adequate yearly progress (Cawelti, 2014). The NCLB act also stated that students perform better with highly qualified teachers (Herman, 2016). To be considered a highly qualified teacher, the educator must appropriately meet the teacher appraisals' goals, which can be challenging with little support to meet these goals. According to the educator's appraisal system an educator must have their EVAAS appraisal in the green or blue levels according to the Bell Curve Statistical Score to be proficient on their Summative Assessment at the end of the Contract Year (EVAAS, www.sas.com)
Teachers feel the weight and pressure from the constant push of summative appraisals that they are forced to focus on administrative support shortfalls. These shortfalls include giving feedback and direct examples of teachers' improvement goals. These feedback efforts would make educators accountability more direct, and educators would see what was expected of them. These support shortfalls contribute to the students because of the continuous push of focusing on the curricular needs instead of emotional development without offering the material needed for support. These negative impacts in focusing upon the curricular needs instead of feeding emotional well-being can manifest themselves in exhaustion, depersonalization, and depression in both teachers and students (Dworkin, 2015).
Statement of the Problem
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers were already reporting dissatisfaction with all the duties and responsibilities of teaching. Many teachers reported that job dissatisfaction impacted their mental and physical health impacting their self-efficacy and performance in the classroom. During the COVID-19 Pandemic veteran teachers who were knowledgeable about instructional delivery and learning styles found themselves questioning their role in the classroom. Almost immediately, teachers were required to change their lesson plans and teaching strategies to virtual delivery. This caused stress and added to their dissatisfaction, as they were left to develop lessons to accommodate virtual learning, and many were not technologically literate and felt unvalued. Teachers were forced to learn WebEx and Zoom platforms without adequate professional training. School and district leaders are challenged to develop policies and strategies to ensure that if the teaching environment experiences another pandemic, it will not impact or add to the teacher shortage and job dissatisfaction (Plenum, 2020).
Timeline of the Pandemic
The pandemic was a very challenging experience for all people. Many people were out of employment, and this was a real concern for many people in the workforce. Many professionals were deemed as nonessential employees. In education teachers were deemed very essential to the wellbeing of the society needs during the COVID 19 Pandemic. Educators played a vital role in the assessment of students' needs and the support of social growth of the society. The timeline for the Pandemic ranged from March 2020 to just recently March 2022. This timeline stretched for over two years, and it took support from all of society to open the social normality just a little.
Even with the lifting of a lot of the COVID 19 restrictions there is a" new normal" that has not changed due to this Pandemic. The social interaction and the social norms of society have forever been changed. There is a shift for the use of more technological devices and social media forums (Kennedy, 2021).
The problem is that teacher support is an issue that is not emphasized in the educational forum. Teachers need support is the supply of resources and training to be successful. It is a component that hinders the advancement of students and the advancement of educators. Facilitating the administrative use of teacher appraisal instruments for evaluating teacher performance has many adverse outcomes on teachers. These adverse outcomes include focusing on a curriculum more than the student's emotional needs. Many educators are limited on the administrative support to reach some of the goals on the instruments used for job performance judgments (Mills & Gay, 2016).
The teacher shortage is a topic of concern for many educational officials, and this shortage will align with social Contagion Theory. This suggests that when the administration and the community do not support teachers, these factors contribute to one teacher's burnout. Furthermore...
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