The Lived Experiences of Veteran Elementary Urban School Teachers: Why and How They Stay

171 Pages·2016·1.19 MB·English

Western Michigan University
ScholarWorks at WMU
Dissertations Graduate College
12-2014
Te Lived Experiences of Veteran Elementary
Urban School Teachers: Why and How Tey Stay
Cynthia A. Anthony
Western Michigan University,
THE LIVED EXPERIENCES OF VETERAN ELEMENTARY URBAN SCHOOL
TEACHERS: WHY AND HOW THEY STAY

by

Cynthia A. Anthony

A dissertation submitted to the Graduate College
in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the Degree of Doctor of Education
Educational Leadership, Research and Technology
Western Michigan University
December 2014

Doctoral Committee:

Sue Poppink, Ph.D., Chair
Walter Burt, Ph.D.
Gary Marx, Ed.D.
THE LIVED EXPERIENCES OF VETERAN ELEMENTARY URBAN SCHOOL
TEACHERS: WHY AND HOW THEY STAY

Cynthia A. Anthony, Ed.D.

Western Michigan University, 2014

Longevity in teaching careers depends on many things, including job satisfaction,
the work environment, career stages, and strategies to manage stress and avoid burnout.
Teachers who have high levels of job satisfaction are more likely to stay in the
profession. Job satisfaction is dependent on the motivators in a job: administrative
support, collegiality, recognition, advancement, and growth. The work environment, job
demands, career development, empowerment, and bureaucracy, plays an important role in
retaining teachers.
The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine factors that enabled
and encouraged a sample of 12 veteran elementary school teachers in a small urban
school district to stay in the teaching profession for 10 or more years. The participants’
reflections of their teaching careers, as defined by their lived experiences, were explored
through semi-structured interviews using open-ended questions. These veteran teachers
participated in one-on-one interviews with the researcher. The interviews provided
sufficient data to address the four research questions developed for the study.
The findings indicated that teachers stay in the teaching profession because they
loved teaching and working with children. The teachers commented that teaching had lost
its luster and creativity because of federal and state requirements that included restricted
curriculum and standardized testing. They avoided stress and burnout through the use of
positive coping strategies that were individualistic. Some of the strategies ranged from
deep breathing, spending time with family and friends, maintaining a sense of humor, and
collaborating with colleagues. Further research should include expanding the study to
include middle and high school teachers, increasing the sample size to include multiple
and diverse school districts, and using a longitudinal study to follow teachers from their
entry into the profession to becoming veteran teachers.
DEDICATION
I dedicate this dissertation to God, his son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.
To my mother, who is my best friend,
this dissertation is especially dedicated to you.
Thank you for all of your support past, present, future, and always.
I love you so very much.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
What a journey!
Through challenges, perseverance, and hard work I have finally reached my goal.
I cannot and will not take full credit for achieving this incredible accomplishment.
First and foremost, I would like to thank God, his son Jesus, and the angels who
have surrounded me, watched over me, and guided me every step of the way. With God’s
love and guidance, I was able to not only try to undertake this project, but actually
complete it. With God, all things are truly possible and once again it has been supported
in completing this dissertation.
I would like to acknowledge and to thank my parents Donald A. and Emma M.
Anthony. A truly special thank you to my mother, who is my best friend, and who has
been my greatest support throughout this journey that at times seemed completely
unobtainable but I will always remember the sweet, thoughtful, and encouraging words
that she said to me when I was about to give up, “If others can do it, so can you.” I love
you so very much. To my Grandparents who were with me when I started this journey. I
feel your smile and I know you are both watching over me. I will always love you.
I have been blessed with caring doctoral committee who helped me in preparing
for my proposal and defense. To Dr. Sue Poppink, my committee chairperson, thank you
for your careful attention to details and scholarly guidance throughout this process.
Sincere appreciation is given to Dr. Walter Burt and Dr. Gary Marx. Thank you for
agreeing to be on my committee. Each of you are an inspiration to me.
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Acknowledgments - Continued
I would like to thank all of the building principals who with no hesitation said
“sure”. But especially the superintendent. No names, but again thank you so much. I
would like to give a special thank-you to all of the veteran teachers who shall remain
nameless. I thank you for giving the “introvert of the school” your valuable time for the
interviews. I could not have done it without you. Your commitment to education is an
inspiration to all.
To all of my students, past and present, now I truly know what it means when I
say never, ever, ever give up. To my 2013-2014 class, you were the “renewal” stage that I
needed in my own career. Thank you.
To our service men and women. I know this project was hard, but I know what
you do is even harder. Thank you for your service. To all of the veteran teachers who
were the inspiration for this doctoral project, I say thank you with all my heart.
And my very special thank you to June Cline. Your wealth of knowledge amazes
me to this day. I have learned so much from you. Rewrite, rewrite, rewrite. Read, reread,
reread, and me holding Anastasia and Zoe, the cats, wow! Without your encouragement,
support, and laughter I would not have been able to complete this project. Thank you for
everything. Thanks to Janet Chambers for her help in transcribing the interviews.
To Diane Bourgeois at Western Michigan University, thanks for your patience.
Finally, in the memory of Dr. Van Cooley, thank you. I am glad I listened to you.
Cynthia A. Anthony

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...................................................................................... iii
LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................. viii
LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................ ix
CHAPTER
I. INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................... 1
Background ......................................................................................... 2
Statement of the Problem .................................................................... 4
Purpose of the Study and Research Questions .................................... 6
Overview of Research Methods .......................................................... 7
Speculation on the Themes .................................................................. 9
Significance of Study .......................................................................... 12
Organization of Dissertation ............................................................... 15
II. LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................................... 17
Job Satisfaction in the Work Place ...................................................... 18
Work Environment .............................................................................. 29
Job Demands ................................................................................... 29
Career Development ....................................................................... 30
Empowerment ................................................................................. 31
Bureaucracy .................................................................................... 34
Administration ................................................................................ 37
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Table of Contents – Continued
CHAPTER
Colleagues ....................................................................................... 37
Career Stages ....................................................................................... 37
Anticipatory Stage .......................................................................... 40
Expert/Master Teacher Stage .......................................................... 41
Renewal Stage ................................................................................. 41
Withdrawal Stage ............................................................................ 45
Exit Stage ........................................................................................ 46
Veteran Teachers’ Rejuvenation and Survival Strategies ................... 46
Stress ................................................................................................... 47
Ways to Relieve Stress ........................................................................ 54
Burnout ................................................................................................ 56
Ways to Avoid Burnout ....................................................................... 61
Resilience ............................................................................................ 62
Summary ............................................................................................. 63
III. METHODS ................................................................................................. 64
Research Questions ............................................................................. 64
Research Design .................................................................................. 65
Participants .......................................................................................... 66
Data Collection .................................................................................... 67
Analysis of the Data ............................................................................ 69
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Table of Contents – Continued
CHAPTER
Delimitations and Limitations ............................................................. 71
The Role of the Researcher ................................................................. 72
Reflexivity ........................................................................................... 73
IV. RESULTS ................................................................................................... 77
Data Analysis ...................................................................................... 78
Themes ................................................................................................ 122
Summary ............................................................................................. 127
V. DISCUSSION ............................................................................................. 129
Methods .............................................................................................. 130
Interpretation of the Findings .............................................................. 131
Implications for Teachers and Administrators .................................... 139
Limitations of the Study ...................................................................... 142
Recommendations for Further Study .................................................. 142
What I Learned from the Study ........................................................... 143
REFERENCES ....................................................................................................... 146
APPENDICES
A. Informed Consent Form and Demographic Survey .................................... 155
B. Interview Questions .................................................................................... 158
C. HSIRB Approval Letter................................................................................ 159
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