Text

theses

High teacher turnover plagues many public schools in the United States. Student misbehavior is sometimes noted as a reason for teachers leaving the profession. Less known is the impact of serious aggressive student behavior, such as verbal and physical assault, on teacher attrition. The current study’s participants included 2,904 consenting teachers who participated in the National Center for Education Statistics School and Staffing Survey 2007-2008 and the Teacher Follow-up Survey 2008-2009. Teachers reported instances of verbal and physical assaults and their professional status at a one year follow-up. They also reported on working conditions, such as administrative support. Using logistical regression and Hierarchical General Linear Modeling, the study found that teachers who experienced student threats and assaults were more likely to move to another school. Unexpectedly, these negative experiences with students did not increase the likelihood teachers exited the profession a year later. Yet, as anticipated, a greater level of administrative support perceived by teachers was associated with a decreased level of attrition for both teacher groups – those changing schools and those exiting the profession. That said administrative support was not found to buffer the attrition effects of teachers who experienced threats/assaults. These findings suggest that administrators may need to systematically intervene with teachers who experience student threat and assault. By doing so, administrators may help prevent teachers from ultimately deciding to relocate to another school – this is especially important for low income, low performing schools where students may be negatively impacted by high teacher turnover.

ETD_4907

Psy.D.

Includes bibliographical references

by Danielle Marie Zurawiecki

doi:10.7282/T3PG1PQ6

ETD doctoral

The author owns the copyright to this work.