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MOTIVATIONAL FACTORS THAT SUSTAIN EXPERIENCED TEACHERS IN HIGH-

NEED, LOW-PERFORMING PUBLIC SCHOOLS: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY

Michelle Stanley Casey

Liberty University

A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment

Of the Requirements for the Degree

Doctor of Education

Liberty University

November 2016

MOTIVATIONAL FACTORS THAT SUSTAIN EXPERIENCED TEACHERS IN HIGH-

NEED, LOW-PERFORMING PUBLIC SCHOOLS: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY

by Michelle Stanley Casey

A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment

Of the Requirements for the Degree

Doctor of Education

Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA

November 2016

APPROVED BY:

SAMUEL J. SMITH, Ed.D., Committee Chair

ANN BULLOCK, Ph.D., Committee Member

CHRISTOPHER CLARK, Ed.D., Committee Member

SCOTT WATSON, Ph.D., Associate Dean, Advanced Programs

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe factors that sustained

public school teachers in high-need areas. Teacher sustainability was generally defined as

teachers who remained in a high-need public school located in southeastern North Carolina

beyond the initial three years of teaching. This study explored the following: (1) How do public

school teachers describe their experience working in a high-need educational community in

North Carolina? (2) How do public school teachers perceive their former life history as having

an impact retaining their profession beyond the initial three years of teaching in a high-need,

low-performing public school? (3) What intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors do public

school teachers describe as encouraging them to sustain their teaching profession beyond the

initial three years of teaching in a high-need, low-performing public school? The theoretical

framework that guided this study was mindset and motivation theory proposed by Carol Dweck,

andragogical adult learning theory introduced by Malcolm Knowles, and transformative learning

theory developed by Jack Mezirow. A detailed analysis revealed five descriptive themes derived

from the participants answering the interview questions, focus group questions, and completing

the photo-narrative documentation. Themes that emerged included (a) colleagues as family, (b)

sense of calling, (c) love for children, (d) contribution to community, and (e) service to others.

Recommendations for future research included exploring experienced teachers who teach in non-

high-need public schools within North Carolina and surrounding states, replicating the study in

an urban school district, conducting the study with charter schools and parochial schools that

serve students in a high-need educational community, and conducting a quantitative study that

explores the effectiveness of teacher sustainability and student achievement in a high-need public

school.

Keywords: motivational factors, sustainability, novice teachers, experienced teachers,

low-performing public schools, growth mindset, phenomenology

DEDICATION

It is with great gratitude and appreciation that I dedicate my dissertation journey to

my family, friends, and educational family. An ultimate feeling of gratitude to loved ones

present and to those who have gone on beyond this earth. My husband, who has to be the

most patient man on earth, for enduring the time away and fast-food meals when I was

consumed with writing and research.

I also dedicate this dissertation to many friends and colleagues who have supported

me throughout the journey. Thank you for all your prayers, support, lunch dates, and

encouraging words of wisdom. My infinite appreciation to Martha−an incredible friend,

humor buddy, and a consistent ear to listen.

Lastly, I dedicate this dissertation to the participants who were willing to share their life’s

journey, for me to hear their voices and share with the educational community, their dedication

to children.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

As I reflect and think of the dissertation journey, many life experiences have occurred

during the last four years—the passing of loved ones and the birth of grandchildren. However, I

am grateful for numerous individuals to whom I owe a debt of gratitude for their unwavering

support and prayers. First and foremost, my Heavenly Father, who has loved me no more or no

less throughout my life, holding steadfast His unconditional love. His grace and mercy is the

foundation for all the blessings in my life.

I wish to thank my committee members who were consistently generous with sharing

their expertise, insight, and time. A special thanks to Dr. Sam Smith, my committee chairman,

for his countless hours of genuine reflection, efficient feedback, encouragement, and mostly the

patience to answer all my questions throughout the dissertation journey. Thank you to Dean Ann

Bullock and Dr. Christopher Clark for serving on my committee, your dedication to my success

is greatly appreciated. Also, a note of appreciation to Dr. Fred Milacci, for serving as my

research consultant, and preparing the path along the journey beginning in EDUC 817. As Dr.

Milacci indicated, the dissertation objective is to “get ‘er done” and “keep the main thing, the

main thing.”

I would like to acknowledge and thank the specific school district where the data was

collected and allowing me to conduct my research and provide support when applicable. A

special thanks goes to members of the Beginning Teacher Institute staff and the superintendent in

their willingness for me to interview teachers.

I would like to thank the teachers and administrators in the school district that supported

me in the journey. Their willingness and motivation to provide feedback made the completion of

this research an enjoyable experience.

To my brother, Michael, who is my second best friend, you continue to be my greatest

advocate. Your encouraging words and understanding are paramount in my life.

Mostly, to my husband, who is the most patient man alive when it comes to my analytical

responses and expectations in life. You have supported me even when you didn’t truly

understand the journey and provided the space when needed to write and conduct research.

Ultimate gratitude is owed to the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) constituents for

their dedicated support during the last four years and the VA Office at Liberty University for

consistency and communication.

Thank you to all the professors at Liberty University, each of you helped pave the way

for the journey of dissertation success with a Godly direction. I know when you convey, you are

praying for us as graduate students, you are praying!

Table of Contents

ABSTRACT .....................................................................................................................................3

DEDICATION .................................................................................................................................5

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...............................................................................................................6

Table of Contents .............................................................................................................................8

List of Tables .................................................................................................................................13

Table 1 Participant Demographics Overview................................................................................13

List of Abbreviations .....................................................................................................................14

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................15

Overview ........................................................................................................................................15

Background ....................................................................................................................................16

Situation to Self..............................................................................................................................18

Problem Statement .........................................................................................................................19

Purpose Statement ..........................................................................................................................21

Significance of the Study ...............................................................................................................22

Research Questions ........................................................................................................................23

Research Plan .................................................................................................................................25

Delimitations and Limitations ........................................................................................................26

Definitions......................................................................................................................................27

Summary ........................................................................................................................................29

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................30

Overview ........................................................................................................................................30

Theoretical Framework ..................................................................................................................31

Dweck’s Mindset and Motivation Theory .........................................................................32

Knowles Andragogical Adult Learning Theory ................................................................35

Mezirow’s Transformative Learning Theory .....................................................................40

Related Literature...........................................................................................................................44

Novice and Experienced Teachers: Retention, Burnout, and Attrition .............................45

Sustaining Teachers in High-Need Educational Communities ..........................................50

Teachers’ Career Status: Traditional and Second-Career Track ........................................57

Contextual Influences ........................................................................................................60

Individual Identities ...........................................................................................................61

Summary ........................................................................................................................................62

CHAPTER THREE: METHODS ..................................................................................................64

Overview ........................................................................................................................................64

Design ............................................................................................................................................65

Research Questions ........................................................................................................................67

Setting ............................................................................................................................................67

Participants .....................................................................................................................................68

Procedures ......................................................................................................................................70

The Researcher's Role ....................................................................................................................71

Data Collection ..............................................................................................................................72

Questionnaire .....................................................................................................................73

Interviews ...........................................................................................................................73

Document Analysis ............................................................................................................79

Virtual Focus Group ..........................................................................................................80

Data Analysis .................................................................................................................................84

Epoche/Bracketing .............................................................................................................85

Phenomenological Reduction ............................................................................................85

Imaginative Variation ........................................................................................................86

Composite Textural and Structural Descriptions ...............................................................86

Open Coding ......................................................................................................................87

Axial Coding ......................................................................................................................87

Classifying Patterns from the Participants’ Context ..........................................................87

Emerging Themes from Data Analysis ..............................................................................88

Memoing ............................................................................................................................88

Trustworthiness ..............................................................................................................................88

Credibility ..........................................................................................................................89

Transferability ....................................................................................................................90

Dependability .....................................................................................................................90

Confirmability ....................................................................................................................91

Ethical Considerations ...................................................................................................................91

Summary ........................................................................................................................................92

CHAPTER FOUR: FINDINGS ....................................................................................................94

Overview ........................................................................................................................................94

Research Questions ........................................................................................................................94

Participants .....................................................................................................................................95

Description of Participants .................................................................................................98

Themes .........................................................................................................................................109

Colleagues as Family .......................................................................................................110

Sense of Calling ...............................................................................................................114

Love for Children .............................................................................................................117

Contribution to Community .............................................................................................120

Service to Others ..............................................................................................................124

Composite Textural, Structural, and Essence Description...........................................................126

Summary ......................................................................................................................................129

CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS .............130

Overview ......................................................................................................................................130

Summary of Findings ...................................................................................................................130

Research Question One ....................................................................................................130

Research Question Two ...................................................................................................131

Research Question Three .................................................................................................132

Discussion ....................................................................................................................................133

Comparison to Literature .................................................................................................134

Implications..................................................................................................................................139

Theoretical Implications ..................................................................................................140

Empirical Implications .....................................................................................................142

Practical Implications.......................................................................................................144

Limitations ...................................................................................................................................144

Recommendations for Future Research .......................................................................................145

Recommendations for Teachers .......................................................................................146

Recommendations for Administrators .............................................................................147

Recommendations for Teacher Education Programs .......................................................148

Recommendations for Local Central Services Administration .......................................148

Summary ......................................................................................................................................149

REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................150

APPENDIX A: PARTICIPANT QUESTIONNAIRE.................................................................157

APPENDIX B: CONSENT FORM .............................................................................................158

APPENDIX C: IRB APPROVAL LETTER ..............................................................................162

APPENDIX D: LETTER TO SCHOOL DISTRICT..................................................................163

Dear Mr. Superintendent, .............................................................................................................163

APPENDIX E: EXCERPT FROM REFLECTIVE JOURNAL NOTES ....................................165

APPENDIX F: COLLECTIVE PHOTO-NARRATIVE DOCUMENTATION .........................167

APPENDIX G: PARTICIPANT PRELIMINARY-FINAL REVIEW ........................................168

APPENDIX H: VERBAL SCRIPT TO PARTICIPANTS .........................................................171

List of Tables

Table 1 Participant Demographics Overview................................................................................97

List of Abbreviations

Annual Yearly Progress (AYP)

Beginning Teacher (BT)

End-of-Grade (EOG)

End-of-Course (EOC)

Institutional Review Board (IRB)

Nationally Board Certified Teacher (NBCT)

No Child Left Behind (NCLB)

North Carolina (NC)

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI)

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

Overview

During the progression of educational psychology, research, and theory, students’

academic achievements are governed by the quality of their teachers. However, a mounting

conflict arises each year among public education indicating teachers are leaving the profession

and pursuing an alternate career. This study utilized a transcendental phenomenological design

to describe the experiences encompassing the motivational factors that sustain teachers in high-

need, low-performing public schools in southeastern North Carolina beyond the initial three

years of teaching.

The problem is that research has explored teachers’ attrition, retention, and burnout.

However, minimal qualitative research exists in acquiring an understanding of the factors that

sustain public school teachers beyond the first three years of teaching in a high-need school

(Heineke, Mazza, & Tichnor-Wagner, 2014; Levine, 2013; Schaefer, Long, & Clandinin, 2012;

Synder, 2012). Therefore, the purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to

describe motivational factors that sustain public school teachers in high-need areas in

southeastern North Carolina. This particular study focused on listening to the voices of teachers

who had been teaching in a high-need, low-performing public school beyond the initial three

years in an effort to identify how they distinguish their sustainability in their teaching careers.

In this chapter, the research background as well as the researcher’s situation within the

study is described. Additionally, numerous components of the study encompassing the problem,

purpose, significance of the study, research questions, research plan, delimitations, limitations,

and pertinent definitions are explained. Open-ended interviews, collective documentation, and

an online focus group discussion were used to collect data. Data was analyzed through open

coding, axial coding, theme analysis, and member checks of the collective documents,

interviews, and focus group discussions. In addition, continual comparison was conducted with

the emerging data collection. Memoing, researcher reflexivity, bracketing, triangulation, and

peer reviews were also utilized to report conflicts of trustworthiness. Thus, the following

research questions were explored: (1) How do public school teachers describe their experience

working in a high-need educational community in North Carolina? (2) How do public school

teachers perceive their former life history as having an impact in retaining their teaching

profession beyond the initial three years of teaching in a high-need, low-performing public

school? (3) What intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors do public school teachers describe

as encouraging them to sustain their teaching profession beyond the initial three years of

teaching in a high-need, low-performing public school?

Background

Sustaining teachers beyond the initial three years of teaching in a high-need public

educational community is essential to student achievement, budgetary needs, and teacher

education programs. According to the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future,

“30% of novice teachers resign within their first 3 years in high-need, urban public school

districts,” associated with the high costs of teacher turnover, estimating the nation’s cost of

“approximately seven billion dollars annually” (Gimbert & Fultz, 2010, p. 2). Additionally,

Aloe, Amo, and Shanahan (2014) explained in their research relative to teacher burnout, “ . . .

teachers tend to have slightly higher scores of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization and a

lower sense of personal accomplishment relative to workers in other human service fields” (p.

103). Further research indicated that a “lack of school support along with changing standards

may lead to exhaustion, uncertainty, and burnout” (Aloe, Amo, & Shanahan, 2014, p. 103).

Equally important, teacher education programs often under-prepare student teachers who

eventually begin their careers in high-need schools, providing minimal clinical teaching

opportunities for low-achieving diverse populations within high-need school districts (Anderson

& Stillman, 2011; Burton & Johnson, 2010; Dagenhart, Petty, & O’Connor, 2010). Cooper and

He (2011) advocate that teachers are required to attain an understanding of their own identities

so they can adequately meet the individual needs of students within a diverse school

environment. Researchers suggest various factors for retaining teachers within high-need

educational communities relative to administrative support and leadership (Cooper & He, 2011;

Schaefer, Long, & Clandinin, 2012; Smeaton & Waters, 2013; Vaughn & Saul, 2013). Thus,

educational school board members must employ administrators with a forward-thinking mindset,

acknowledging the need for administrative staff who possess a curriculum background, increase

the recruitment of hiring minority educators, offer mentoring programs for novice teachers, and

incorporate internship experiences in high-need schools (Dagenhart, Petty, & O’Connor, 2010).

Furthermore, “Our teacher education programs should encourage building of such communities

among our graduates and support such sharing and reflection in their first year” (Cooper & He,

2011, p. 112).

While specific studies investigated the encounters encompassing teachers and their

retention, attrition, and burnout experiences within the initial years of teaching, the conflict

remained relative to sustaining teachers beyond the first three years of teaching

(Smeaton & Waters, 2013). Likewise, Burton and Johnson (2010) utilized a metaphorical

perspective of teacher preparedness and perception relative to the educational profession by

describing the links in the chain:

The first link in the chain is related to the fact that low-income students of color who

attend underresourced and high-need schools generally have access to the least qualified

and most poorly prepared teachers. The second link in the chain concerns the

relationship between teacher preparation and student achievement. The third link in the

chain concerns the relationship between student achievement and teachers’ job

satisfaction . . . . The issues related to teacher retention only intensify in high-needs

schools, where up to 50% of teachers leave teaching within the first five years. (pp. 376-

77)

Thus, researchers challenged educational leaders to discover teacher identities,

conceptualization, and contextual influences, which could postulate the greatest outcomes for

sustaining teachers in the educational community (Nelson, Antayá-Moore, Badley, & Coleman,

2010; Schaefer, Long, & Clandinin, 2011, 2012; Young, Chester, Flett, Foe, Marshall, Moore, et

al., 2010). As articulated by Schaefer, Long, and Clandinin (2012), the educational

concentration requires a mindset transformation, “the need to shift the conversation from one

focused only on retaining teachers toward a conversation about sustaining teachers throughout

their careers” (p. 118). Consequently, this study sought to capture the voices of teachers who

taught in low-performing public schools located in southeastern North Carolina and the

motivational factors that sustained them in their teaching profession beyond the initial three

years of teaching.

Situation to Self

My inspiration in conducting this study was to explore the factors that sustained teachers

who taught in high-need areas in a southeastern North Carolina school district. As an

educational leader who is employed in the College of Education at East Carolina University

(ECU), with a focus on novice teachers in the teacher education program, the primary goal is to

sustain teachers and continuously enhance the clinical teaching experiences and the sustenance

within the teaching profession. I hoped to promote the sustainability of teachers who teach in

high-need educational settings and to better equip myself with an understanding of the pulse of

teachers. Specifically regarding the motivational factors that preserve their desire to sustain their

educational careers when numerous opportunities arise that present discouraging and

overwhelming reasons to leave and to become a statistic of attrition.

Serving as an educational leader, I permitted the participants to construct the meaning of

their motivational factors in sustaining their educational careers by interviewing them and

capturing their lived experiences while serving as teachers. As a Christian, I advocate an

axiological belief in positioning myself within the phenomenological study, acknowledging the

participants’ lived experiences and my personal biases while exploring the research (Creswell,

2013). Likewise, I believe the participants are created by God with an ultimate goal to serve

Him in all capacities. As articulated by Bullough and Hall-Kenyon (2012), “How common a

sense of calling is among teachers is unclear, but it appears to be more common than generally

recognized in the research literature” (p. 8).

Problem Statement

The problem is that research (Dagenhart, Petty, & O’Connor, 2010; Levine, 2013;

Schaefer, Long, & Clandinin, 2012; Vaughn & Saul, 2013) has explored teachers’ attrition,

retention, and burnout. However, minimal qualitative research existed in acquiring an

understanding of the factors that sustained teachers beyond the initial three years of teaching in

high-need schools (Heineke, Mazza, & Tichnor-Wagner, 2014; Levine, 2013; Schaefer, Long, &

Clandinin, 2012). Barnhardt (2012) defines teaching as a multistep interchange where teachers

are consciously aware of their surroundings and the wellbeing of others. Heineke, Mazza, and

Tichnor-Wagner (2014) share their explorations noting “One third of the teaching force in the

United States turns over each year, with the highest attrition rates occurring in high-need

schools—urban and rural schools with low-income and minority populations” (p. 751).

Thus, the current research proposed to describe factors that sustained teachers who taught

in high-need public schools in the southeastern region of North Carolina. The high-need, low-

performing public schools were identified as Title 1 schools associated with the public school

system where the student populace consisted of 61% minority enrollment with the majority of

African American students, denoting this is greater than the North Carolina state average of 49%.

Interestingly, Vaughn and Saul (2013) signified that educators who possess a vision strive with

conscious efforts to meet the individual needs of all students across environments even when

confronting adversity. Comparatively, as noted with Levine’s (2013) studies, the continual

“high-stakes” requirements mandated of teachers create increased stress and higher teacher

attrition with the accountability of standardized testing and the responsibility of moving students

forward without adequate academic preparation.

Likewise, various factors were measured distinguishing the interchanges of teachers’

retention and sustainability in the educational community through intrinsic and extrinsic

motivational factors, interchangeable with a growth mindset of learning, inclusive of adult

learning theory. As Dweck (2006) advocates, “Growth-minded teachers tell students the truth

and then give them the tools to close the gap” (p. 199). The problem is that research has studied

teachers’ attrition, retention, and burnout, yet minimal research exists in acquiring an

understanding of the motivational factors that sustain teachers beyond the initial three years of

teaching in high-need schools (Heineke, Mazza, & Tichnor-Wagner, 2014; Levine, 2013;

Schaefer, Long, & Clandinin, 2012).

Purpose Statement

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe factors that

sustained public school teachers in high-need areas in North Carolina. The sustainability of

teachers was generally defined as teachers who remained in a low-performing public school

located in southeastern North Carolina beyond the initial three years of teaching. For the

purpose of this study, public school teachers were identified as those who had been teaching

beyond the initial three years of their profession, recognizing the literature indicated a gap in

research with teachers who remained beyond the first three years of teaching (Aloe, Amo, &

Shanahan, 2014; Gimbert & Fultz, 2010; Smeaton & Waters, 2013).

The setting was four large K-12 rural public schools within one public school district

located in the southeastern region of North Carolina. According to a U.S. Census Bureau report

(2013), 31% of children, five to 17 years old, live in poverty in this county, with a poverty rate of

24.9% compared to 16.8% poverty rate (www.http://quickfacts.census/gov/). In 2014, the local

school board voted to adopt the Community Eligibility Provision, an amendment to the National

School Lunch Act that deems all students who live in high poverty districts eligible for free

lunch and breakfast. Cooper and He (2011) posit the necessity of preparing teacher candidates

for the current shift in the classroom and to disseminate challenges and conflicts among all

stakeholders within the K-12 educational system in preparation of today’s societal context. The

theories guiding this study were motivational and mindset theory proposed by Carol Dweck,

andragogical adult learning theory introduced by Malcolm Knowles, and transformative theory

developed by Jack Mezirow. Thus, this study proposed to describe the motivational factors and

contextual influences public school teachers preserved to sustain their dedication to teaching.

Significance of the Study

Describing the motivational factors that sustained teachers in low-performing public

schools in the southeastern region of North Carolina is significant to the educational community

in numerous ways. According to Schaefer, Long, and Clandinin (2012), “The discourse around

teacher attrition and retention has kept the focus . . . seeing the problem as one of only retaining

teachers, rather than sustaining beginning teachers” (p. 117). The significance of this study is

fundamental for the professional educational community because the lived experiences provided

a better understanding of the motivational factors that sustained teachers who taught in high-need

areas.

In addition, the shared phenomenon will be communicated among other educational

communities, which has the potential to increase teacher longevity with less teacher turnover,

reduce financial costs, yield teacher job satisfaction, enhance teacher education programs, and

ultimately create higher student achievement (Anderson, & Stillman, 2011; Bernhardt, 2012;

Bullough & Hall-Kenyon, 2012; Burton & Johnson, 2010; Dagenhart, Petty, & O’Connor, 2010;

Levine, 2013; Meister & Ahrens, 2011; Shernoff, Mariñez-Lora, Frazier, Jakobsons, Atkins, &

Bonner, 2011). Exploring this particular phenomenon was essential in acquiring an

understanding of how to enhance support, advocacy, transformation, and resilience for teachers

who taught in high-need educational communities and sustained their careers beyond the initial

three years of teaching (Castro, Kelly, & Shih, 2010; Gimbert & Fultz, 2010; Levine, 2013;

Meister & Ahrens, 2011; Shernoff, Mariñez-Lora, Frazier, Jakobsons, Atkins, & Bonner, 2011;

Synder, 2012; Vaughn & Saul, 2013; Wang & Fulton, 2012). Finally, the theoretical

significance of this study was how adult learners transformed (Holton, Knowles, & Swanson,

2005; Knowles, 1975; McGrath, 2009; Mezirow, 1997, 2003) their contextual influences aligned

with their growth mindset and motivational factors (Dweck, 2006; Yeager & Dweck, 2012) to

sustain their teaching careers beyond the initial three years of teaching in a high-need school

(Castro, Kelly, & Shih, 2010; Gimbert & Fultz, 2010; Levine, 2013; Meister & Ahrens, 2011;

Shernoff, Mariñez-Lora, Frazier, Jakobsons, Atkins, & Bonner, 2011; Synder, 2012; Vaughn &

Saul, 2013; Wang & Fulton, 2012).

Research Questions

Relative to the purpose of this study, the following questions framed this research:

1. How do public school teachers describe their experience working in a high-need

educational community in North Carolina?

According to Bernhardt (2012), Burton and Johnson (2010), Castro, Kelly, and Shih

(2010), and Smeaton and Waters (2013), teaching is a lifestyle, incorporating morals,

integrity, and humility. Often, individuals pursue a teaching career to help others as they

were encouraged during their K-12 experiences. Additionally, teachers teaching in low-

performing schools struggle with acquiring colleague support and resources. Therefore, one

of the initial objectives is to create an atmosphere in which to serve as a self-advocate and

become your own change agent.

2. How do public school teachers perceive their former life history as having an impact

retaining their profession beyond the initial three years of teaching in a high-need, low-

performing public school?

As indicated in educational research, contextual influences such as one’s cultural

experiences, family, life history, aspirations, self-efficacy, and career goals directly affect the

sustainability of teachers (Aloe, Amo, & Shanahan, 2014; Bernhardt, 2012; Bridges, 2012;

Burton & Johnson, 2010; Claeys, 2011; Heineke, Mazza, & Tichnor-Wagner, 2014; Orange,

2014; Synder, 2012). Specifically, this study hoped to gain a better understanding of the

participants’ personal interests in selecting teaching as a career by interviewing each

individual and acquiring insight from the focus group discussion that showed what sustained

their teaching profession beyond the initial three years of teaching.

3. What intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors do public school teachers describe as

encouraging them to sustain their teaching profession beyond the initial three years of

teaching in a high-need, low-performing public school?

Burton and Johnson (2010), Gimbert and Fultz (2010), Meister and Ahrens (2011),

Shernoff, Martiñez-Lora, Frazier, Jakobsons, Atkins, and Bonner (2011), Smeaton and Waters

(2013), Synder (2012), and Vaughn and Saul (2013) researched both veteran and novice

teachers’ decisions to remain in the educational profession and the various extrinsic motivational

factors that encouraged their retention and attrition in rural and urban areas. Likewise, Schaefer,

Long, and Clandinin (2011, 2012), Synder (2012), and Vaughn and Saul (2013), explored the

various experiences of teachers and specific incentives for them to preserve their educational

careers. However, the voices of teachers in high-need schools, specifically in North Carolina,

continued to be unheard in the educational literature. Comparatively, teachers embrace a vital

role and position in the educational community, thus emphasizing the need for their voices to be

heard, denoting the significance of their lived experiences and motives to sustain their teaching

careers while working in high-need schools located in southeastern North Carolina.

As indicated by Aloe, Amo, and Shanahan (2014), Dagenhart, Petty, and O’Connor

(2010), Gimbert and Fultz (2010), Levine (2013), and Schaefer, Long, and Clandinin (2011,

2012), historical research investigated the retention, attrition, and burnout associated with

teachers. However, the voices of teachers in low-performing public schools, specifically in

North Carolina, continued to be unheard in the educational literature. The teachers in this study

experienced motivational factors in sustaining their careers beyond the initial years while

teaching in a high-need public school in southeastern North Carolina.

Research Plan

A qualitative transcendental phenomenological research design was implemented for this

study. As identified by Creswell (2013), “. . . a phenomenological study describes the common

meaning for several individuals of their lived experiences of a concept or a phenomenon” (p. 76).

Similarly, a phenomenological research study afforded the researcher opportunities to hear the

voices of the participants’ experiences and attribute meaning relative to the phenomenon and

attain an understanding of the phenomenon (Moustakas, 1994; van Manen, 1990, 2014). In

addition, the significance of interviewing public school teachers who shared their professional

careers via photographs and reflective narratives was essential in conducting this

phenomenological study and showing what factors sustained their educational careers in high-

need public schools in a rural area of southeastern North Carolina beyond the initial three years

of teaching. Another essential component in conducting this phenomenological study was

bracketing. According to Moustakas (1994), researchers are to bracket their perceptions when

conducting phenomenological research, which allows them to set aside their preconceived

thoughts and continue the study void of supposition.

By exploring the motivational factors that sustained teachers in a high-need educational

community via a transcendental phenomenological approach, this study offered the opportunity

to analyze the participants’ interviews and collective documentation, and extend thematic

analysis within a focus group for accuracy and comprehension. As described by Moustakas

(1994), by utilizing a transcendental phenomenological approach, the researcher seeks to

understand an individuals’ experiences. Thus, the researcher sets aside preconceived thoughts

and perceptions (epoche/bracketing) to view the phenomena through a different lens, allowing

the phenomena to surface in its entirety (Moustakas, 1994).

Delimitations and Limitations

For the purpose of this study, the participants were identified as teachers who taught in

low-performing public schools in one school district located in the southeastern region of North

Carolina and who remained in high-need public schools throughout their teaching career beyond

the initial three years of teaching. The rationale for this specific selection of participants was to

merit that teachers had completed their initial three years of teaching within low-performing

public schools within the North Carolina public education system. Thus, this criterion permitted

the researcher to describe the phenomenon of motivational factors that sustained teachers who

taught specifically in high-need public schools situated in southeastern North Carolina.

Equally, for the purpose of this study, the teachers were limited to those who taught in

school districts deemed as high-need and low-performing due to student academic achievement

via standardized test results, socioeconomic status, and students who received a high ratio of free

lunch as identified by federal and North Carolina state guidelines. Likewise, the rationale for

limiting the public school teachers to this specific selection was a focus on the phenomenon of

teachers who sustained their educational careers by preserving motivational factors that enabled

them to continue teaching specifically beyond the initial three years.

Proposed limitations prevalent in this study were the years of teaching with a focus

beyond the initial three years of teaching in the traditional track and an alternative track. Thus,

the participants’ ages ranged from 31 to 62 years of age. Likewise, there was a possibility of

limited diversity among the participants being centrally located in the southeastern region of

North Carolina in high-need areas. However, the researcher selected a diverse populace of

public school teachers. The teachers within the school district were five traditional female

participants and four female participants who completed an alternative educational track.

Comparatively, the male teachers comprised of four participants, with two who completed a

traditional track and two who completed an alternative educational track.

Additionally, the educational setting was public schools within one school district located

only in southeastern North Carolina. Consequently, this study concedes that the motivational

factors and experiences of the selected participants may not reflect the diverse perspectives and

teacher sustainability of various genders, ethnicities, ages, and geographical locations.

Ultimately, once the participant list was attained, the participants were explored to determine the

most comprehensive assemblage of diversity from those who had experienced the same

phenomenon.

Definitions

1. Extrinsic Motivation- Extrinsic motivation is defined as an individual’s view of their

behaviorisms occurring outside of the person as a consequence of external factors such as

salary, principal and colleague support, educational resources, and professional

development (Gimbert & Fultz, 2010; Hazarati-Viari, Rad, & Torabi, 2012).

2. Fixed Mindset- A fixed mindset is a mindset identified with people who believe that their

basic qualities, such as intelligence or gifts, are fixed traits, innately given at birth

(Dweck, 2006; Yeager & Dweck, 2012).

3. Growth Mindset- A growth mindset is a mindset identified with people who believe that

they can develop over time with hard work and dedication to a task (Dweck, 2006;

Yeager & Dweck, 2012).

4. Initial Years of Teaching- Initial years of teaching is identified as a teacher serving in

the first three years of appropriate teaching experience in their initial licensure area

(sbepolicy.dpi.state.nc.us/policies).

5. Intrinsic Motivation- Intrinsic motivation is identified in people who possess an internal

interest and enjoyment and feel competent and self-determined (Gimbert & Fultz, 2010;

Hazarati-Viari, Rad, & Torabi, 2012).

6. Novice Teacher- A novice teacher is identified as a new or beginning teacher and an early

career teacher determined by years of experience within the first five years of teaching

(Schaefer, Long, & Clandinin, 2012; Smeaton & Waters, 2013).

7. Beginning Teacher- Teachers who are in the first three years of teaching and who hold a

Standard Professional 1 License (www.ncpublicschools.org).

8. Experienced Teachers- Teachers including those with career status who have been

employed for three or more years (www.ncpublicschools.org).

9. Sustain- To support, experience, and continue pursuant of an action or process (Castro,

Kelly, & Shih, 2010; Levine, 2013).

10. Transformation Learning Theory- Defined as a mode of learning that transforms

problematic frames of reference; to make frames of reference more inclusive, open, and

emotionally able to change (Mezirow, 2003).

11. Low-Performing School- Low-performing schools are those in which there is a failure to

meet the minimum growth standards, as defined by the State Board, and a majority of

students performing below grade level and schools that receive a D or F school

performance grade and do not exceed academic growth expectations on state exams

(http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/).

12. High-Need School- A high-need school is identified as a school where the poverty level is

extremely high with unfilled available teaching positions, high volume of non-certified,

non-licensed teachers, high teacher turnover, and located in an area where at least 30

percent of students are reared in families with incomes below poverty level in both urban

and rural areas (www.ed.gov).

Summary

As indicated in this research and other educational studies, a learner’s academic

achievement is often accomplished through rigorous academia and motivational factors

encompassing the assigned teachers. Based on the literature, the problem was identified as a

lack of research indicating teacher sustainability beyond the initial three years of teaching in a

high-need, low-performing public school in southeastern North Carolina. Therefore, this

particular study hoped to enhance the educational community by highlighting the motivational

factors that sustain teachers in high-need, low-performing public schools situated in southeastern

North Carolina, for the ultimate goal of student success, teacher longevity, school district

recruiting improvement in diverse settings and other schools, and enhanced teacher education

programs via the universities. The research background, problem, purpose, significance,

questions, plan, delimitations, limitations, and definitions which are all important components

were explained in this chapter for this particular study.

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW

Overview

The study of teacher career status encompasses mostly attrition, retention, and burnout,

denoting purposes for leaving the educational profession (Aloe, Amo, & Shanahan, 2014; Burton

& Johnson, 2010; Smeaton & Waters, 2013). However, no studies indicated the personal,

demographic, and contextual influences of sustaining teachers beyond the initial three years of

teaching (Aloe, Amo, & Shanahan, 2014; Bernhardt, 2012; Bridges, 2012; Burton & Johnson,

2010; Claeys, 2011; Heineke, Mazza, & Tichnor-Wagner, 2014; Orange, 2014; Synder, 2012).

This chapter describes the theoretical framework which guides this study and is grounded in

mindset theory studied by Carol Dweck (Dweck, 2006; Yeager & Dweck, 2012), andragogical

adult learning theory studied by Malcolm Knowles (Holton, Knowles, & Swanson, 2005;

Knowles, 1975; McGrath, 2009), and transformation learning theory studied by Jack Mezirow

(Mezirow, 1997, 2003). Additionally, this chapter incorporates related literature relative to the

topics of teacher retention, attrition, burnout, and sustainability in educational careers.

Contextual influences encompassing leadership support, mentor programs, and advantages of

professional development opportunities within a high-need school are also described. In this

chapter, the advantages of understanding teachers’ demographics, personal life history, and

aspirations are described to highlight motivational factors in teacher sustainability while teaching

in a high-need public school. Lastly in this chapter, existing literature is incorporated to explore

teachers’ clinical teaching and participation in teacher preparatory programs to determine if these

experiences align with their teaching sustainability and their longevity beyond the initial three

years of teaching in a high-need school in southeastern North Carolina.

Mindset theorists (Dweck, 2006; Yeager & Dweck, 2012) posit that those who possess a

growth mindset often require minimal self-confidence improvements, accept challenges, strive

for achievement, search for novel opportunities, and preserve humility, which are attributes that

enable them to be resilient to life’s encounters. Knowles (1975) and other adult learning

theorists (Holton, Knowles, & Swanson, 2005; McGrath, 2009) emphasize the significance of

how adults learn novel content, maturation of self-directedness, planning and input in societal

context, identification in reaching adulthood, and critical reflection. Mezirow (1997, 2003)

studied the importance of an individual’s transformation, how adults progress throughout life,

and the advantages of incorporating critical reflection and discourse. Consequently, a

comprehensive synthesis of literature has been formulated to advance research among teachers

beyond their initial three years of teaching, preserving their motivational factors in sustaining

their educational career in high-need public schools in southeastern North Carolina. In this

chapter, the theoretical framework and a comprehensive synthesis of related literature provides a

background for the research and the gap that has been identified in the literature.

Theoretical Framework

The axiological assumption led to the choice of this specific research study relative to

motivational factors that sustained teachers beyond their initial three years of teaching within

high-need educational communities. As the researcher in the present study, I advocate for both a

biblical worldview and a social constructivism mindset conducive to teacher sustainability in

rural areas of North Carolina.

Therefore, the theoretical framework guiding this study is grounded in mindset and

motivation theory proposed by Carol Dweck, andragogical adult learning theory introduced by

Malcolm Knowles, and transformative theory developed by Jack Mezirow. Likewise, the related

literature reviewed in this study is on the topics of teacher retention, attrition, burnout, and

sustainability related to their educational profession. Contextual influences relative to leadership

support, mentoring programs, and professional development within high-need school

communities is also highlighted. Teachers’ demographics, personal life history, and aspirations

were explored to describe their motivational factors in sustaining teaching careers.

Comparatively, research also explored teachers’ clinical teaching and teacher education

preparatory programs to determine if their student-teaching experiences aligned with their

sustainability and encompassed their teaching career beyond the initial three years of teaching in

high-need schools in southeastern North Carolina.

Dweck’s Mindset and Motivation Theory

Dweck’s (2006) mindset theory focuses on a fixed versus growth mindset relative to

motivation, personality, and individual growth development. According to Dweck (2006),

mindsets are conventions and opportunities that learners own about themselves and others in

societal context, indicating “the view you adopt for yourself profoundly affects the way you lead

your life . . . . it can determine whether you become the person you want to be and whether you

accomplish the things you value” (p. 5). According to mindset theory, individuals who possess a

growth mindset can develop over time, whereas, a fixed mindset indicates that personal

“qualities are carved in stone” (Dweck, 2006, p. 6). Dweck’s mindset theory emphasizes that

individuals have the capacity to transform their mindset from a fixed mode of knowing to a

growth mindset of learning over time (Dweck, 2006; Yeager & Dweck, 2012). Dweck (2006)

defines a fixed mindset as what individuals believe are innate talents and/or abilities that cannot

be changed; the growth mindset describes those who are considered a “work in progress” and

can change over time with ongoing opportunities (p. 103).

Additionally, Dweck (2006) advocates that an individual’s personality flourishes from

mindset that encompasses all capacities of life. Therefore, the attributes of great teaching shifts

from a fixed to a growth mindset with the ultimate goal of student achievement. Dweck (2006)

signified that her research relevant to teachers “starts with the growth mindset – about yourself

and about children . . . a deep desire to reach in and ignite the mind of every child” (p. 201).

Consequently, Dweck has discovered from her educational experiences that a great teacher is one

who constitutes lifelong learning and serving as a student first in aspiration of achievement for

all stakeholders. Mindset and motivation theory serve as both foundational support for teachers

who teach in high-need schools in southeastern North Carolina and a motivational factor in

sustaining their teaching careers beyond the initial years.

As educational research expounds, individuals can shift their mindset over time from a

fixed mode of knowing to a growth mindset of learning, inclusive of their resilience when

confronted with educational and societal tasks. Flexibility indicates that mindset can be

positively transformed, which directly enables resilience when taught specific psychologically-

based interventions and advocates pliability when addressing adversity in becoming one’s own

change agent (Dweck, 2006; Yeager & Dweck, 2012).

Mindset theorists advocate that those who possess a growth mindset require minimal self-

esteem boosts, receive challenges, pursue accomplishments, invite new opportunities, encourage

support from others, and preserve humility, which enables them to be resilient to life’s conflicts

(Dweck, 2006; Yeager & Dweck, 2012). Dweck (2006) promotes the variations of mindset,

indicating that mindset structures the continual description that occurs in the brain, directing the

entire perception process, where the fixed mindset creates internal communication concentrated

on judgment. Dweck advocates that individuals who possess a growth mindset attend to learning

and constructive action, resulting in the perception of what can be attained, how to self-improve,

and how to help others. Additionally, Dweck has discovered that mindset is not a personal flaw

or idiosyncrasy, but an overall mental capacity that helps to expand and explain how they

become expectant or distrustful with life’s perceptions. However, mindset determines ambition,

purpose, work ethic, perspective toward others, maturity, and how to parent children (Dweck,

2006; Yeager & Dweck, 2012).

Often, those who possess a fixed mindset tend to continuously search to prove

themselves, with the ultimate goal of appearing intelligent and skilled at all costs. Whereas,

individuals with a growth mindset understand that their talents and skills develop over time, and

achievement is acquired during life’s experiences. Throughout her research, Dweck (2006)

emphasizes the growth mindset shift in disciplines such as education, science, technology, math,

music, sports, literacy, and business, with the motivation to apply the growth mindset to achieve

impactful outcomes. Consequently, Dweck indicates that individuals can change their mindset at

any given time in life to accomplish ultimate attainment and contentment. Dweck studies and

teaches educators, students, parents, coaches, scientists, businessmen, and sports players how to

shift a fixed mindset, which often traps them, to a growth mindset that will help them reach their

fullest potential (Dweck, 2006; Yeager & Dweck, 2012).

Relative to sports and competitive disciplines, Dweck (2006) highlights the

championship mentality, where individuals retain character and ambition. Those who possess a

high quality character and the championship mentality believe in working hard, maintaining

focus during conflict, and amplifying innate abilities when applicable. Likewise, those who

possess a championship mentality may not be as gifted as others, but have the mindset to

overcome and achieve goals and directives as well as opponents. Dweck (2006) defined

character as “what allows you to reach the top and stay there” (p. 97). Thus, individuals who

work their hardest and give their best, achieve the greatest potential and acquire resilience when

confronted with adversity in societal context.

Yeager and Dweck (2012) identified resilience in their research while working with both

adults and youth, denoting when individuals exhibit resilience, they embrace a “behavioral,

attributional, or emotional response to an academic or social challenge that is positive and

beneficial for development” (p. 303). Likewise, Yeager and Dweck discovered that if the

younger populace is taught early in life how to shift their mindset when confronted with

adversity, their interpretations of specific situations equips them with a more positive outcome

and eagerness to accept life’s challenges. Yeager and Dweck emphasize that if perceptions can

be positively interrupted with a growth mindset, individuals have the potential to psychologically

change their position in difficult or uncomfortable situations. Consequently, teachers who

possess a growth mindset and teach in high-need educational communities, can positively impact

all stakeholders by modeling and teaching students, families, and colleagues by preparing

themselves for sustainability and overall student achievement. According to research (Castro,

Kelly, & Shih, 2010; Dweck, 2006; Meister & Ahrens, 2011; Yeager & Dweck, 2012),

individuals who possess resilience and a growth mindset, expound upon their ability and

disengage the concept of unproductive mindset, with a determination to ignite a flame for

learning, and rise to their ultimate potential to change and face life’s challenges.

Knowles Andragogical Adult Learning Theory

Knowles’ andragogical adult learning theory supports the capacities of how adults learn

compared with the pedagogical approach of children and their learning processes (Holton,

Knowles, & Swanson, 2005; Knowles, 1975; McGrath, 2009). Holton, Knowles, and Swanson

(2005) distinguished six principles of how adults learn and their assumptions: (a) the need to

know, (b) the learner’s self-concept, (c) the role of the learner’s experiences, (d) readiness to

learn, (e) orientation to learning, and (f) motivation to learn from an internal perspective.

Knowles’ andragogical adult learning theory defines the eagerness to attain information when

incorporating input, self-concept, orientation, and motivation relative to contextual meaning

(Holton, Knowles, & Swanson, 2005; Knowles, 1975; McGrath, 2009). Based on Knowles’

studies and other theorists’ research relative to adult learning theory, “learning, emphasizes the

person in whom the change occurs or is expected to occur” (Holton, Knowles, & Swanson, 2005,

p. 281).

Similarly, researchers who study adult learning theory signify the characteristics of an

adult’s identification process via biological process, legal identification, social communication,

and psychological processing (Holton, Knowles, & Swanson, 2005; McGrath, 2009). Holton,

Knowles, and Swanson categorize the four sustainable descriptions of an adult as the biological

period, the legal timeline, the social experiences, and the psychological platform. First, the

biological period is identified when adults reach the age of reproduction. Second, the legal

timeline occurs when adults reach the age when they can register to vote, acquire a driver’s

license, and choose to marry without parental permission. Third, individuals become adults

socially when they can accomplish specific roles in societal context such as working in a full-

time capacity, parenting children, and voting citizenship. Fourth, individuals are considered

adults psychologically when they acquire a self-concept conducive to their own responsibilities

and self-sufficiency.

Comparatively, McGrath (2009) indicates that Knowles’ theory of andragogy is

representative of individuals who are “autonomous, free, and growth oriented” (p. 107), while

other theorists advocate that there is no indication to conclude that adults are self-driven and

impacted by societal tasks and most will follow directives given in specific situations. However,

most research encourages the andragogical theory with the notion that adult learners achieve

more effectively when they are given junctures for input and shared life’s lessons (Holton,

Knowles, & Swanson, 2005; McGrath, 2009). Interestingly, Holton, Knowles, and Swanson

postulated that most adults acquire these sustainable adult qualities throughout their journey in

life. They emphasize that individuals can be taught these sustainable characteristics in their

youth with consistent self-directed opportunities and accountabilities. Yet, most individuals

continuously acquire adult qualities as they mature from adolescence to adulthood. Theorists

have identified the development of how adults mature and are self-directed, thus, teachers who

follow the traditional educational track may struggle with self-direction if not exposed to

psychological and social interactions during their youth. Therefore, teachers who have

experienced limited novel opportunities for self-concept and resilience may resist or

unconsciously avoid specific needs in their classrooms or pose difficulties with social

requirements within the educational setting.

Frequently, in traditional educational environments, adult learners are taught and

expected to follow a more regimented pedagogical delivery, where they are given the directives,

required resources, and the evaluative manner of outcomes. Whereas, with an andragogical

approach, adults are encouraged to share input and ideas in a cohesive manner. Knowles and

other adult-learning theorists (Holton, Knowles, & Swanson, 2005; McGrath, 2009) discovered

that when adults learn new information on their own instead of being taught, they create a sense

of self-direction. As a result of the enforced structure of learning in a traditional educational

community, adults often resist or withdraw because of their non-involvement with planning and

input. Holton, Knowles, and Swanson (2005) believed that adults should be able to diagnose

their own needs by articulating goals, determining needed resources, acquiring specific

strategies, and evaluating accomplishments, which creates a sense of ownership and commitment

to the plan.

Synder (2012) describes reflective journal writing as a tool for novice teachers in their

personal and professional growth, “By making the reflective process transparent, students

learning to be teachers will become more aware of their own reflective thinking sooner” (pp. 49-

50). Likewise, research (Holton, Knowles, & Swanson, 2005; Knowles, 1975) indicates that the

educational process is an action stimulated or originated by an individual or a community, with

the goal to influence continual transformation in academic knowledge, value, talent, and mindset

of all stakeholders.

Additionally, the manner in which adults attain content transforms from their ownership,

which enables them to learn genuinely and perpetually compared to being taught in a lecture

mode. Therefore, teacher education programs in universities are challenged with shifting from

the pedagogical mode of delivery where students “sit and get” to offering more student

internships in high-need schools, where diverse student populations and teacher candidates

experience the phenomena of cultural diversity. As indicated through educational context and

instructional dissemination, adults acquire information differently than children, emerging from a

pedagogical approach to an andragogical mode of attainment.

McGrath (2009) theorized, “Adult learners need to know why they are learning new

knowledge before they are willing to participate” (p. 99). Likewise, educators are to integrate

educational practices relative to intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors, which establish a

growth mindset of content acquisition. Comparatively, teachers are confronted with

incorporating teaching styles and differentiating instructional practices that warrant the

fulfillment of all students’ learning styles and interchangeable motivational traits. Hence,

acquisition that poses collective considerations in identifying the connections between a teaching

environment and a learning environment.

During his studies, Knowles (Holton, Knowles, & Swanson, 2005; Knowles, 1975)

created a learning contract method to help adult learners self-diagnose and determine the

learning objectives of both the learner and the assigned supervisor. The learning contract was

designed to identify the adult learners’ needs, determine the objectives, distinguish the required

resources and strategies, identify evidence of accomplishment with determined objectives, show

evidence validation, consult with constituents, complete desired tasks, and evaluate outcomes

(Holton, Knowles, & Swanson, 2005; Knowles, 1975). According to Holton, Knowles, and

Swanson (2005), “Education emphasizes the educator, whereas learning emphasizes the person

in whom the change occurs or is expected to occur” (p. 400). Therefore, involving adults in the

planning and development processes is vitally important in an educational environment and

affords them opportunities to reach “their full degree of humaneness” (McGrath, 2009, p. 102).

Holton, Knowles, and Swanson (2005) and Knowles (1975) proposed that the

andragogical theory transfers from a pedagogical mode of acquiring information to an

andragogical approach of learning, encompassing six principles of how adults learn and form

assumptions. First, adults need to know why and what they are learning ignites an awareness of

current knowledge and the desire for future position empowers their willingness to be challenged

with new tasks and interests. Second, as adults mature, they acquire a self-concept which

involves ownership and responsibility of their life’s decisions. When adults acquire a personal

self-concept and/or identity, they are intensely troubled when others try to dictate their thoughts

and perspective. Hence, the conflict for teachers who aren’t supported by their colleagues or

administrators often results in high teacher turnover and attrition within the educational

profession, especially in high-needs schools (Gimbert & Fultz, 2010; Smeaton & Waters, 2013;

Synder, 2012). Third, an adult’s role in lived experiences suggests a maturity over the younger

populace, which assumes a greater volume of knowledge and intellect. Therefore, within a

group of adults, there should be a greater capacity for knowledge, expounding uniqueness and

novel opportunities for input. Fourth, adults’ readiness to learn signifies that they are equipped

and prepared to handle life’s circumstances. Fifth, adults’ orientation to learning encompasses a

task-centered approach, specifically if they know the situation is applicable to life’s journey.

Sixth, the motivation factor is a crucial period for adults and their learning, due to the fact that

they are extrinsically driven to tasks such as job satisfaction, self-confidence, and higher paying

salaries.

Mezirow’s Transformative Learning Theory

Mezirow’s transformative learning theory supports the potential understanding of the

contextual influences and motivational factors for teachers in sustaining their careers beyond the

initial years of teaching in high-need schools (Mezirow, 2003; Synder, 2012). Mezirow’s (2003)

transformative learning theory explains how adults process learning as instrumental and

communicative and explores how adults attribute their learning capabilities as attaining

knowledge of experiences and reasoning. Relative to teachers, transformative learning theory

denotes transformation to new, open, more integrative and broader ways of knowing, which can

be applicable to an educator’s teaching expertise. According to Mezirow (2003) and Synder

(2012), adults approach novice learning with intensity and improved emotion, indicating as they

mature, they accrue life’s lessons, which cultivates validated frames of reference and ultimately

situates novice learning in pre-existing structures.

Mezirow’s (2003) theory postulates the importance of adults’ reflective discourse and

moral development in adulthood, connecting the concepts and theories about how adults respond

to adult educational experiences, indicating “free participation in critical reflection and

discourse” (p. 63). Transformative theory defines the epistemology of transformative learning

while interchanging with adults, indicating the reasoning and the mannerisms of how adults

evaluate their beliefs, learning, critical reflection, workplace, and community (Mezirow, 2003;

Synder, 2012). Mezirow’s transformative learning theory transforms problematic frames of

reference, making them more inclusive, open, and emotionally able to change and to make

meaning of specific context. Therefore, the mode in which adults acquire contextual knowledge

is a process that supports the ability to reach their potential, skills, and academic capabilities for

maturation and progression. Mezirow’s theory kindles hope for teachers in high-need schools in

sustaining their teaching profession beyond the initial years of teaching.

Additionally, Mezirow (2003) distinctively describes instrumental learning,

communicative learning, and the significance of transformative learning. Instrumental learning

has a relationship with transformation in life, highlighting that learning is relative to “controlling

and manipulating the environment, with emphasis on improving prediction and performance”

(Mezirow, 2003, p. 59). Communicative learning requires the process of assessing the meaning

and beliefs of others in conversation or dialogue to determine one’s greatest conclusion. The

communication factors that Mezirow studied are essential with teachers because they denote

interchanges with others as well as self-reflection, which is required by educational

professionals. Likewise, teachers are evaluated in accordance with their reflective practices and

how they assess their instructional dialogue and communicative reasoning with students

(Anderson & Stillman, 2011; Bridges, 2012; Smeaton & Waters, 2013; Wang & Fulton, 2012).

Mezirow emphasized that transformative learning encompasses genuine reflective

processes occurring individually or within a group. Thus, it is crucial for teachers to have

opportunities to collaborate and participate in Professional Learning Communities (PLC),

departmental planning, and content-related professional development to sustain them beyond the

initial years of teaching. Incorporating a sense of connectedness and community plays a

significant role in sustaining teachers in the beginning years in their careers, specifically in high-

need schools. Synder (2013) described the importance of understanding the journey of teachers,

particularly regarding the effectiveness of attending specific teacher education programs and the

decision to pursue a teaching career. According to Synder (2013), professional instructors are to

be purposeful, thoughtful, and involved in preparatory education programs in order to be

effective while serving in the educational community.

Teacher education programs should establish an environment conducive to adults

transforming their mindset of teaching and learning to a research-based epistemology in serving

themselves and their students (Synder, 2013). Additionally, there is an emphasis on teacher

education programs incorporating an environment relative to spiraled, experiential, and authentic

curriculum with collegial partnerships and reflective expectations (Synder, 2013). According to

Mezirow (2003) and Synder (2013), the specific transformative phases relative to adults’

transformation are beneficial for teacher education programs incorporating a framework for the

distribution of educational practices and collaboration. Also, educational leaders who prepare

and equip themselves with a thorough understanding of how adults learn is imperative to the

successful education of adults, specifically teacher candidates and their continued interest in

pursuing a teaching career. As theorists (Holton, Knowles, & Swanson, 2005; Knowles, 1975;

McGrath, 2009; Mezirow, 2003; Synder, 2013) who study adult learning indicated, adults

confront novice learning with more intensity and an augmented emotional state compared to the

younger populace. Subsequently, as adults mature, they acquire experience and knowledge that

validates their personal frame of reference and cautions attaining new context; “when new

learning does not fit, opportunities for perspective transformation emerge” (Synder, 2013, p. 35).

Likewise, transformative learning encapsulates metacognitive thinking and various forms

of reference to conclude importance, pertinence, and values, which could alter individuals’

perspectives (Mezirow, 2003; Synder, 2013). Mezirow summarized that the epistemology of the

transformative learning theory and how adults learn in the educational community entails the

concept of reasoning inclusive of critical-dialectical processing and how adults tend to advocate

for their beliefs. Comparatively, providing opportunities for teachers to participate in educating

others while serving as a student first is advantageous for all stakeholders in the educational

community (Mezirow, 2003; Synder, 2013). As indicated by Synder (2013), “the candidate can

begin the process of measuring their success not based on how well they teach, but rather on how

well their students learn” (p. 48). In accordance to Mezirow’s (2003) transformative learning

theory, adults require novel occasions for new information and experiences to transform. Thus,

teachers should be allotted time to implement and practice new content and strategies in an

environment equipped with mentors and knowledgeable practitioners. Research (Mezirow,

1997, 2003; Synder, 2013) denotes that, as adults acquire knowledge and new references,

training and validation have to occur for transformation to have a lasting effect in the learning

process. According to Mezirow (2003), “Skills, activities, sensitivities, and insights are relevant

to participating in critical-dialectical discourse” (p. 60). Thus, teachers who exhibit or attain an

open mind and learn to listen empathetically to students, families, and colleagues will typically

seek a common understanding of required resources and communication for the overall success

of students and longevity in sustaining their careers. Lastly, Mezirow described individuals’

discourse as interchange that involves assessing their principles, judgements, and value systems,

which links the greater aptitude to their autonomy in promoting maturation into adulthood.

Numerous methods have been suggested to motivate transformational learning, comprising

narrative reflection in a journal, metaphorical analysis, one’s life history, learning contracts of

accomplishments, group collaboration, and literature to ignite critical reflection and rational

discourse. As Mezirow (1997) stated with the implications of transformational learning among

adults:

The process involves transforming frames of reference through critical reflection of

assumptions, validating contested beliefs through discourse, taking action on one’s

reflective insight, and critically assessing it. This understanding of the nature of

significant adult learning provides the educator with a rationale for selecting appropriate

educational practices and actively resisting social and cultural forces that distort and

delimit adult learning. (p. 11)

Related Literature

The literature reviewed for this study is inclusive of context and research studies that

indicated both intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors to distinguish teacher’s retention,

attrition, and burnout, and the experiences of those who taught in high-need schools. This

related literature highlighted the career status of both novice and experienced teachers,

contextual influences relative to leadership, mentor programs, and professional development

which supports initial-licensed teachers. Additional research described teachers’ clinical

teaching and teacher education preparatory programs to conclude if student-teaching experiences

aligned with sustainability encompassing their teaching career beyond the initial three years of

teaching in high-need schools located in southeastern North Carolina. Individual identities

conducive to teachers and their demographics, personal life history, and aspirations of becoming

a teacher were also highlighted in the related literature.

Novice and Experienced Teachers: Retention, Burnout, and Attrition

Educational researchers (Aloe, Amo, & Shanahan, 2014; Castro, Kelly, & Shih, 2010;

Schaefer, Long, & Clandinin, 2012) continuously study the purpose of teacher retention,

attrition, and burnout, specifically regarding novice teachers and their motivation to leave the

profession within the first three years. As indicated in the uniqueness of teacher retention, most

experienced teachers sustain their careers with a mindset of serving an all-encompassing

community. Bernhardt (2012) noted that “ . . . . teaching is about instilling an ethic of love,

compassion, virtue, courage, joy, and humility” (p. 5). According to research (Bernhardt, 2012;

Burton & Johnson, 2010; Dagenhart, Petty, & O’Connor, 2010), when experienced teachers are

asked why they retain their careers, the overall response was the love for students, specific

student populations, total-school community support, and established relationships. Likewise,

retention among experienced teachers is often indicated by well-established expectations and

procedures, coping strategies, and acquiring professional autonomy (Burton & Johnson, 2010;

Dagenhart, Petty, & O’Connor, 2010; Levine, 2013). Advocacy, administrative-faculty

relationships, and mentorship for novice teachers remains paramount for retaining experienced

teachers in the public school system (Burton & Johnson, 2010; Dagenhart, Petty, & O’Connor,

2010; Levine, 2013; Meister & Ahrens, 2011; Synder, 2012).

One of the continuing factors in teacher attrition in the United States is burnout, and it is

estimated that approximately 25% of beginning teachers in their first year of teaching will leave

the teaching profession, increasing attrition within the first three years of teaching (Aloe, Amo,

& Shanahan, 2014). Comparatively, burnout is recognized in most all countries and is often

linked with all stages of novice teachers’ careers, which directly impacts the decision to willingly

sustain their careers. The emotional fatigue and instability of teachers can create less personal

accomplishment and depersonalization encompassing all stakeholders in the educational

community, resulting in the statistical high volume of teacher attrition (Aloe, Amo, & Shanahan,

2014; Gimbert & Fultz, 2010; Smeaton & Waters, 2013). Interestingly, researchers (Aloe, Amo,

& Shanahan, 2014; Castro, Kelly, & Shih, 2010) have discovered three dimensions of burnout

and classroom management self-efficacy which are recognized as emotional exhaustion,

depersonalization, and lowered personal accomplishment, signifying the correlation between a

teacher’s classroom management self-efficacy and career burnout dimensions.

According to Aloe, Amo, and Shanahan (2014), when a teacher’s classroom management

and self-efficacy decreases, both depersonalization and emotional exhaustion increase because a

negative relationship occurs when teachers experience non-connectedness and emotional fatigue.

Teachers who experience a lowered self-efficacy in their careers may inwardly retreat which

shrinks their mindset of achievement and enlarges their interchange of engagement.

Consequently, these maladjusted responses could lead to teacher attrition and a reciprocal

outcome in sustaining teachers. Equally, researchers (Aloe, Amo, & Shanahan, 2014; Gimbert &

Fultz, 2010; Smeaton & Waters, 2013) postulated that teachers often feel unprepared with

classroom management and documented significantly higher results of unpreparedness and

planning with young, unmarried teachers, especially those who taught in high-need urban area

schools. Likewise, Smeaton and Waters (2013) indicated that when cooperative learning,

differentiated instruction, and constructivism are implemented in the classroom, a higher

percentage of teachers are sustained. However, they explained that teachers’ intensity increased

with weekend planning, personal interruptions, instructional meetings, and curriculum

preparedness, the direct negative correlation of conflicts in the teaching profession when

compared to other human service fields.

An additional concern for increasing burnout with novice teachers is interchanges with

paraprofessionals and supervisory responsibilities in the classroom (Smeaton & Waters, 2013).

During the time teachers are students in a teacher education program, few educational courses

explain direct expectations of supervising paraprofessionals in the educational community

(Smeaton & Waters, 2013). Often teachers learn paraprofessional responsibilities as they

continue their careers (direct on-the-job training), which indicated the majority of conflicts occur

when the assigned teacher is younger and is directed to supervise someone older than

themselves. Likewise, teachers experience conflict with paraprofessionals if they are deemed as

a lateral-entry teacher, pursuant of an alternative license, rather than following the traditional

educational track in the teacher education course of study (Holt, 2011; Smeaton & Waters,

2013). These conflicts often occur because paraprofessionals have not received the same

educational courses and experiences as a teacher who has completed the traditional educational

track (Holt, 2011). Interestingly in North Carolina, a large volume of non-traditional teachers

are pursuing teaching careers via an alternative licensure track, also identified as second-career

teachers and lateral-entry candidates (Henry, Thompson, Fortner, Zulli, & Kershaw, 2010; Holt,

2011). In North Carolina, lateral-entry is identified as an “alternate route to teaching for

qualified individuals outside of the public education system”

(www.publicschools.org/licensure/lateral/). As indicated in a study conducted in North Carolina

(Henry, Thompson, Fortner, Zulli, & Kershaw, 2010), students who received their education

from a non-certified or out-of-field teacher were negatively impacted as compared to those who

were being taught by an experienced or certified teacher. Thus, the significance of teachers who

are certified to teach in their concentrated area and are considered experienced teachers have the

greatest impact with overall student achievement.

Further, teachers experience burnout when instructional methods, resources, and

standardized testing mandates are required with limited professional training. Support for

behavioral intervention and classroom management strategies pose the greatest teacher burnout,

indicating teachers require intense professional development in these areas prior to accepting a

teaching position and during their initial teaching careers (Gimbert & Fultz, 2010; Smeaton &

Waters, 2013). Gimbert and Fultz (2010) and Smeaton and Waters (2013) described additional

indicators of burnout among novice teachers in the first three years of teaching as a lack of

materials, limited time for planning specifically for elementary-level teachers, teaching for high-

stakes testing, administrative support for students with behavioral difficulties, and non-compliant

students. Preparing teachers to interpret data and standardized test results is also crucial in

minimizing burnout and attrition. Research indicated that teachers are overwhelmed with

required meetings, planning, scheduling, colleague support for the assigned grade-level content,

and lack of administrative leadership, which often results in burnout and conflict (Gimbert &

Fultz, 2010; Smeaton & Waters, 2013; Vaughn & Saul, 2013). However, teachers who teach in

schools where they are valued and protected in their novice years by administrative staff and

colleague support, report a higher volume of teacher retention. Comparatively, environments

that provide educational staff with an understanding of the various obstacles that teachers

experience and the overall effect for sustaining them account for lower teacher turnover.

In teacher education preparatory programs and within the school districts, educational

leaders must ensure there is no disconnection with field experiences in student-teaching courses

and real-world school districts in order to acquire sustainable opportunities for novice teachers.

Thus, school districts that incorporate and advocate teacher effectiveness and connectedness

genuinely experience a higher rate of teacher retention. Research has been conducted (Shernoff,

Mariñez-Lora, Frazier, Jakobsons, Atkins, & Bonner, 2011) with a program that implemented a

three-year study entitled, Teachers Supporting Teachers in Urban Schools, funded by the

Institute of Education Services, with the goal to develop, adapt, and test the feasibility and the

overall influence the service model created for novice teachers in sustaining their careers.

Likewise, the purpose of the model was to improve classroom management, motivational

learning, and establish cohesive colleague support, which develops trustworthiness in the

educational community. Consequently, the researchers shared the results of the service model,

noting completion rates for fidelity checks with 92% group seminars, 88% PLCs (Professional

Learning Communities), and 59% coaching responses. Likewise, Shernoff et al. (2011)

indicated that “More than 90% of group seminar checklists reflected that early career teachers

experienced didactic instruction, handouts, discussion, problem-solving, modeling, and

performance feedback as more helpful relative to videos (58%), active learning (75%), and

practice using strategy (64%)” (p. 477). During the study, teachers emphasized the importance

of training materials that highlighted urban school areas and extended opportunities for

adaptation to students who attend high-need urban schools.

Sustaining Teachers in High-Need Educational Communities

A continual disturbing turnover among public school teachers occurs each year with

approximately “ . . . 23% of public school teachers leaving within their first five years of

teaching – 14% migrating to other schools and 9% leaving the profession altogether” (Shernoff

et al., 2011, p. 465). Often schools categorized with a high-need, Title I status experience

difficulties hiring certified teachers. As indicated in a study (Dagenhart, Petty, & O’Connor,

2010) highlighting the teacher staffing conflicts in high-need schools, inclusive of National

Board Certified (NBCT) and non-board certified teachers’ perspectives, the researchers

concluded their findings by representing the participants in two phases. Phase one included six

open-ended questions regarding the participants’ demographics, and phase two detailed an online

survey which primarily highlighted numerous open-ended questions relative to the additional

research questions. The additional research questions in Dagenhart, Petty, and O’Connor’s

(2010) study were as follows:

(1) What characteristics help make a teacher and an administrator successful in a high-

need school? (2) In what ways can teacher education programs begin preparing pre-

service teacher candidates to work in high-need schools? (3) What strategies can be

implemented to attract and retain teachers in high-need schools? and (4) In what ways do

teachers, currently in high-need schools, [sic] say that student achievement can be

improved? (p. 9)

As a result of the study, the researchers concluded that the Nationally Board Certified

Teachers desired administrative staff who recognized their educational expertise and were not

intimidated by their credentials but celebrated their accomplishments. Likewise, the research

findings indicated that additional parent collaboration was needed in high-need schools and that

NBCTs who lived in the community would more likely stay in a high-need school rather than

relocate. However, the NBCTs indicated that, to be successful teachers in a high-need school

and increase student achievement, a teacher needs to attain and incorporate rigorous content

knowledge, incorporate research-based instruction, and utilize multiple assessments. The

NBCTs acknowledged that administrators need to serve as curriculum partners who are effective

and visionary and that teacher preparation programs need to require teacher interns opportunities

to teach high-need students during their internships. Orange (2014) indicated that “failing

schools tend to have higher rates of teacher turnover and often employ larger numbers of

teachers working with emergency certification . . . . higher rates of turnover are reported for

administrators in failing schools as well” (p. 1). According to the Southeast Center for Teaching

Quality (2001), “ . . . the recruitment of teachers in hard-to-staff schools in one southeastern state

and the nation . . . . revealed 26% of students in high-poverty, secondary schools were taught by

teachers without proper credentials” (Dagenhart, Petty, & O’Connor, 2010, p. 7).

Frequently, teachers experience a sense of helplessness when trying to acclimate within a

high-need school. According to Shernoff et al. (2011), “feeling ineffective in the classroom is

exacerbated by the alienation and isolation that often characterizes teaching” (p. 467). Studies

(Claeys, 2011; Dagenhart, Petty, & O’Connor, 2010; Meister & Ahrens, 2011; Okojie, 2011;

Phuntsog, 1999; Shernoff, Maríñez-Lora, Frazier, Jakobsons, Atkins, & Bonner, 2011; Smeaton

& Waters, 2013) have shown the constellation of community and connectedness are positive

indicators of sustaining teachers beyond the first five years in the classroom. Acquiring an

understanding of the student populace in urban schools also increases teacher retention. In a

study conducted by Meister and Ahrens (2011), four veteran teachers were asked about their

continual enthusiasm for teaching; they each shared that dedication to students and their career

along with self-initiated support systems, resiliency characteristics, and their resistance to

plateauing distinguished longevity in their careers. Ongoing interactive leadership within the

educational community offered continual dedication and willingness to persevere in conflicts

among the four teachers. Thus, the positive, reflective opportunities with building leaders,

students, and educational colleagues influenced all four participants to retain their educational

resilience when negative plateauing emerged.

Comparatively, Orange (2014) conducted a case study involving 13 educators who shared

their stories of frustration and reasons for leaving the educational profession. Orange’s study

also involved the local school system which connected local policy makers and their decisions by

reviewing documents, interviews, and observations from a rural elementary school located in

Virginia. The elementary school was identified as a school in program improvement because it

had not made Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) for four consecutive years. The researcher

concluded her findings by representing the participants and their responses relative to the No

Child Left Behind (NCLB) mandate and the required testing. As a result of the pressures and

expectations placed on the teachers to increase student test scores, some of the educational staff

resigned, transferred, or requested to teach in a different grade level.

Likewise, in the state of Virginia, educational staff utilize Standards of Learning (SOL)

data, benchmark results, and test scores as predictors of overall student performance. Therefore,

the continual stress was overwhelming in the school community, which concluded with three of

the participants observed by the researcher resigning prior to the end of the study. Additionally,

the researcher detailed reasons why teacher turnover was prevalent at this particular elementary

school in Virginia: (a) increased stress to improve test scores; (b) increased meetings after

school; (c) an increase in workload and time at school; (d) additional paperwork; (e) an increase

in professional development; (f) parent nights after school; (g) less time to plan, grade, and tutor;

and (h) pressure to teach to the test.

In a study conducted by Cooper and He (2011), five participants were asked their greatest

conflicts while serving as interns and novice teachers. They indicated that during their

internships, each participant interacted with diverse students in various high schools and taught

lessons at varied grade levels where three themes emerged: (a) student teacher concerns and

challenges, (b) first-year teacher joys and challenges, and (c) strategies used to face challenges.

As a result, the participants noted three concerns prior to teaching: (a) classroom management,

(b) student motivation, and (c) parent involvement. After their first year of teaching, the

participants indicated their experiences with classroom management improved, whereas parent

involvement and standardized testing mandates continued to remain primary concerns and

stressors. Additionally, minimal leadership support, lack of resources, and imbalance with

professional and personal responsibilities developed. Consequently, the participants and the

researchers expressed that interacting with diverse students prior to teaching was advantageous

for all involved in the study. Likewise, the teacher interns signified the importance for teacher

educators to interact and attend the classrooms with student interns. As a result of the study, the

teacher participants stated, “ . . . after their first year of teaching, they used various strategies to

motivate students in content areas, and viewed building relationships with students and making

content relevant for their students to be their strengths” (pp. 110-111). However, the statistics

are staggering when retaining teachers, according to a report by The Organization for Economic

Co-operation and Developments (2005), “On average 25% of primary teachers and 30% of

secondary teachers are over the age of 50 years old . . . . in some countries, the average jumps to

40% . . . . in addition, many countries cannot retain a core of experienced teachers” (p. 770).

The majority of minority students are considered African-American and Hispanic within

the public school system (Phuntsog, 1999). Therefore, the continual challenge for educators is to

provide an appropriate education for all students, encompassing prior knowledge of ethnic

background, cultural interchanges, and societal expectations. According to a study (Anderson &

Stillman, 2011) designed to determine the “processes, activities, and events that characterized the

participants’ placements” while teaching in urban, high-need schools, the researchers found that

individuals who manage novice teachers and teacher induction programs need to consider how

they are supported and recognized across disciplines (p. 448). From their grounded theory

design, the researchers signified the importance for high-quality bilingual programs for teachers

who teach in culturally diverse schools. Likewise, the researchers noted the significance of

searching further into individual placements and viewing the options of growing across

educational placements. As articulated by Anderson and Stillman (2011), “. . . merely placing

them in such contexts does not guarantee opportunity-rich experiences nor intended learning” (p.

459). Equally, the researchers emphasized the importance of all stakeholders investing in

student-teaching programs with equity-minded protocols preparing teachers who may possibly

teach in high-need school districts. Phuntsog (1999) emphasized the need of a mind shift for

teachers entering the educational community, denoting “the need to identify effective ways to

alter attitudes of teachers so that they are willing to reflect upon and change as appropriate their

long-held views” (p. 109) of their own mode of learning, various cultures, and the teaching

profession. Often a teacher’s perception of the classroom and school culture is not the reality of

the students or their livelihood unless the teacher was reared in the community and/or had

clinical teaching experiences in the educational community where they were assigned in their

initial teaching careers (Shernoff et al., 2011; Smeaton & Waters, 2013). Teachers and students

are to align their educational goals and relationships to ensue “good teaching is about evoking

students’ curiosity to learn” (Okojie, 2011, p. 17). A growth-minded teacher who ignites the

flame for learning within the educational community, promotes learners’ interest and motivation

to acquire knowledge, which creates an atmosphere for academia to transpire.

Claeys’ (2011) study discovered that teachers who teach in schools with primarily

culturally and linguistically diverse students remain teaching because of “social justice, moral

obligation, and a desire to serve the community” (p. 145), signifying the reasons they chose and

remained in the designated school districts. Equally explored is a program initiated in an urban

school district where “the Teachers Supporting Teachers in Urban Schools (TST) model

marshals resources through an influential mentor and external coach with the goal of enhancing

new teachers’ effectiveness and connectedness to colleagues” (Shernoff et al., 2011, p. 479).

The expectancy of the Teachers Supporting Teachers model being implemented in high-need

schools is advantageous with the goal of enhancing professional learning communities,

cohesiveness among colleagues, effective classroom management strategies, and addressing the

specific needs of teachers, which is essential in sustaining teachers with resources and

connections. Likewise, instructional coaching serves well for novice teachers offering reliable

resources and avenues for support in the educational community. By utilizing the TST model in

a school identified as high-need, “feeling ineffective in the classroom is exacerbated by the

alienation and isolation that often characterizes teaching” (Shernoff et al., 2011, p. 467).

Teachers who teach culturally and linguistically diverse students with consistent administrative

support and colleague mentors serve as a positive influence for teacher retention.

Comparatively, Claeys specified that teachers are driven by intrinsic and altruistic motives,

which denotes the motivation to persevere in their career and life choices.

Bridges (2012) conducted research to determine the specific needs of new teachers in the

western region of North Carolina. Bridges found that the perception of novice teachers in their

first three years of teaching in a particular school district located in North Carolina historically

achieved higher rates than the state average with a 75% turnover rate via the 2011 North

Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) report. Likewise, from the survey she

incorporated in her study, indications were noted that administrative support and the school

environment were the most significant factors with novice teachers’ job satisfaction. A collegial

environment among staff and a student-focused atmosphere received the greatest response from

the survey. Interestingly, the most frustrating experience for the novice teachers interviewed

were identified as veteran teachers who did not value their expertise and when they did not feel

welcomed in the school.

Lastly, Bridges (2012) reported that the survey she incorporated encompassing teachers

(i.e., 56 beginning teachers in their first year, 50 teachers in their second year, 16 teachers in

their third year, and 9 lateral entry teachers in their first year, 11 lateral-entry teachers beginning

the second year, and no lateral-entry teachers indicated in their third year of teaching) indicated

that administrative support and the school environment were the most significant factors related

to job satisfaction. Likewise, a collegial environment among staff and a student-focused

atmosphere received the greatest response from the survey. Relative to the research questions,

Bridges asked the novice teachers about specific methods of support they felt were most

important. The teachers identified overall with teacher mentors, colleagues in the school, and

administrative support. Equally important, new teachers identified the necessity of having

mentor teachers who serve in the same grade level as advantageous. When the teachers were

asked about their frustrations, they unanimously shared the overwhelming reactions as student

misbehaviors, workload, resource availability for academia, and effective administrative support

(p. 90). However, the most frustrating experience for the novice teachers interviewed was

veteran teachers who did not value their expertise or make them feel welcomed in the school.

Lastly, the teachers’ responses relative to Bridges’ last research question indicated that both

school-based and district-based induction programs for novice teachers positively impacted their

current job satisfaction.

Teachers’ Career Status: Traditional and Second-Career Track

Novice teachers are identified as those with five or fewer years of teaching experience

and any teacher in their first three years of teaching service (Bridges, 2012; Claeys, 2011).

Likewise, novice teachers are defined as traditionally certified teachers when attending a

traditional two-to-four year teacher education university program prior to entering the teaching

profession. Novice teachers are known as educational professionals who transition from the

teacher training stage (pre-service, student internship) to the specific in-service position. While

establishing professional development during the transitional years, teachers are expected to

exhibit the skills of a professional teacher and learn best practices to teach (Bridges, 2012;

Claeys, 2011; Schatz-Oppenheimer & Dvir, 2014). The terms beginning teacher, novice teacher,

and initially licensed teacher are identified interchangeably according to the North Carolina state

education board (http://www.ncpublicschools.org/) and all receive mentoring support during the

first three years of teaching. Teacher induction programs are designed with the ultimate goal to

retain teachers and prepare them with ongoing instructional strategies, professional development,

and both formative and summative evaluative approaches for career success.

According to an analysis conducted by Henry, Thompson, Fortner, Zulli, and Kershaw

(2010) in North Carolina via the UNC GA (University of North Carolina General

Administration) systems, “the effects are negative at the high school and elementary school

levels” for first and second year teachers, relative to the NC Standard Course of Study results in

reading and language arts (p. 9). Likewise, at the elementary level in the mathematics content

area, it is estimated that a student loses approximately 17 days of schooling when taught by a

novice teacher compared to the equivalence of 39 days in the middle school level (Henry,

Thompson, Fortner, Zulli, & Kershaw, 2010). Therefore, the negative effect of novice teachers

in the middle school level is estimated as a “loss of 20% of instructional time during that year”

(Henry, Thompson, Fortner, Zulli, & Kershaw, 2010, p. 9).

Additionally, an alarming disadvantage prevalent in the North Carolina public school

system in all three grade levels are teachers who teach in non-certified areas which generates

negative outcomes for student achievement and teacher retention (Henry, Thompson, Fortner,

Zulli, & Kershaw, 2010). It is estimated that approximately 18 days of academic achievements

are lost due to non-certified teachers teaching in content areas in which they are not licensed.

Research (Henry, Thompson, Bastian, Fortner, Kershaw, Purtell, & Zulli, 2011) in North

Carolina also finds that “14% of the public school teachers in 2007-08 first entered the classroom

as lateral entry or alternatively licensed teachers, without the coursework or practice teaching

required for certification” (p. 1). In most states, it is determined that teachers who are pursuing

an alternative licensure in public education are classified differently once their years of

experience transforms beyond the first three to four years of teaching. When teachers complete

the required courses and pass the required content and instructional strategies evaluations, they

are deemed as completely certified teachers (Henry, Thompson, Bastian, Fortner, Kershaw,

Purtell, & Zulli, 2011).

The findings from Henry et al. (2011) determined that three of the 11 comparisons in

their study involving lateral entry teachers performed less than teachers who were identified as

in-state undergraduate teachers in the public school system, which represented primarily high

school math and social studies. Subsequently, these results elevated a great disadvantage for

students because lateral entry teachers are the majority instructional personnel in North Carolina

public high schools. As a result of their findings, Henry et al. (2011) found that approximately

32% of out-of-state teachers who teach standardized-testing content areas are teaching in North

Carolina elementary schools, 15% of lateral entry teachers, and approximately 0.3% of Teach for

America (TFA) teachers comprise the North Carolina workforce. Relative to the findings, TFA

teachers strongly performed higher than the in-state undergraduates in the public school systems.

Teach for America teachers are selected across the nation from elite universities in a competitive

manner and are required to attend a sophisticated academic institute in the summer offering a

two-year commitment to teaching and intense professional development. Because of the

increase in teacher shortages in North Carolina, hiring TFA teachers has significantly increased

in the public school systems (Heineke, Mazza, & Tichnor-Wagner, 2014; Henry, Thompson,

Bastian, Fortner, Kershaw, Purtell, & Zulli, 2011).

Heineke et al. (2014) defined the TFA classifications of teachers into the three categories

(e.g., leavers, lingerers, lasters). The leavers are identified as those who had plans to leave the

classroom after the two-year requirement, the lingerers are described as those teachers who had

plans for an additional third year, and the lasters are categorized as those who were committed to

teach beyond the two years (Heineke, Mazza, & Tichnor-Wagner, 2014). From their study

exploring TFA corps members and their decisions to remain in the assigned classrooms, Heineke

et al. (2014) indicated that approximately 65% of the leavers returned to continue their

education, 64% of the lingerers elected to stay in the respected classroom beyond the designated

two years, and 73% of the lasters chose to persist in their initial school placement. As noted by

Heineke et al (2014), “ . . . we must recognize the challenges posed to those who enter the

classroom through both traditional and alternative paths and jointly tackle this critical issue that

negatively impacts our educational system” (p. 778).

Contextual Influences

Phuntsog (1999) states that “Today’s foremost challenge in education is to create learning

environments that maintain the cultural integrity of every child while enhancing their educational

success” (p. 99). Teacher preparation programs situated in universities are to transform their

criteria for teacher education to a multicultural approach to meet the diverse needs of all learners

within the educational community. In recognition of mentor programs in the public school

system, a collaborative effort has to be shared among all stakeholders. Therefore, teachers are to

share positive interchanges among colleagues, incorporate a reflective mindset, and individual

personal perspectives of educational development and practices. As a result of these reflective

practices, “Structured dialogue is clearly a promising practice for nurturing growth in the

professional practice of urban educators” (Hollins, 2006, p. 52). In order to support and sustain

teachers, continual dialogue and professional learning communities are a requirement,

specifically in high-need schools, where teachers transform their schools’ vision, principles, and

educational expectations (Hollins, 2006).

Bridges (2012) specifies administrative support and the school environment were the

most significant factors with teachers’ job satisfaction. Likewise, a collegial environment among

staff and a student-focused atmosphere have received the greatest response in his research with

teachers. Moreover, Bridges discovered the most important methods of retaining novice teachers

are teacher mentors, teacher colleagues, and administrative support. Equally important in

sustaining novice teachers in high-need environments are having mentor teachers who serve in

the same grade level, accessible resources, and professional development (Bridges, 2012; Claeys,

2011). Novice teachers who are assigned an instructional coach often benefit from personable

and professional relationships with no direct connection to the school system. Instructional

coaches offer ongoing co-teaching opportunities, instructional strategies and resources, planning,

and teacher credential licensure support when applicable. As noted by Shernoff et al. (2011),

“mentors and coaches also helped promote new teachers’ effectiveness around the predictors of

attrition through vicarious and enactive learning opportunities” (p. 469). Instructional coaches

offer behavioral support strategies, classroom management interventions, and curriculum

alignment for the ultimate goal of student achievement.

Individual Identities

Teachers acknowledge their personal and professional identifications and relationships as

existing synergistically interchangeable. Thus, recognizing that their lives play an enormous role

in their desire to continue teaching in rural communities due to the fact that their advocacy for

belonging in the community and being reared in rural areas has a direct impact in sustaining their

careers. Teacher education programs need to acknowledge the importance of synergy conducive

to novice teachers who teach in rural communities and offer more opportunities for identities and

building relationships (Burton & Johnson, 2010).

The teacher’s professional experience is often identified as a three-stage approach to

acclimation in the educational community: teacher-centered, instruction-centered, and learner-

centered. Thus, various reasons why teachers leave the profession early in their careers relate

specifically to social isolation from others, low salary wages, struggles with progression,

standardized testing, classroom management difficulties, stakeholder apathy, difficult parents,

lack of collegiality, homesick from individuals’ upbringing, and minimal leadership support

(Bridges, 2012; Claeys, 2011). Often teacher education programs and real-life daily

responsibilities are not aligned with expectations in school systems. The continual attrition of

teachers who teach in low income, high-need schools and then leave within the first three years

of teaching to seek more affluent school districts remains an ever-growing concern in the

educational community. However, teacher induction programs, mentoring programs, and social

networks are advantageous for sustaining novice teachers (Bridges, 2012; Claeys, 2011; Levine,

2013; Synder, 2012). “Building leaders who recognized these teachers’ abilities and strengths

and provided autonomy and support were the ones who enhanced the teachers’ enthusiasm and

inspired them to grow as professionals” (Meister & Ahrens, 2011, p. 774). Therefore, it is

imperative that administrative staff create an atmosphere where clear expectations and

boundaries are established and the role of teachers is respected and valued within their

educational environment. As indicated by research and the voices of the veteran teachers,

establishing resilience and non-conformance empowers educators to not adapt to status quo, but

remain focused on the purpose for teaching, which is the student’s achievement (Meister &

Ahrens, 2011).

Summary

The current literature posits that there are several modes of knowing and learning

attributed to the reasons why teachers leave the educational profession within the first three years

of teaching (Dagenhart, Petty, & O’Connor, 2010; Levine, 2013; Schaefer, Long, & Clandinin,

2012; Vaughn & Saul, 2013). Minimal content exists to indicate the specific factors of

sustaining teachers beyond the first three years of teaching, specifically in high-need, low-

performing public schools located in the southeastern region of North Carolina (Heineke, Mazza,

& Tichnor-Wagner, 2014; Levine, 2013; Schaefer, Long, & Clandinin, 2012). Equally, the

existing literature highlights the significance of how adults learn novel content, their maturity of

self-directedness, the importance of affording adults the opportunities for planning and input in

societal context, and identification of reaching adulthood and their critical reflection (Holton,

Knowles, & Swanson, 2005; McGrath, 2009). The literature describes how individuals

transform as adults through life’s experiences encompassing the various phases of acquisition.

Subsequently, through transformation, adult maturation, networks of support, teacher

induction preparation in high-need schools, and leadership support, sustaining both novice

teachers and experienced teachers beyond the initial three years warrants opportunities for less

teacher attrition, burnout, and more longevity with teacher retention and sustainability. Thus, the

gap in the educational literature indicated further studies were needed to equip the academic

community with sustaining teachers beyond the first three years. Sustaining teachers can be

attributed to student achievement, teacher longevity, and less budget needs across the nation in

the public school system. This chapter has provided an overview of the research and the gap that

has been identified in the literature by describing the theoretical framework and synthesizing

related literature.

CHAPTER THREE: METHODS

Overview

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe factors that

sustained public school teachers in high-need, low-performing areas in a school district situated

in southeastern North Carolina. For the purpose of this study, teachers who had sustained their

careers in the field were identified as those who had been teaching beyond the initial three years

of their profession in a high-need public school. The literature indicated a gap in research with

an understanding of the factors that sustained teachers beyond the initial three years of teaching

in high-need schools.

In this chapter, the methods for the study are described, encompassing the design,

research questions, setting, participants, procedures, and the importance of the researcher’s role

in the study. Furthermore, the data collection process is described, which includes a

questionnaire to determine participants’ eligibility in meeting criteria to participate, semi-

structured participant interviews, collective photo-narrative documentation from the participants,

and a virtual focus group discussion. To increase the reliability of the study, data analysis is

described, which includes open coding, axial coding, and memoing (Creswell, 2013).

Moustakas’ (1994) transcendental phenomenological approach was implemented in the study

encompassing epoche/bracketing, horizontalization, phenomenological reduction, imaginative

variation, and synthesis of composite textural and composite structural descriptions.

Additionally in this chapter, trustworthiness is described including credibility, transferability,

dependability, and confirmability which focused on the consistency of the research findings, the

value of the data, and the assurance that communication was upheld in a qualitative method

rather than as researcher bias. In this chapter, ethical considerations are identified pertinent to

the study, including IRB approval, obtaining site and participant access and permission,

obtaining informed consent from the participants, and assuring the participants of the voluntary

nature of the study along with their right to withdraw at any time during the study. Likewise, an

explanation of how data was secured and assured confidentiality among participants is included

in this chapter.

Design

A qualitative study was conducted utilizing a transcendental phenomenological approach

for inquiry. The transcendental phenomenological research design was implemented to acquire

the descriptions and real-life experiences of teachers, beyond the initial three years of teaching

who taught in high-need, low-performing public schools. Moustakas (1994) indicated that

transcendental phenomenological research describes the participants’ experiences. Moreover,

Moustakas’(1994), Creswell’s (2013), and Patton’s (2007) texts support the idea that the

transcendental phenomenological approach affords the opportunity to explore intensely the

teachers’ responses and create a thick, rich, deep connection to the phenomenon. As a result of

utilizing the transcendental phenomenological approach, the interpretation of the participants’

lived experiences via the historical and societal context of their accounts and the researcher’s

educational experiences helped to understand the phenomenon (Moustakas, 1994; van Manen,

1990; 2014).

As indicated by the gap in the literature, which was an understanding of the factors that

sustained teachers in high-need areas, this study’s focus, which was on exploring a single

phenomenon (teacher sustainability) in high-need, low-performing public schools in southeastern

North Carolina, the phenomenological research design was determined to be appropriate

(Creswell, 2013; Moustakas, 1994). The transcendental phenomenological approach was a valid

design because acquiring the descriptions and real-life experiences of the public school teachers

beyond the initial three years of teaching via interviews, collective documentation, an online

focus group, and bracketing incorporated a collaborative mindset. Bracketing was essential in

conducting this phenomenological research because it aided the researcher in setting aside

preconceived thoughts and biases which could have interfered with the study. As Moustakas

(1994) indicated, bracketing is considered a “purified consciousness” which allows the

researcher to experience openness, novice context, people, and events as though occurring for the

first time (p. 85).

Incorporating a transcendental phenomenological approach aligned with this study, which

substantiates the purpose of understanding the essence of sustaining teachers in high-need, low-

performing public schools in southeastern North Carolina. Utilizing a phenomenological

approach also permitted the current study to extensively explore numerous teachers who shared

the same lived experience of sustained teaching careers in high-need, low-performing public

schools. Lastly, a qualitative phenomenological design permitted the present exploration to

attain the pulse of the teachers’ motivational factors in sustaining their teaching careers.

The theoretical framework guiding this particular study was Knowles’ andragogical adult

learning theory (Holton, Knowles, & Swanson, 2005; Knowles, 1975; McGrath, 2009),

Mezirow’s transformative theory (Mezirow, 2003), and Dweck’s mindset and motivation theory

(Dweck, 2006; Yeager & Dweck, 2012). According to Dweck (2006), “Great teachers believe in

the growth of the intellect and talent, and they are fascinated with the process of learning” (p.

193). As articulated by Holton, Knowles, and Swanson (2005), “Evidence is beginning to

accumulate, too, that what adults learn on their own initiative, they learn more deeply and

permanently than what they learn by being taught” (p. 265). Lastly, Mezirow (2003)

distinguished an individual’s transformation with life experiences: “Transformative learning is

learning that transforms problematic frames of reference—sets of fixed assumptions and

expectations (habits of mind, meaning perspectives, mindsets)—to make them more inclusive,

discriminating, open, reflective, and emotionally able to change” (p. 58).

Research Questions

RQ 1: How do public school teachers describe their experience working in a high-need

educational community in North Carolina?

RQ 2: How do public school teachers perceive their former life history as having an impact in

retaining their teaching profession beyond the initial three years of teaching in a high-need, low-

performing public school?

RQ3: What intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors do public school teachers describe as

encouraging them to sustain their teaching profession beyond the initial three years of teaching in

a high-need, low-performing public school?

Setting

The setting for this study was four large K-12 rural public schools within one public

school district located in the southeastern region of North Carolina. The schools were comprised

of two elementary (K-5) schools, one middle (6-8) school, and one high (9-12) school. The

student populace consisted of 61% minority enrollment, primarily African American; 4%

Caucasian; and 2% Hispanic, with 100% free lunch status overall among the schools. Two

percent of the students were identified as English Language Learners and 15% were identified

with disabilities—receiving special education services, with an overall 65% graduation rate

(www.publicschoolreview.com). The poverty rate in the school district’s county was 24.9%,

compared to 16.8% for the entire state of North Carolina (www.http://quickfacts.census/gov).

Additionally, the school district’s teacher attrition rate was 12.91% compared to the 14.84%

overall rate in North Carolina (www.publicschools.org).

The semi-structured interviews and collective documentation (i.e., teacher-generated

photographs with brief reflective descriptions) occurred in the teachers’ designated classrooms

within the schools and teacher-selected settings, which created a comfortable environment for

the participants. The collective documentation allowed the researcher to observe the classroom

community and other settings where the participants indicated “the teacher they had become”

(Synder, 2013, p. 38), which connected the participant and the researcher. The participants were

identified as public school teachers who taught in high-need, low-performing schools located in

the particular southeastern school district in North Carolina and who had sustained their careers

beyond the first three years. Consequently, the schools were purposefully selected by the

researcher because of teachers who taught in high-need, low-performing schools in southeastern

North Carolina beyond the first three years of teaching.

Participants

The participants utilized in this study were designated utilizing purposeful sampling.

According to Creswell (2013), purposeful sampling occurs in qualitative research with three

considerations: (1) selection of the participants and or sites for the research study, (2) the type of

sampling strategy, and (3) the sample size being studied. Therefore, a convenience sampling

was utilized which “saves time, money, effort, but at the expense of information and credibility”

(Creswell, 2013, p. 158). The participants were 13 teachers who had successfully continued their

careers beyond the initial three years and remained in the designated high-need educational

community located in southeastern North Carolina. The participant interviews were conducted

until data saturation was attained (Creswell, 2013; Given, 2008; Moustakas, 1994). Moustakas

described data saturation as the juncture where the researcher has reached capacity attaining new

information and context from the participants. The participants were mindfully chosen by the

specific considerations utilizing maximum variation to guarantee the sample was varied and

represented a wide range of public school teachers who taught in southeastern North Carolina.

The teachers experienced the phenomenon relative to the motivational factors that sustained their

teaching careers in high-need, low-performing public schools beyond the initial three years of

teaching via a questionnaire (Appendix A). The questionnaire identified teachers who met the

criteria of teaching in a high-need, low-performing public school in southeastern North Carolina,

indicating their longevity beyond the initial three years of teaching. Participants were selected

by communication with the Beginning Teacher (BT) Coordinator in the school district, who

served as the lead mentor for new teachers and experienced teachers. Also, the assigned

principals at each school site approved the selected participants.

The research study and participant criteria were identified and explained to the Beginning

Teacher Coordinator and the school district superintendent. The district superintendent reviewed

the participant criteria and also the teacher list provided by the Beginning Teacher Coordinator.

Upon review, the superintendent afforded permission for the research to be conducted in the

schools deemed as high-need, low-performing according to North Carolina state report cards and

student achievement data. An e-mail and a participatory consent form were sent to school

principals who served as administrators in high-need, low-performing schools in the district,

requesting permission to interview teachers. Appointments were scheduled with the principals

who approved their teachers to participate. During the initial meetings with principals, consent

forms were viewed and the list of teachers provided by the Beginning Teacher Coordinator was

discussed with confirmation of designated teachers. Afterward, the researcher met with the

possible participants to describe the study and to ask for their participation (Appendix B).

The participants were identified as experienced teachers according to the NC Public

School System via NC Department of Public Instruction (NC DPI) and their years of service in a

high-need, low-performing public school. The participants represented both males and females,

various ethnicities, and ages ranging from 31 to 62 years of age. Additionally, the study

included a convenience sample of 13 teachers with the criterion of high-need, low-performing

public schools located in one school district in southeastern North Carolina. Likewise,

successful teaching completion beyond the first three years of teaching, consistent teacher

assignment in a high-need school, and motivational factors that sustained their teaching careers

was also a part of the criteria in the study.

Procedures

In recognition of the specific protocol and procedures, the researcher submitted the

proposal for research and secured the approval of Liberty University’s Institutional Review

Board (IRB) (Appendix C) and the approval and consent of the North Carolina school district

(Appendix D). After approval was obtained, the researcher conducted a purposeful sampling to

elicit participants for the qualitative research study incorporating a participant consent form

(Appendix B). After the participants were designated and agreed to participate, the researcher

initiated the data collection via individual interviews, collective documentation of photographs

with brief reflective narratives, and an online focus group. The semi-structured interview data

was obtained and recorded via audio-taped recordings and transcribed by a professional

transcriber. The researcher reduced personal and professional biases in the data collection and

analysis procedures by adhering to reflexivity and bracketing the researcher’s perspectives

beyond the shared data. Reflexivity and bracketing were obtained, which allowed me to be free

of bias and preconceived thoughts (Appendix E). Likewise, the researcher remained open and

ingenuous during the interviews, listening to participants share the phenomenon being explored.

In adherence to bracketing (Lincoln & Guba, 1985; Moustakas, 1994) during the study, a

reflective journal where specific notes and personal perspectives relative to the phenomena that

were being studied were documented (Appendix E). The researcher requested member checks

from the participants to view and share for accuracy of the thematic analysis, interview results,

and discovered phenomenon (Appendix F).

The Researcher's Role

As the researcher in this study, I was motivated to describe the voices of teachers who

taught in high-need, low-performing public schools in southeastern North Carolina. After

reviewing the literature, I discovered a gap with minimal research relative to teachers who utilize

various motivational factors in sustaining their careers in the high-need educational community.

I served as an instructional coach within a large university and traveled to various school districts

deemed as high-need schools located in the southeastern region of North Carolina, supporting

and advocating for teachers to sustain their professional careers beyond the first three years of

teaching. I continually advocate and possess a passion for teachers and work diligently to

provide resources, dialogue, and professional development to enable teachers to be successful

and sustain their educational careers, especially within high-need educational environments. As

Bullough and Hall-Kenyon, (2012) posit, “ . . . efforts designed to improve the quality of

schooling that ignore teacher well-being and the values that bring teachers to teaching and keep

them engaged in their work are certain to fail” (p. 8).

I have served as an educator in the public school system for 25 years and, prior to my

current educational position, always worked in high achieving school districts. Therefore, the

experience I have acquired as a result of the motivating factors of teachers sustaining their

teaching career in a high-need public educational community has transformed my fixed mindset

to a growth mindset with an intrinsic passion to promote and expound their exceptionality by

implementing research-based best practices. Consequently, my ultimate aspiration for this study

was for the teachers’ voices to be heard and to signify their preservation to sustain their careers

in a high-need, low-performing environment. However, prior to the study, I had no direct

communication with the teachers purposefully selected for this study, which helped to reduce

bias of the coach-teacher interchange and personal acquaintances during the study.

Data Collection

During the present study, data were collected via various methods. According to

researchers (Creswell, 2013; Schwandt, 2007), individuals conducting a qualitative study

corroborate evidence from different sources, which allows them to expand a perspective or

theme, then code the context via triangulating content and validating findings. In other words, in

qualitative research, it is a “means of checking the integrity of the inferences one draws”

(Schwandt, 2007, p. 298) and observing from various perspectives during the study. Therefore,

this study utilized data triangulation by incorporating interviews, collective photo-narrative

documentation, and a focus group discussion. First, individual interviews were incorporated

with the selected participants. Second, collective documentation was implemented by requesting

photos being taken or previously attained photos from the participants via a smart device (e.g.,

cellular phone, laptop computer, or iPad) for participant-generated photography, encouraging

them to take photos of themselves teaching in their designated classrooms and other settings that

relate to their sustainability in their teaching careers. Participants were also asked for brief

reflections of what occurred in the photos, to acquire a personal connection with their lived

experiences. Third, an online focus group was implemented via WebEx to obtain a more

thorough understanding of the participants’ experiences after saturation had occurred during data

analysis.

Questionnaire

A simple questionnaire (Appendix A) was implemented to determine years of experience,

demographic context, teaching licensure completion, and school assignment to affirm the

participants met the criteria in the study. Dissertation committee members and teachers who

taught in high-need educational communities viewed the questions to ensure content validity

(Creswell, 2013).

Interviews

Transcendental phenomenological studies often incorporate “an interactional encounter”

(Schwandt, 2007, p. 163) with the researcher and the participant in the interview process. The

study included individual semi-structured interviews with 13 public school teachers until data

saturation was attained (Moustakas, 1994). According to Schwandt (2007), the interaction

during interviewing serves as a “means of gaining direct access to an interviewee’s experience”

(p. 162). The specific interview questions were strategically designed to attain an understanding

of how the participants related personal life experiences with their sustainability teaching in a

high-need public school and the extrinsic motivational factors that enabled them to sustain their

teaching careers beyond the initial years.

Interviews were utilized as the primary method of data collection. The interviews

occurred in each participants’ classroom or selected area within their assigned school settings

and was scheduled either at the end of the school day or during their planning period. The

participants were asked 10 questions that were supported from the literature. To simplify the

data analysis process, all questions were asked in the same format and exact order. The first

question was designed to establish a rapport with the participants. Additionally, the last

interview question was used to create an open forum for information that may not have been

shared during the interview. Lastly, an online transcription company was utilized to transcribe

the interviews. As the interviews were submitted from the transcription company, the researcher

synthesized the context by highlighting the textural words and descriptions from the participants

and submitted to them via e-mail for member checking and confirmation. During the study, the

participants answered 10 open-ended questions relative to demographics, life history, educational

aspirations, contextual influences, and motivational factors that contributed to sustaining their

careers in a high-need, low-performing public school in southeastern North Carolina.

After IRB approval, the interviews were audio-recorded and annotated, noting concerns

of both verbal and physical gestures which assisted in understanding the teachers’ experiences

(van Manen, 1990). Additionally, the synthesized transcribed context of the interviews was

shared with each individual participant to addend or correct context attained during the study. In

the event that further interviews and additional information were required, the participants were

contacted via e-mail messages. Pseudonyms were utilized to account for participants with the

data analysis and to protect and secure their identities.

The specific interview questions were created to acquire an understanding of the

phenomenon relative to motivational factors that sustained teachers in high-need, low-

performing public schools in southeastern North Carolina. Thus, the interview questions

relevant to this study were as follows:

1. Tell me about yourself.

2. How do public school teachers describe their experience working in a high-need

educational community in North Carolina?

3. How do teachers perceive their former life history as having an impact retaining their

teaching profession beyond the initial years of teaching in a high-need public school?

4. What intrinsic motivational factors contributed to you pursuing a degree in your

concentrated area and grade level of education?

5. What motivational factors enabled you as a teacher beyond the initial years to sustain

your educational career in a high-need educational environment?

6. What sustains your decision to serve as a teacher in a high-need, low-performing public

school in a rural area of southeastern North Carolina beyond the initial years?

7. What factors, if any, positively impact your role as a teacher in a high-need public

school?

8. What, if any variables, would you alter about your experience as a teacher teaching in a

high-need public school in a rural area in the southeastern region of North Carolina?

9. Is there anything else related to this experience that you would like to add?

10. If I have other questions, may I contact you again?

Creswell (2013) articulated the importance of the interview process in a qualitative study, “the

interview is dialogue that is conducted one-way, provides information for the researcher . . . and

leads to the researcher’s interpretations” (p. 173).

The interview and focus group questions were created from the literature review. The

interview and focus group questions were developed in light of both andragogical adult learning

theory and transformative learning, which focus on how adults learn and transform throughout

adulthood (Holton, Knowles, & Swanson, 2005; Knowles, 1975; Mezirow, 1997, 2003). Also,

mindset theory guided the interview and focus group questions, recognizing that mindset can be

positively transformed, directly enabling resilience, sustainability, and pliability when

confronting adversity (Dweck, 2006; Yeager & Dweck, 2012). Ten questions were asked of the

participants, which served as an accurate account to foster an understanding of how participants

perceived their sustainability in their teaching careers and the motivational factors that

influenced their decision to remain in a high-need educational school.

Interview questions one, two, three, and four were directed to acquire background

knowledge of the participants, their former life history (e.g., family, community, and aspirations)

as having an impact in retaining their career in a high-need public school, their experience

working in a high-need public school, and factors that contributed to their specific teaching

content area. According to Burton and Johnson (2010), teachers’ lives play a significant role in

their desire to continue teaching in rural communities because of their advocacy for belonging in

the community and being reared in rural areas. Therefore, researchers indicate that teacher

education programs need to acknowledge the importance of synergy between clinical supervisors

and teachers who will teach in rural communities, and offer more opportunities for identities and

building relationships (Anderson & Stillman, 2011; Bridges, 2012; Smeaton & Waters, 2013;

Synder, 2013; Wang & Fulton, 2012). Additionally, Mezirow (2003) identifies the concept of

reasoning indicating the critical-dialectical process and how adults advocate their beliefs.

Mezirow (2003) defined the adult process of learning as instrumental and communicative.

Instrumental learning refers to controlling and manipulating the environment, which allows for

predictions and outcomes. Communicative learning is recognized as making meaning of context

and conversation (Mezirow, 2003).

Questions five and six sought to identify the motivational factors that enabled and

sustained participants who taught in a high-need public school beyond the initial three years of

teaching. Studies (Claeys, 2011; Dagenhart, Petty, & O’Connor, 2010; Meister & Ahrens, 2011;

Okojie, 2011; Phuntsog, 1999; Shernoff, Maríñez-Lora, Frazier, Jakobsons, Atkins, & Bonner,

2011; Smeaton & Waters, 2013) have shown the constellation of community and connectedness

are positive indicators of sustaining teachers beyond the first five years in the classroom.

Grounding these particular interview questions in Mezirow’s (2003) transformation learning

theory illustrated the teachers’ openness to novice learning, and integrative and extensive

methods of knowing, which were applicable to their teaching career.

Question seven was created to understand the participants’ roles as teachers in the high-

need educational environment and how their position positively influenced the total school

community. As indicated in a study conducted by Synder (2012), relative to teachers and their

uniqueness in sustaining their careers denoted, “A thorough understanding of how adults learn is

imperative to the successful education of adults” (p. 33). Interestingly, Synder aligned her

research with Mezirow’s (2003) transformative learning theory of how adults learn—indicating

authentic learning, experiential learning, collegial relationships and support, and reflective

writing and discourse. As a result, Synder (2012) incorporated photo-generated documentation

as a part of her study with teachers to illustrate the “teachers they had become” and the

significance of their role in the educational community (p. 40).

Questions eight, nine, and ten attempted to expand opportunity for the participants to

share experiences and possible alterations while teaching in a high-need public school beyond

the initial three years of teaching. According to Bullough and Hall-Kenyon (2012), the idea that

teaching is a sense of calling has no statistical data and that the dedication of teachers to teach

and serve ethically as mothers, fathers, nurturers, and care-takers often goes unnoticed. As stated

by Bullough and Hall-Kenyon (2012), “Efforts designed to improve the quality of schooling that

ignore teacher well-being and the values that bring teachers to teaching and keep them engaged

in their work are certain to fail” (p. 8).

The interview questions were grounded in Knowles (1975) andragogy learning theory,

Mezirow’s (2003) transformation theory, and Dweck’s (2006) mindset theory. In their study,

Holton, Knowles, and Swanson (2005) emphasized the importance of how adults acquire

information denoting development with learning tasks encompassing attitudes, expectations,

skills, management, relationships, and organizational cultures. Also, Mezirow’s (2003) theory

indicates “adults’ skills, sensitivities, and insights are relevant to participating in critical-

dialectical discourse—having an open mind, learning to listen empathetically, and seeking

common ground” (p. 60) play a significant role in the educational community and offer

opportunities for change and their voice to be heard.

Dweck’s (2006) mindset theory is essentially grounded in these interview questions,

denoting adults who possess a growth mindset versus a fixed mindset have the capabilities of

changing over time. Dweck identified a fixed mindset as what individuals believe are their

talents and or abilities that they are innately born with and cannot be changed. Growth mindset

entails an individual who is considered a “work in progress” and can change over time with

ongoing opportunities (p. 103). Additionally, Dweck highlights challenges, defeats, and

successes of individuals in her career along with famous people in the social media (e.g., sports

athletes, educators, students, parents, and philosophers) relative to their mindset and how it

affects life’s choices. According to Dweck (2006), “People may start with different

temperaments and different aptitudes, but it is clear that experience, training, and personal effort

take them the rest of the way” (p. 5). As stated by Dweck (2006), “The great teachers believe in

the growth of the intellect and talent, and they are fascinated with the process of learning” (p.

193).

Document Analysis

Collective documentation was incorporated by requesting of each participant participant-

generated photographs (Appendix F). Ten of the 13 participants returned their photo-narrative

reflections. The collective photo-narrative documentation was piloted with four non-participants

who served as educators in various public school systems to ensure accuracy and relative

feedback. Participants were asked to take no more than three photos or attach existing photos of

themselves teaching in non-specific settings (e.g., home or school) where they felt the photo

captured the moment and/or people who contributed to “the teacher they had become” (Synder,

2013, p. 38) and experiences that exhibited their sustainable career. The locations were

specifically not designated because the researcher hoped to capture the mindfulness of the

teachers in sharing their sustainable teaching careers. At the end of each interview, the

researcher shared a sample of the photo-narrative documentation template with the participant

for visual accuracy. Participants submitted their photo-narrative document via e-mail messages

with existing and current photos or logos that captured the “teacher they had become,” which

highlighted their teacher sustainability (Synder, 2013). The photo documentation served as a

confirmation from the interview responses and emerging themes in the study. The participants’

photos are not included in this manuscript to maintain confidentiality. However, the

participants’ narrative reflections are highlighted in the findings of the study.

The primary goal for the photo documentation was to highlight the teacher’s growth

mindset by sharing a few photos of their sustained teaching career and writing a brief description

of the activity being depicted in the photo relative to the teachers they had become Additionally,

the photo-narrative documentation addressed research question two, which asked the

participants, how they perceived their former life history as having an impact on retaining their

profession beyond the initial three years of teaching in a high-need, low-performing public

school. The photo-narrative documentation was created to understand participants’ roles as

teachers in the high-need educational environment and how their position positively influences

the total school community, which also addressed interview question seven. In the study

conducted by Synder (2012), she emphasized teachers and their uniqueness in sustaining their

careers, referencing Mezirow’s (2003) transformative learning theory and how adults learn

which indicated experiential acquisition and societal maturation. Synder (2012) incorporated

photo-generated documentation to encourage teachers to reflect as to the teachers they had

become in their careers.

As research (Synder, 2013) indicates, the photo-generated documentation lessens

interruptions from the teacher’s busy schedules and instructional practices. Subsequently, the

participants were asked to provide a brief reflection of what was occurring in the photos and to

acquire a personal connection with their lived experiences. The photographs and brief

reflections were analyzed to attain physical characteristics in the designated settings that depicted

the motivational factors that sustained teachers. A constant comparative inquiry of the

photographs and the interview analysis was incorporated to search for themes in the educational

environment.

Virtual Focus Group

An online focus group was conducted via WebEx with four of the teachers once the

interviews were completed, indicating opportunities for the participants to share additional

context or correct miscommunicated information during dialogue. All of the participants were

invited to attend the online focus group. However, because of the end-of-year standardized

testing schedule, only four were available to participate in the group discussion. The focus group

questions were piloted by a non-participant who taught in a high-need elementary school to

ensure clarity and accuracy. Thus, the focus group questions relevant to this study were as

follows:

1. What intrinsic motivational factors contributed to your sustainability beyond the initial

three years serving in a high-need public school in North Carolina?

2. What extrinsic motivational factors contributed to your sustainability in your current

public school assignment?

3. How did your contextual influences (i.e., home, community, family, etc.) contribute to

your sustainability in a high-need public school?

4. As a teacher, what would you recommend to positively impact teacher sustainability

beyond the initial three years in a high-need, low-performing public school?

5. What specific characterizations, strategies, initiatives, or programs would describe

teacher sustainability beyond the initial three years in a high-need public school?

6. Specifically explain why you remain in a high-need public school located in southeastern

North Carolina.

7. Describe how your teacher sustainability impacts the educational community and student

achievement.

Questions one and three attempted to highlight intrinsic motivational factors that participants

identified as having an impact in sustaining their career and resilience beyond the initial three

years of teaching in a high-need public school. According to Castro, Kelly, and Shih (2010),

“Resilience strategies provide avenues for beginning teachers to cope and sustain themselves

given the current realities of their teaching context” (p. 628). Research also indicates teaching is

not considered just a “job” it is a mindset, a way of life and a lifelong commitment (Bernhardt,

2012; Castro, Kelly, & Shih, 2010; Synder, 2012). Mindset theory explores the fixed versus

growth mindset and how that mindset transforms during life experiences. Therefore, studies

have shown that individuals who possess a growth mindset do not always require self-esteem

boosting. Individuals, who possess a growth mindset may require a mindset shift which

represents conflicts and challenges they can conquer over time with “effort, new strategies,

learning, and patience” (Yeager & Dweck, 2012, p. 312).

Question two was created to determine what extrinsic motivational factors (e.g., current

school, school district, community, leadership, and collaboration) contributed to the participants’

sustainability. According to a study conducted by Castro, Kelly, and Shih (2010), which

involved 15 teachers who were employed in high-need schools, seeking help from others,

incorporating critical thinking and problem-solving techniques, helped them learn to manage

difficult conflicts and situations, and revitalize themselves in the educational community. Thus,

“these resilience strategies allow a person to overcome the adversity and gain new insights which

minimize [sic] the impact of that adversity for future encounters” (Castro, Kelly, & Shih, 2010,

p. 623). As Mezirow (2003) emphasized, concepts and theories of how adults respond to adult

educational experiences indicate “free participation in critical reflection and discourse by all

adults in a democratic society” (p. 63). Thus, adults process and recognize their learning

capabilities via attained knowledge of experiences, direct input, making meaning of

circumstances, and their reasoning skills.

Questions four, six, and seven were guided to attain alignment with teacher sustainability and

student achievement while teaching in a high-need public school in southeastern North Carolina.

According to Bernhardt (2012), “Effective teachers must move towards a caring pedagogy

concerned with the lives, perspectives, and experiences of their students” (p. 6). Therefore, the

mindset of a teacher expounds upon personal transformation, the act of teaching, moving beyond

the curriculum, thoughtful participation, advocating student voice, and establishing meaningful

relationships. As Dweck (2006) indicated in her research, “It starts with the growth mindset—

about yourself and about children . . . a deep desire to reach in ignite the mind of every child” (p.

201).

Question five was created for participants to describe specific characterizations, strategies,

initiatives, and programs relative to teacher sustainability beyond the initial three years of

teaching in a high-need public school located in southeastern North Carolina. Bernhardt’s

(2012) study identified motivational traits that sustain teachers by defining the intrinsically

motivated teacher and the extrinsically motivated teacher. An intrinsically motivated teacher

emphasizes the benefits of various activities associated in teaching with a focus on the “inherent

satisfaction of teaching” (Bernhardt, 2012, pp. 3-4). Whereas, an extrinsically motivated teacher

tends to expound on the external benefits of teaching such as “time off, salary, and other external

rewards associated with the profession” (Bernhardt, 2012, pp. 3-4). Additionally, an

altruistically motivated teacher views “teaching as a job that has societal value and has a genuine

desire to positively impact the growth and development of adolescents” (Bernhardt, 2012, pp. 3-

4). Relative to andragogy and transformative theory, adults process information as problematic

frames of reference, where they make experiences more inclusive, open, and transformative,

given the situation (Knowles, 1975; Mezirow, 2003). According to Holton, Knowles, and

Swanson (2005), “Evidence is beginning to accumulate, too, that what adults learn on their own

initiative, they learn more deeply and permanently than what they learn by being taught” (p.

254).

During the focus group discussions, field notes were written and the discussion was

audio-recorded via the software program to achieve a more personable understanding of the

shared dialogue among the teachers and confirm accuracy and clarity. The focus group audio-

recording was then shared with the participants via e-mail messages and the software invitational

options. This additional member checking allowed for confirmation and accuracy. Utilizing the

field notes and the audio-recording option in WebEx aided in the construction of the thematic

analysis from the interviews and any additional textural descriptions from the participants.

Inconsistencies and similarities were noted in reflective journal notes. Throughout the online

focus group, discussions were incorporated from the photo documentation and the individual

interviews to capture the essence of what specifically the participants were sharing that

highlighted their sustainable teaching careers while teaching in a high-need, low-performing

public school located in North Carolina. The interchange among the teachers allowed for

conversations about various interactions and successes relative to their individual experiences

and contextual influences in sustaining their careers.

Data Analysis

Several data analysis methods were utilized to advance a clearer understanding of the

motivational factors that sustained teachers who taught in high-need, low-performing public

schools located in southeastern North Carolina, and their contextual influences and personal-

professional aspirations. Thus, Moustakas’ (1994) transcendental phenomenological method

was utilized which included epoche/bracketing, phenomenological reduction, imaginative

variation, and composite textural and composite structural descriptions that provided meanings

and essences of the experiences during the study.

Epoche/Bracketing

According to Moustakas (1994), epoche/bracketing is defined as being “transparent to

ourselves, to allow whatever is before us in consciousness to disclose itself” in order to view

context through a different lens with openness and ingenuousness (p. 86). The researcher had no

direct experiences with the participants prior to the study. However, collaboration with the

Beginning Teacher Coordinator and specific schools existed because of the researcher’s position

serving as an instructional coach in the school district. It was not challenging to set aside

experiences in the school district. However, the researcher consciously had to bracket thoughts

with an open mindset primarily focusing on the participants and their lived experiences.

Therefore, the researcher kept reflective notes (Appendix E) which served as a guide throughout

the study and helped uphold transparency relative to research bias (Lincoln & Guba, 1985). This

process allowed the researcher to record thoughts and preconceived perspectives and achieve

confirmability (Creswell, 2006; Lincoln & Guba, 1985; Moustakas, 1994). The reflective

journal notes consisted of brief (a) descriptions about the setting where the researcher met with

the participants, (b) observations from the interviews and focus group discussion, (c) personal

reactions, (d) the participants’ reactions to questions, and (e) the rapport between the participants

and the researcher (Appendix E).

Phenomenological Reduction

Moustakas (1994) identifies phenomenological reduction by describing the textural

language as the researcher observes both internal and external consciousness, which indicates the

partnership of the phenomenon and oneself. The researcher continually described and looked for

phenomenon with textural attributes and descriptions within an experiential reference. As noted,

this phenomenological study is “transcendental because it uncovers the ego for which everything

has meaning . . . phenomenological because the world is transformed into mere phenomena and

reduction because it leads us back to our own experiences” (Moustakas, 1994, p. 91).

Imaginative Variation

To assist and guide the researcher throughout the study, imaginative variation was

incorporated which helps to identify meanings of themes via the utilization of “structural

descriptions of an experience,” the aforementioned factors that “account for what is being

experienced,” and the “how” these factors identify with the “what” of the lived experience

(Moustakas, 1994, p. 98). This method helped the researcher to derive structural themes for the

textural descriptions that were obtained through phenomenological reduction.

Composite Textural and Structural Descriptions

Moustakas (1994) identifies the last stage in phenomenological research as the “intuitive

integration of the fundamental textural and structural descriptions into a unified statement of the

essences of the experience of the phenomenon as a whole” (p. 100). In other words, the

particular phenomena occurred in a specific time and place with specific people from the lens of

the researcher “following an exhaustive imaginative and reflective study of the phenomenon” (p.

100). The researcher viewed the context through a different perspective, naively and freshly,

which synthesized the meaning of the participants’ experiences. Thus, the researcher reflected

and documented in journal notes specific textural and structural characteristics of the participants

to attain the essence of the meaning of their experiences (Lincoln & Guba, 1985; Moustakas,

1994).

Open Coding

Once the transcriptions were recorded, the data were highlighted utilizing Microsoft

Word spreadsheets and tables, index cards, and highlighted formation of varying colors as

answers to open-ended questions emerged according to repetitive themes and responses.

Interview questions were designed with data-specific questions. As indicated by Creswell

(2013), open coding allows the researcher opportunities for identifying “one open coding

category to focus on . . . and then goes back to the data and creates categories identified around

the core phenomenon” (p. 86).

Axial Coding

According to Creswell’s (2013) definition of axial coding, “. . . categories relate to and

surround the core phenomenon in a visual model” (p. 86). Axial coding allowed the researcher

in the present study to postulate a “theoretical model” (Creswell, 2013, p. 85). Therefore, the

current study utilized axial coding to gather concepts and categories attained from the data of the

semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, and the photo-narrative reflections. Axial

coding the data assisted in confirming the concepts and categories represented from the

interviews, indicated the relation of the thematic analysis, and created a more directed method in

accurately identifying all essential components.

Classifying Patterns from the Participants’ Context

The interview transcripts and focus group discussions were coded with specific meaning

units established via discovering and synthesizing participants’ substantial responses, which

allowed themes to emerge. Thus, Microsoft Word tables, index cards, highlighted content cards,

and spreadsheets were utilized to organize the collected data as themes were discovered. Lastly,

axial and open coding were incorporated to recognize patterns and thoughts that were revealed in

the data collection (Creswell, 2013).

Emerging Themes from Data Analysis

The photographs taken during the study and reflections written by the teachers were

analyzed to determine the emerging themes transcribed from the interviews and notes written

during the focus group discussion. Specific identities relative to the motivational factors that

sustained teachers in a high-need, low-performing school were denoted and the data collected

was interpreted to determine the themes prevalent in the teachers’ sustainability. The motivation

of the present study hoped to obtain specific context combined with the photograph reflection

narratives, interviews, and focus group discussions as a result of this analysis (Patton, 2002).

Memoing

According to Creswell (2013), “Memoing becomes part of developing the theory as the

researcher writes down ideas as data are collected and analyzed” (p. 85). Memoing (Appendix

E) increased the reliability of the study because it framed the development the researcher

observed and recorded the timeline of the qualitative study. As a result, the researcher was able

to separate running thoughts and factual context, which allowed for the novel organization of the

collected data to transpire as possible themes emerged.

Trustworthiness

In recognition of trustworthiness, the current study adhered to qualitative approaches to

consciously address credibility, dependability, transferability, and confirmability. Patton (2002)

references a constructivist mindset to research as “ . . . credibility as an analog to internal

validity, transferability as an analog to external validity, dependability as an analog to reliability,

and confirmability as an analog to objectivity” (p. 546). Therefore, with the ultimate goal to

increase reliability and dependability of this particular study, various methods were incorporated

to increase trustworthiness.

Credibility

Creswell (2013) defined credibility as “. . . prolonged engagement in the field . . .

triangulation of data sources, methods, and investigators” (p. 246). This qualitative research

utilized triangulation of all data (Moustakas, 1994; van Manen, 1990; 2007; 2014),

encompassing collective data from the semi-structured individual interviews, the teachers’ focus

group, and collective documentation via the photographs of teachers and their written thoughts

per photo, denoting teachers’ educational experiences, which captured comprehensive data with

three different methods of data collection. Thus, the incorporation of triangulation in the study

offered the opportunity to establish themes that emerged from the collected data.

Member checking was also incorporated to provide credibility of this research study.

According to Schwandt (2007), member checking is a term “for soliciting feedback from

respondents on the inquirer’s findings” (p. 187). Thus, member checking served as a significant

practice for substantiating and validating the study’s findings and criterion. All participants were

asked to review the interview and focus group information and ask specific questions relative to

the findings. Ten of the 13 participants returned their photo-narrative documentation. After the

researcher viewed and analyzed the photo-narrative reflection documentation from the 10

participants, they were asked to view the narratives to ensure the researcher had captured their

reflections. All 10 participants approved their reflections. Likewise, all participants were invited

to share thoughts from the findings in the final document and offer corrections or enhancements

(Moustakas, 1994; van Manen, 1990, 2014). All participants responded with member checking

and approved of the findings with the exception of one minor sentence being removed per a

participant’s request. Lastly, committee members were asked to check the accuracy of acquired

themes and the explanation of the participants’ dialogue in the interview data (Schwandt, 2007).

This procedure was implemented to ensure that the researcher’s “attempts at describing and

analyzing qualitative data” were accurate and consistent (Schwandt, 2007, p. 222).

Transferability

Transferability indicates a thick, rich description of the phenomena being studied

between the researcher and the participants (Creswell, 2013). Thus, trustworthiness was utilized

to clarify researcher reflexivity and bracketing. As Creswell (2013) stated, “. . . the writer is

conscious of the biases, values, and experiences that he or she brings to a qualitative study . . . .

an interpretation of the phenomenon” (p. 216). Therefore, during the study, the researcher

continuously remained mindful of familiarities involving public education, journaling lived

experiences relative to the educational community, and bracketing out associations, and refused

to entertain personal experiences. All of which “minimizes” bracketing (Creswell, 2013;

Moustakas, 1994).

Dependability

According to Schwandt (2007), dependability focuses on the consistency of the research

findings. In phenomenological research, dependability is accomplished by “the process of the

inquiry and the inquirer’s responsibility for ensuring that the process was logical, traceable, and

documented” (Schwandt, 2007, p. 299). In qualitative research, the emphasis is not necessarily

replication of the study findings. It is, however, on the understanding that the researcher can

utilize a comparable foundation when concluding thoughts. To enforce dependability, the

researcher implemented a “lean coding” process, a small list of “five or six categories with

shorthand labels or codes” (Creswell, 2013, p. 184). The specific categories were then extended

based on viewing and reviewing the data. Likewise, dependability was reinforced by

incorporating triangulation as noted by following Moustakas’ (1994) phenomenological

procedures.

Member checks were included in the study, with the participants viewing the theoretical

framework derived from the interview transcriptions, collective documentation, and focus group

collaboration, which warrants rich, thick description for future researchers to replicate the study

relative to public school teachers who teach in high-need educational communities, indicating

similarities and variations. As interpreted by Schwandt (2007), “. . . to thickly describe social

action is actually to begin to interpret it by recording the circumstances, meanings, intentions,

strategies, motivations, that characterize a particular episode” (p. 296).

Confirmability

According to Creswell (2013), confirmability includes launching the value of the data

while researching and determining if the results are confirmed by others involved in the study.

Therefore, the researcher had to ensure the data results were communicated in a qualitative

approach rather than as researcher bias. The aforementioned methods noted in this context

account for confirmability (i.e., researcher reflexivity, epoche/bracketing, member checks, and

triangulation).

Ethical Considerations

Upon approval from the school district via the district superintendent and school site

principals to conduct the study (Appendix D), IRB approval was obtained and informed consent

(Appendix B) was shared with the designated participants indicating the purpose of the study and

their right to withdraw at any time. The ethical considerations were proactively planned with

acquiring informed consent during this qualitative study with the researcher informing the

participants of the nature of study and potential selection of participation. Thus, pseudonyms for

all participants and settings were incorporated. Informed consent was utilized during this

qualitative study with the participants being informed of the nature of the study and potential

selection of participation. The researcher established the research results with participants noting

anonymous outcomes. Confidentiality was acknowledged and enforced throughout the research

study. The researcher adhered to theoretical data interpretations that discharged fraudulent

responses. Affording Creswell’s (2013) perspective, “A final ethical issue is whether the

researcher shares personal experiences with participants in an interview setting” (p. 175). The

researcher conducted the study with caution when presenting personal experiences relative to the

purpose of the study and enforced safeguards and protection via securing context in a locked file

cabinet and utilized password protection for electronic inquiries.

Summary

The phenomenological research design, data collection procedures, and data analysis

indicated in this particular context were deemed as appropriate for this qualitative study. The

transcendental phenomenological research design incorporated semi-structured interviews, an

online focus group, and collective document analysis which attained data about the phenomenon

being studied. Likewise, utilizing coding procedures and memoing were deemed appropriate

methods for analyzing the data for this study (van Manen, 1990, 2007, 2014). Detailed factors

that influenced trustworthiness, including credibility, transferability, dependability, and

confirmability–were significant factors in determining the methodology of the study. Also, the

ethical considerations were vital components in the design of this research, ensuring that all

components of the study were accomplished with honesty. By utilizing a transcendental

phenomenological approach, the current study proposed to grasp a better understanding of the

central phenomenon of the motivational factors that sustained teachers who teach in high-need,

low-performing public schools located in southeastern North Carolina. In this chapter, the

research study design, research questions, setting, participants, procedures, and the importance of

the researcher’s role have been described. Also, the data collection procedures, data analysis

methods, trustworthiness, and ethical considerations have been identified and described.

CHAPTER FOUR: FINDINGS

Overview

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe motivational

factors that sustained public school teachers in high-need areas in southeastern North Carolina

(Creswell, 2013; Moustakas, 1994; van Manen, 1990, 2007, 2014). This study sought to provide

a thick, rich, and descriptive voice of the experienced teachers who shared the phenomenon of

sustaining their teaching careers beyond the initial three years of teaching in a high-need public

school by sharing their experiences, contextual influences, and motivational factors (Creswell,

2013; Patton, 1993). Patton (2002) denoted that researchers who utilize a phenomenological

approach for research explore “how human beings make sense of experience and transform

experience into consciousness” (p. 104).

Chapter three defined the methods incorporated to conduct this phenomenological study.

The purpose of this chapter is to present the findings and data analysis of the interviews, photo-

narrative documentation, and the online focus group discussion that aligned with the three

research questions.

Research Questions

In order to explore the lived experiences of the participants who taught in high-need, low-

performing public schools situated in southeastern North Carolina, three research questions were

proposed as follows:

RQ1. How do public school teachers describe their experience working in a high-need

educational community in North Carolina?

RQ2. How do public school teachers perceive their former life history as having an

impact retaining their profession beyond the initial three years of teaching in a high-need, low-

performing public school?

RQ3. What intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors do public school teachers describe

as encouraging them to sustain their teaching profession beyond the initial three years of

teaching in a high-need, low-performing public school?

Participants

The participants of this qualitative study were chosen from one rural public school

district in southeastern North Carolina because of the high teacher turnover and attrition among

teachers. The participants were chosen for the study according to Title 1, high-need, low-

performing status per the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, and years of

experience teaching in a high-need public school (i.e., beyond the initial three years). The

schools were comprised of four public schools identified as Title 1, high-need, and low-

performing according to the North Carolina Public School System via NCDPI, State Report Card

and accountability. There were two elementary schools (North Pole Elementary School and

South Pole Elementary School), one middle school (Franklin Middle School), and one high

school (Norlina High School) involved in the study. All schools were assigned pseudonyms.

Once permission to conduct the study was granted via Liberty University’s Institutional Review

Board on May 3, 2016, along with prior approval from the district, an e-mail was sent to the

participants for an introductory meeting.

During the e-mail correspondence, participants desired to interview during the

introductory meeting because of a scheduling conflict with standardized tests. Thirteen

participants volunteered and participated in the study. The participants’ teaching experiences

ranged from 8 to 35 years. All grade levels and core subject areas were represented in the study.

General education teachers, exceptional children teachers, and a career and technical education

teacher were represented in the study. Additionally, there were four Caucasian females, five

African-American females, three Caucasian males, and one African-American male who

participated in the study. All participants were assigned pseudonyms.

Table 1

Participant Demographic Overview

Participant Age Gender Ethnicity Concentration/ Subject/ Current Grade Level

Educational Track

Years of Experience Teaching in a High-need Area

Fletcher 35 Male Caucasian Middle/PE/6th- 8th

Alternative 8

Fiona 43 Female Caucasian Middle/Math/ 6th

Traditional 21

Francesca 42 Female Caucasian Middle/Math/ 8th

Traditional 21

Franco 39 Male Caucasian Middle/Art/6th -8th

Traditional 15

Faith 58 Female Caucasian Middle/ Science/6th

Traditional 26

Norma 39 Female African- American

Elementary/All /3rd

Alternative 14

Noele 31 Female African- American

Elementary/ Literacy/1st-2nd

Traditional 9

Noah 56 Male Caucasian High School/ History/ 9th-12th

Traditional 28

Nova 50 Female African- American

Elementary/ Exceptional Children/K-5th

Alternative 12

Noland 62 Male African- American

High School/ Business/9th- 12th

Alternative 15

Sonia 45 Female Caucasian Elementary/All /Kindergarten

Alternative 22

Solona 34 Female African- American

Elementary/ Digital Learning Sp./K-5th

Alternative 9.5

Sophia 59 Female African- American

Elementary/ Exceptional Children/K-2nd

Traditional 35

Description of Participants

The following is an individual descriptive portrait of the participants. This context

describes the participants: their age, ethnicity, their concentration area, grade level, years of

experience, educational track (i.e., traditional or alternative), and their experience teaching in a

high-need, low-performing public school in North Carolina. All participants were assigned

pseudonyms.

Fletcher. Fletcher was a 35-year-old Caucasian male, who had recently become

engaged, served as a middle school (6-8) physical education (PE) teacher, and had taught PE for

most of his career. He had always resided in the current county. He had been teaching for eight

years, seven years at his current assigned middle school, and one year at a local high school,

where he taught history. During the first two years at his current school, he taught sixth grade

social studies. He had always taught in high-need public schools within the school district. He

acquired his licensure and certification via an alternative course of study for lateral-entry

teachers. He recently graduated with his Masters in Administration Education (May 2016).

When asked about his experience teaching in a high-need school, he said:

Being in a high-need school with a diverse population such as this, I tell people all the

time it’s some of the most rewarding experiences I have and some of the most frustrating

and challenging at the same time. You do have those experiences where you do connect

with a student that they don’t see a positive role model, especially a positive male role

model on a daily basis. And you get through to them, you help them out, you see

yourself having a positive impact on them and that’s great.

Fiona. Fiona was a 43-year-old Caucasian female and mother of two children, a 14-year

old son and an eight-year old daughter. She had always worked around children. Growing up,

she interacted with children in her mother’s in-home daycare and with infants in her own

volunteer work at her church’s nursery. She acquired her certification via the traditional course

of study with a concentration in elementary education and later added middle school education.

Her family was a traditional family, very stable, and had always lived in the same county. She

had served as a sixth grade math teacher for 21 years in the current assigned school. She stated,

“Sixth grade was my worst year ever of life and I have been in sixth grade ever since.” When

asked about her experience teaching in a high-need school, she said,

It is somewhat more frustrating than when I first started, it seemed like there was, I would

say, 80 percent of the population actually wanted to learn. They had their differences and

their needs, but they wanted to be here. They wanted the stability of school and wanted

to learn. Now I’m seeing a lot of parents not support the education system, that there’s

not a need for college and high school to get a job, that there’s jobs that are available to

people who do not have that education and they do not push the children to get that

education and some of that in this community . . . . We’re making it so why should they

do anything different?

Francesca. Francesca was a 42-year-old Caucasian female and step-mother of three

children. She attained her educational credentials through a traditional track and was certified in

middle and high school concentrations. She shared her love for animals and indicated she had a

small farm with numerous rescue animals. She also had become a vegetarian at the age of six.

Francesca had been teaching for 21 years and currently taught eighth grade math. When asked

about her experiences while teaching in high-need, low-performing schools, she replied:

I have always worked in high-needs facilities, and every school I’ve ever been in has

been a Title 1 school.” She extended the conversation by saying, “I think that is where

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my God-given talent is because I’ve worked for academically gifted kids and worked

with kids that probably would not qualify if it weren’t for their demographics and their

surroundings, and I just have a better talent with the lower performing poverty kids. The

fact of it is, poverty and low performing typically does go together. I taught in the prison

system, the juvenile prison system, and I enjoyed that. I loved that because I felt that I

made a difference in those boys’ lives because not only did we have them at school, but I

did other things with them, as well. It was more of a family environment than the public

school.

Franco. Franco was a 39- year-old Caucasian male in the 15th year of his career serving

as a middle school art teacher. He achieved his undergraduate credentials via a traditional track

and completed his internship in an elementary school. However, Franco had accepted a position

in the middle school during his first year and had remained there for 15 years. He began his

career at his current assigned school and had chosen to stay, denoting he “grew up just down the

road” but was not familiar with the particular county. However, he had been in eastern NC all of

his life. He indicated that he was single and had no children but lived close to his parents and

siblings. When asked about his experiences teaching in a high-need public school, he stated:

I never thought I’d teach. I just kind of fell into the education track. I’d say it’s

challenging. Dealing with what issues that the kids bring in and the needs that they have,

especially in art because they’re kind of mixed in here. You have the EC [Exceptional

Children] kids mixed with some AG [Academically Gifted] kids.

Faith. Faith was a 58-year-old Caucasian female who taught sixth grade science. She

had been teaching for 26 years; 6 years in an elementary school and 16 years in her current

middle school assignment. Her total years of experience accounted for interim positions she held

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while working with the State of North Carolina. Faith completed her education through the

traditional track. She began her career in elementary education and later transferred to middle

school education, where she had been teaching for 16 years. She left the teaching profession for

approximately 6 years to pursue other avenues such as sales and insurance. However, with much

encouragement from family and friends, she chose to continue her educational career. Faith was

single and very involved with her friends and church family. When asked about her experiences

while serving as a teacher in a high-need public school for 16 years, she said:

When I first came here, we had more resources. We had a textbook. We had some of the

resources that was ordered for us and had available to us. But as time progressed and

things changed, we went into a new program, which was the Common Core. When we

came into the Common Core, there was no resources that were given to us. We had to go

into and find our own resources. And we were making up really our own curriculum as

we went. Because there was nothing that they gave us to go by. They just said, ‘“Here’s

the Common Core and teach it”’ and we could do it, I guess, anyway we wanted to. But I

could see a decline after there was no books and no resources and this new program was

opened up to us, but nothing else was given to us to help lead us and motivate the

children into what they needed to know.

Norma. Norma was a 39-year-old African-American female who had been teaching for

14 years in an elementary setting in North Carolina. Her undergraduate concentration was

elementary education through the traditional course of study. At the time of the interview, she

taught third grade. However, she had taught first grade in previous years. She had been married

for 11 years and has two children; a son who is five years old and a daughter who is one year

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old. When asked about her teaching profession while serving in a high-need, low-performing

public school, she said:

My experience has been, it's a very challenging job, but I love it! You have to, number

one, love the students as you would love your own child whether you have children or

not. You have to love them. You have to be patient because a lot of times they come to

school as they are. So they have a lot of issues going on maybe at home. So you have to

be patient with them. Whatever they do that one day, the next day has to be a clean slate.

You have to start over. One thing I do every single year, Ms. Casey, I always work hard

to be able to report to my parents. When you get those parents to buy in, then you've got

them. You know, sometimes, I always make sure I return phone calls. If parents email

or, sometimes on certain occasions, I will give my cell phone out if I feel like that's going

to help. So I always try to build a rapport with my parents, and that works.

Noele. Noele was a 31-year-old African-American female who taught in an elementary

school. At the time of the interview, she was serving first and second grade students as a

Literacy Coach/Reading Specialist. However, she had previously taught Kindergarten, first

grade, and second grade. Noele received her educational credentials via the traditional track with

a concentration in elementary education. She had been teaching for nine years at the same

school. She noted that she was reared in the county and loved serving the children in the

community. When asked about her experiences serving students in a high-need, low-performing

public school in North Carolina, she stated:

My experiences working in the community are not, they are not good, I can say. I mean,

you know, we don’t have support. We’re like, and I’m just going to say this, we’re

treated like red-headed stepchildren. I mean, for lack of a better wording. We’re

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shunned upon sometimes. We try to do things to the best of our ability, and we’re cast

down. We don’t have parental support. Our parents are not involved. For example, our

leadership group, we wanted to raise money to go to Washington, D.C., and we couldn’t

get supported through our community. Our “Give Five to Read Five” for a summer

program, we don’t have one book in that basket. Not one. And yes, it’s only been a

week, but we don’t have one book in the basket. We’re trying to really develop our

students, really try to invest in them, but we don’t get that return.

Noah. Noah was a 56-year-old Caucasian male who taught high school (9-12) American

History, United States History, and an elective on Holocaust and modern genocides. Noah had

been teaching for 28 years at the same assigned school. He received his undergraduate education

and certification via the traditional track with an initial concentration in urban planning, which

he never pursued but later became certified in high school history. He was married and the

father of one daughter who graduated recently from the school where he taught. He indicated

that his desire to teach began in his childhood and that his love for teaching was first ignited by

his aunt, who was a teacher. His aunt gave him an old traditional bell that he keeps on his desk

at home as a reminder of her dedication to teaching. When asked about his experiences while

teaching in a high-need school in North Carolina, he stated:

This is coming from talking to other teachers who have been here ten years or more, is

just the sound of surprise in our voice when we say, ‘how do we become a high-need

school?’. I mean, when did this happen? And then how do we know what led us to this

point? What have we done wrong as teachers? Because we take on the blame ourselves

sometimes. And it's a bit of a sense of frustration that ‘What are we doing wrong? What

could we do better?’ Whenever we meet it's, ‘How do we motivate the students? What

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can we do to try to improve that?’ Is more technology the answer or are we relying too

much on technology to get the thing done? I think it's a combination, but also I notice my

students seem to, and it might be me getting older, but have less of a sense of curiosity

than they had before. And I don't know if that's because everything is answerable to them

in a matter of minutes.

Nova. Nova was a 50-year-old African-American female who served as an exceptional

children’s teacher in an elementary school. She had been teaching for 12 years in various

schools within the current assigned school district. She was considered a separate-setting teacher

who taught kindergarten through fifth grade students and taught all subject areas. She acquired

her licensure and certification through an alternative pathway with a concentration in special

education. Previously, she worked in a mental institution for 17.5 years and noted that she had

always “loved being into helping someone.” She was divorced and also the mother of a 28-year-

old son. As a child, her parents always encouraged the importance of education and the strength

of helping others. When asked about her experiences while serving students in a high-need, low-

performing school in North Carolina, she said:

With my experience, I've seen children from the low end of the spectrum to the medium

end of the spectrum, and my belief is that all children can learn. As a self-contained

classroom, I want my children to be taught and learn where they will be able to exit the

program and into the regular classrooms and that the community is a big support system

to help with the children with special needs. Me just helping and just seeing the lightbulb

of a child come on and even not just a child because some of the family members are not

able and to help family members as well as the children to become a productive citizen.

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Noland. Noland was a 62-year-old African-American male who taught business courses

in high school. He had been teaching for 15 years in the same school district. He formerly

served in the United States Air Force for four years and had also worked in business. He

acquired his educational credentials via an alternative track. Noland had been married for 30

years and had five children (two sons and three daughters) and four grandchildren. His oldest

daughter passed away last year, and he and his family were still trying to recover. He attributed

his lifelong credentials and aspirations to his wife. He believed:

I have a very supportive spouse, my wife. She wants what is best for me so if she gives

me advice about something, I know that she's given it some thought and prayer and so if

we can come to an agreement on something I am ready for it wholeheartedly. Teaching

was one of them. She said I think you should teach. That's my foundation, my backbone,

my friend, my partner. She's awesome.

When asked about his experiences working in a high-need school, Noland shared his

spiritual foundation:

Oh, I honestly believe that every course that I've taken, even at this point in my life right

now, and the decisions I'm making, I really believe that God's hand is in it, and I'm going

to end up exactly where he wants me to. I try to give that 100 percent every day to reach

as many students as I can and help as many staff members as I can. Actually, I love the

high school. Typically, because the students are reaching that point in life where they

understand they've got to start making some serious decisions and I can help facilitate

that. That's the biggest joy I get just knowing that I might be the one to help someone get

the revelation of what they need to do. I think what has given me a good foothold here at

[Norlina High School] is the struggles that I dealt with in life, the things that I've done in

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the businesses that I've worked with. I can relate to the majority of the students and the

parents that I come in contact with.

Sonia. Sonia was a 45-year-old Caucasian female who taught Kindergarten in an

elementary school where she had taught for 18 years. She had taught in the same school district

for 22 years, including four years in a Head Start program prior to her currently assigned

elementary school. She received her educational licensure and certification via an alternative

track. Sonia had been married for 20 years and had a 13-year-old son who attended a private

school in the district. As a child, Sonia attended the same private school prior to her attendance

in a boarding school in Pennsylvania. When asked about her experiences serving students in a

high-need educational community, she said:

It's rewarding, it's very demanding emotionally and socially. People don't understand

why I'm still here. Emotionally you see the good things like their little light bulbs going

off when they're starting to sound out words and I'm reading, I'm reading. You see the

love when they might not get it at home. You're their world here. You have some years

that are really good involvement, and then you have some years that are really weak

involvement. I'm driven to make, to help these, not make, help these children learn, and

to be the best they can be.

Solona. Solona was a 34-year-old African-American female who was married and had a

two-year-old daughter. She noted that she had always lived in the area. As a child, Solona lived

with her grandparents, who she identified as her parents. She attained her educational certificate

through an alternative track with a concentration in elementary education. She had been

teaching for 9.5 years at the same school. She had taught second, fourth, and fifth grades, and

now served as the Digital Learning Specialist for all grade levels. She shared how her hunger for

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teaching occurred as a child watching her grandmother’s dedication to others as she taught in

another elementary school in the district. Likewise, she shared her life-changing experience as a

child with the interaction from the principal at her grandmother’s school and the impact he had in

her life. She believed:

He was very sweet. But, he was really, really, really nice to my mother, and my mom

always said great things about him. It was never anything negative or anything like that.

He always showed me such great love, and I don’t know if it’s because my mom worked

there or not, but he just had this mentality that when he came around children, he just

reached out so much love to them. Doesn’t care what nationality you were, he treated

everybody the same. And, my mom always displayed this behavior as well that she just

loved helping, and she loved doing things with kids as well. If they were in need, she

would go out of her way and do things for other children, not just myself. And so, all of

that that she did, just seeing her, how she treated not just children in general but people in

general, rubbed off on me. It taught me how to actually reach out to others, taught me

how to actually communicate without going off the top of the head, or anything. But, just

working with children, even now, she works with kids now that she drives the bus, and

she’ll say, ‘Well, this student on the bus, they really need this and I want to go out and

see if I can help get something.’ So, even now, in her 70s, she’s still doing the exact

same thing, and driving the bus.

Later in life, Solona began working as a librarian in the public library and then began

volunteering in her current elementary assigned school. When asked about her experiences

working in a high-need school situated in a high-impoverished area of town, she said:

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Well, I can’t say it’s been anything to my surprise because I grew up here in [this town].

So, you have the idea of the neighborhood that you’re working in. My parents, they

stayed over in [removed nearby town] back when they were coming up, you know. And

then, they moved to where they are now. So, you already have a general idea of what

you’re walking into. At some points, it has been, how do I explain it? Scary moments.

There have been some scary moments that especially when you have the violence that’s

going around the school and it’s during the school hours, and you have to go into

shutdown. You don’t know what might happen. You don’t know what’s going on, you

don’t know if somebody’s going to walk into your building with a gun, you don’t know.

So, you do always have that in the back of your mind, but at the same time, you know

that your first priority is, ‘I have to keep my babies safe.’ They face it more than we do

because—there are days that we’re not here, especially during the summer when the

violence is very high during the summer. I mean, they see it all the time. And so, you

have that mindset that, yes, we know what’s going on around us, but that’s around us.

This is their safe haven.

Sophia. Sophia was a 59-year-old African-American female who taught kindergarten

through second grade students who were identified with special needs in an elementary school

where she had taught for 35 years. Sophia acquired her educational credentials via a traditional

track with a concentration in special education. She had been married for 35 years and had three

sons and eight grandchildren. She had lived in the area since 1974, where she completed high

school while living with her grandmother. When asked about her experiences teaching in a high-

need, low-performing school in North Carolina, she said:

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I feel, personally, if you can teach in a high school area of need, then you can teach

anywhere. You can be an effective teacher anywhere because this setting really prepares

you to be a teacher. If you teach in an area for a long time, I feel like you become part of

the families within the school units because you’ll find out that you’re teaching siblings,

you’re teaching cousins, you’re teaching aunts, uncles. You get to learn the parents, the

grandparents so you become a part of that family through generations. Then, once that

bond is formed with that family, you get more support from the family. I feel like

teaching goes beyond the classroom and, if the children come to school with a certain

need, whether it’s clothing, shelter, whatever, given their life experiences, then I feel like

in my heart that I need to try to fulfil those needs too. You can’t do all of them, but you

try to do the best you can. Then, that sort of shows the children there’s another way to

live outside of their community. It’s part of an adopted family. We’re all family.

Themes

A detailed analysis of the data revealed five descriptive themes derived from the

participants answering the interview questions, focus group questions, and completing the photo-

narrative documentation. The major themes from the study that contributed to teacher

sustainability beyond the initial three years teaching in a high-need public school were (a)

Colleagues as Family, (b) Sense of Calling, (c) Love for Children, (d) Contribution to

Community, and (e) Service to Others. Once the data were collected from the participants’

interviews, collective photo-narrative reflective documentation, and the focus group discussion,

the transcriptions were utilized to identify textural themes. These textural themes captured the

essence of the participants and were approved by the participants.

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Colleagues as Family

The interviews, focus group discussion, and photo-narratives revealed that the teachers

recognized they shared a family-oriented environment among educational staff within their

assigned schools. During the interviews, Faith said the support of others is like a family. She

stated:

It’s been the support system that I have here at this school. We are like a family. When I

moved from reading to science, there was a science teacher, and she helped me, and she

had the materials. She gave me what she had. She gave me every resource that I could

possibly have to be successful. And I’ve just had an encouraging support system here as

a family, and that’s why I have stayed here.

Sophia stated, “You become part of the families within the school units. It is part of an adopted

family. We’re all family.” Franco believed, “The people here, that’s one thing that’s kept me

here. It is challenging, but we’ve got a lot of great people to work with.” Fletcher explained

from his experience:

But as far as what kept me here, for all of the problems [Franklin Middle] does have, and

it has a lot, there is still a really good group of teachers here that are great to work with.

And they have really allowed for me to grow.

Four of the ten participants who submitted their photo-narrative documentation reflected

that a sense of family in their schools helped sustain their careers teaching in a high-need public

school. Francesca said, “My fabulous colleagues have played a huge part in my professional

development. They are often the family members that you spend the most of your waking time

with. They have helped me keep calm, have fun, and teach on!” Franco described his

educational family in his photo-narrative reflection. He stated:

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As I reflect on my career in education, I am convinced that I have grown both personally

and professionally. I truly believe that is a credit to three factors: faith, family, and co-

workers. Without those, I don’t think I could have survived the last 15 years.

Noele described his growth as a teacher. He said, “The better I became as a teacher, the more

my mindset shifted and I felt an urgency to want to be a better support system for my colleagues.

To potentially reach even more students outside of the classroom.” Noland stated:

The support and love from my family has been my most valued earthly treasure. And

using my gifts and talents to give back to the community—locally and beyond—have

given me overwhelming life worth and fulfillment. These motivating factors allow me to

get up each day and face life’s uncertainties with great enthusiasm and optimism.

During the focus group discussion, Noland explained that a sense of family is what

sustained his career. He stated, “A collaborative team is highly needed, striving to make a

difference, giving back to my community, being a great mentor, and working with good people,

for the kids.” Noele said:

When I first started, intrinsically, I was paired up with a great mentor who was not scared

to kind of correct me, kind of get me to where I am today. I worked with a great

administrator who helped guide me, nurture me, and really developed me to be the

teacher-leader I am today, and put me in position to where I am today. So that’s my

motivational factor of why I am where I am, not straying away from school, being around

good people, and one not to give up on them. That’s why I am still here.

During the online focus group discussion, the participants shared specific attributes that

motivated their sustainability in a high-need public school. They shared detailed accounts of

their experiences as traditional and alternative-track educators. Noland explained his initial

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experiences as a later-entry teacher. He explained that he was initially placed on a great team,

and the benefits of that experience extrinsically motivated him to continue his career. He stated,

“I had never taught in a classroom. I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but they made

sure I felt very comfortable that first year, and they were there for me continually.”

Throughout this study via individual interviews, collective photo-narrative reflections,

and an online focus group, the participants described both intrinsic and extrinsic motivational

factors that sustained their teaching profession. The participants believed that administrative

support, colleague rapport, and their aspirations to teach were encouraging factors in their

sustainability. The participants expressed gratitude for the effort shared by colleagues and the

school family when they first began their careers. The support, resources, training, and sense of

community established in the schools were also motivating factors in their sustainability.

The participants ultimately appreciated the interviews because the opportunity gave them

time to reflect on their sustainability. They were encouraged that someone cared enough to

interview them. The online focus group created a cohesive dialogue among the four participants

and fostered a relaxed atmosphere to discuss the joys of teaching in a high-need public school.

All participants voiced a sense of genuine pride about their choice to sustain their careers in a

high-need school and emphasized no desire to transfer to neighboring schools or districts.

Interestingly, the participants shared a desire for continual improvement within their educational

community and shared ideas to make the students stronger and parents more involved in their

children’s education.

Most of the participants recognized the help and dedication others had offered during

their careers and how they had supported each other. Sonia stated, “I just feel really wanted and

needed.” Noele explained, “Another thing, I had an awesome, awesome principal. [She] was

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one main reason why I stayed here. I’ve worked with some awesome co-workers and

colleagues.” Fiona shared her experiences working with great colleagues from the beginning of

her career. She said:

I was put on a team with two very experienced, awesome teachers, and they took me

under their wing, and they taught me what they knew, and what they did, and how to be

successful. For years, inside and outside of school, we had a strong relationship, and I

found out that, after one year of middle school, I did not think I could go back down [to

elementary].

Faith highlighted her colleague support stating:

When I moved from reading to science, there was a science teacher, and she helped me,

and she had the materials. She gave me what she had. She gave me every resource that I

could possibly have to be successful. At that time it was the Standard Course of Study.

And so, there were workbooks, along with the textbooks, there was videos. There was all

kinds of resources available to us during that time. And she shared them with me. And

we’ve been a family unit here. If something happens to one of us, it’s like it happens to

all of us.

As indicated in the study, the participants shared a sense of gratitude for their colleague families

and the connectedness that influenced their careers while teaching in a high-need public school.

Likewise, the participants emphasized their calling to teach and that their sense of calling helped

sustain their teaching careers.

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Sense of Calling

During the interviews, photo-narrative reflections, and the online focus group discussion,

the participants shared their beliefs for teaching and indicated that they were called to teach

specifically where they taught in the community. Noland stated:

I try to give that 100 percent every day to reach as many students as I can and help as

many staff members as I can. I think one of the biggest decisions I've made since starting

to teach was leaving the middle school and moving to the high school. So, I grew to love

the middle school and all of the things that I was doing there. Of course, it's kind of late

in my life right now, and I was afraid of the decision, but I felt that that was what God

was leading me to do at the time, so I made the move. Actually, I love the high school.

Typically, because the students are reaching that point in life where they understand

they've got to start making some serious decisions, and I can help facilitate that.

When asked about how her former life history had an impact in retaining her profession, Sophia

stated:

One thing is my upbringing, we lived in a rural community. We were farmers. My

daddy was a sharecropper and we had plenty of love. When I was growing up as a little

girl, I never thought I would be a teacher. That was not even my dream. My dream was

just to be a good momma. So, God has blessed me to go beyond that, it’s a calling.

Faith described her faith in God as a major factor impacting her role as a teacher in a

high-need public school by stating:

Well, I think that my spiritual background is one of the things. I have a strong belief in

my Lord Jesus Christ and Savior. I actually seek him and seek his will of what he wants

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me to do in decisions. I seek him in how to handle the students and behaviors of the

students. I try to uplift and encourage these kids as a role model and seek the Lord.

During the focus group discussion, it was discovered that only one of the four

participants’ family members served as an educator. However, the participants highlighted the

significance of their calling to teach and serve others in their community. Several of the

participants indicated that without their faith and being called to teach, they would not have

sustained their careers in a high-need school. In the interviews, the participants highlighted both

intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors that had encouraged them to sustain their careers

beyond the novice years. Fiona stated, “I just clicked with middle [school], and so I have

stayed.” When asked about the motivational factors that enabled Fiona to sustain her education

in a high-need environment, she said:

I would say that one factor is just this personality trait of mine. That’s just a work ethic–

that somebody took a chance on me and invested time in me, gave the first grade student

teacher a chance to work into a middle school, and gave me wonderful people to work

with. Therefore, if I’m investing all that time, and that money and energy, it’s more like

a family thing. It’s a calling. It’s not just a job.

When asked about the internal motivational factors that sustained her career teaching in a high-

need public school, Norma explained that she always enjoyed working with younger children.

She also expressed how her faith strengthened sustainability to teach. Norma stated:

I love first grade because first grade is kind of like at the bottom of the pyramid. So, I

feel like you need a strong base. If the base is not strong, then the top is going to be

weak. Overall, what has kept me, is the love of children and my calling to teach. Also,

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when the lightbulb comes on and the students get it. That lets me know that they have

made growth and gains.

During the interview, Noele described the daily functions and experiences teaching in a

high-need community. She explained her passion and internal vision to serve others. Equally,

she was reared in the community and felt compelled to reach as many individuals as possible

through her talents. Noele stated:

I think it’s the day-to-day. When you think about the good things that do happen and you

are really passionate about what you do and what you are called to do. The people I work

with allowing me to be who I am and allow me to grow visions the way I think and serve

my kids. That happens to be nine years later, literally.

During the interview with Noah, he explained his 28 years in the profession and the continual

transitions with resources, students’ mindset, and his sense of pride to serve the families in the

community. He also described the extrinsic motivational factors from students each year that

inspired him to sustain his career. He explained his gratitude for the student’s acknowledgement

of his life lessons in class and his intrinsic calling to serve children in the community. Noah

stated:

I feel a sense of responsibility. I guess it’s my experience teaching the holocaust and my

big lessons are: don’t be a victim, don’t be a bystander, and don’t be a perpetrator. In

other words, don’t do harm to others. And I just think they understand that more. My

faith is that we get a little better with each generation. And if I persevered and someone

else persevered and we still love it, then you can get through those initial years.

Throughout the study, most of the participants shared their sense of calling and their ultimate

aspiration to teach. As conveyed in the interviews, online focus group discussion, and the

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reflective documentation, the participants shared an innate calling to teach, emphasizing how a

sense of calling sustained their careers beyond the novice years while teaching in a high-need

public school.

Love for Children

Through interviews, collective photo-narrative documentation, and an online focus group,

participants shared how their loyalty, dedication, and a calling to teach generally sustained their

teaching careers in a high-need educational community. Equally, their shared perspective that

collaboration among colleagues, sense of calling, community contributions, helping others, and

the love for children were the motivational factors that sustained their teaching careers in a high-

need public school in North Carolina. During the study, all participants identified their intrinsic

love for children that initially guided their desire to teach remained the ultimate motivating factor

in sustaining their careers. Although, continual frustrations and conflicts were present while

teaching in a high-need educational community, all participants expressed their love and desire

to teach children. The participants also shared their innate connection with teaching at the

specific grade level and how that connection sustained their teaching profession.

During the interviews, many of the teachers mentioned that their love for children was

the primary reason for sustaining their careers beyond the initial years of teaching. Norma

stated:

But what has kept me teaching is the love for the students. Education now is hard. You

don't make a lot of money. Sometimes you have to work three or four jobs, but every

time I think about stepping away, I just think about the students that are going to not be

served if I left. You know, I truly do love each and every one of my students in here,

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even my former students. But that's what has kept me, I guess, is the love for the

students.

Faith believed that her love for children sustained her career. She said:

I think that it’s the children, I mean being here with the children. Wanting to help them

meet their goals and succeed as a middle schooler. And then my main goal with all

children that come in here is to make them aware that my main objective for them is to

graduate from high school. So that is my main goal with them. So I always say, ‘You’re

working to become a citizen, and you’re going into the workforce one day, and what you

need to do is treat this like a job. You’re coming to school every day, you’re working

hard. You are doing what you need to do to meet your goals. So when you get down the

line, you can graduate from high school and then choose, if you choose to, further your

education.

Additionally, Sophia summarized her thoughts about her love for children. She stated:

I know that they say: it’s a cliché for a teacher to say that they teach because they love

children. But, I do teach because I love children. And because I love children, I’m

invested in those children, not just when they’re at school but when they’re out of school

also. We want to make sure that our children are well, that they’re well cared for,

physically and mentally. So, you have to have that love. You got to have that love to

stay in teaching.

As conveyed by the participants, their love for children ignited a reciprocal response in their

careers by investing in the children, their families, and the community. Likewise, the

participants highlighted the importance of the students graduating from high school, attending

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college, and being productive citizens. When asked about her career and her decision to teach,

Sonia stated:

I had those struggles. I had those downfalls. I know it's not poverty, but the stress of it.

You can understand where a lot of these parents are stressed. If I know somebody's

looking for a job, if I see one open, I try to always help them. I have more sensitivity to

what's going on around me from having the cancer. And that has molded me and shaped

me in ways I never thought it would. That was another reason to stay here. Then, I just

feel really wanted and needed. Now, looking back at it, is that my way of being? Is that

one of my ways of being accepted? Because I always want what's best for these children.

I want them to graduate from high school, go to college, graduate, and get a good job.

Nova explained her journey as a teacher, stating:

Once I became a teacher, just being able to help someone that was in need so that they

can become, even though they have a disability, they can become a good person in

society. Me just helping and just seeing the light bulb of a child come on, and not just a

child. Because some of the family members are not able, and to help family members as

well as the children to become a productive citizen. When you see growth in the

children. When you see things that they were not able to do and they begin to do.

While attending college as a psychology student, Solona felt compelled to change her major and

pursue an education degree. She initially served as a librarian in the local community library.

During the interview, she conveyed that psychology was not her long-term desire and ultimately

wanted to work with children. She described her journey as a student transferring to a teacher,

stating:

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I had this mindset that I wanted to do something else. I had been working as a librarian

in the public library. I was doing story time, and I was doing programming with kids,

and I actually loved that. I loved being in an environment with just working with kids. I

loved it from the beginning, and I loved the children. They were excited every time I

came. It was just a wonderful experience. I knew then, this is what I want to do.

As described by the participants, their love for children sparked an intrinsic response in their

careers by investing in the children, their families, and the community. Likewise, the

participants emphasized the importance of the students graduating from high school, attending

college or the workforce, and being productive citizens.

Contribution to Community

Norma believed that children are the future and all can make a difference in the

community. She shared the journey of her former principal and how she made a positive impact

in her career. She said:

She had a challenging upbringing and you see what a success that she is today. So with

that being said, children in high-needs areas can learn. They can be successful. I tell

them, ‘I can't help what goes on in your outside world, but when you cross this threshold,

we have rules, we have expectations, and we have rules that you have to follow, just as

we as adults have to follow.’ So they can be successful too. It may be harder to pull it

out of them, but they have jewels and nuggets, or whatever you want to say, within them

too. So, I guess that's what has kept me. Because so many times you see that because of

their upbringing, because of their environment, they're thrown away. They’re

discredited, but they can make it as well if they're pushed.

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During the online focus group, participants shared that their teaching sustainability was

derived primarily from a desire to give back to the community and to be difference makers in the

lives of the students. Noland said his sustainability came from various factors: “A collaborative

team is highly needed, striving to make a difference, giving back to my community, being a great

mentor, and working with good people, for the kids.” Noah extended Noland’s responses by

stating, “I have a sense of a community, and it takes a village and voice for children.” Despite

the desire the participants shared in their teaching roles, a collective perspective describing all

the duties and mandates that take them away from actually teaching was also communicated by

participants. Noland indicated, “Too many things take away from teaching, which negatively

impacts us by losing focus, which is the children.” The collaborative dialogue among the four

participants expounded a shared sense of familiarity and likeness with the neighborhoods and

community. Francesca shared:

I have to say, I know that I was making a difference and that they need strong teachers. I

think that’s what, I guess, kept me in this environment is that I feel that this is where my

talent is and this is where I’m needed and where I’m supposed to be. I think that my

experiences in school in my own personal life probably make a difference. Because a lot

of the people that I went to school with, because I really went to the inner city schools,

are some of the same exact children now and grandchildren of those people I went to

school with.

Participants emphasized the importance of giving back to the community where they

were reared and currently resided. They explained the significance of the students seeing them

in the community as positive role models and their personal accomplishments in life. Likewise,

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the participants wanted to be a direct connection for the students, to help them become

independent citizens in their community and maintain lifelong relationships. Sophia stated:

I see still the same need that I felt 20 years ago when I first stepped into [South Pole].

The need has not changed in the community. Our children still deserve the best of

teachers. They deserve the best of education, because our goal in [this county] is to

prepare our children for the 21st century. To be productive students. And this

community is part of those students that are going to be guiding us in the 21st century.

Because at my age, soon I’ll be sitting at home and I’m going to be dependent upon these

students to take care of me. So, as I tell them, ‘If you’re going to work on my car, I want

you be the best mechanic. If you’re going to be my nurse’s aide assistant, I want you to

be the best one you can be. If you’re going to be a hairstylist, I want to have some hair

on my head.

Likewise, Fiona indicated, “A lot of families that I taught, I taught every one of the children in

that family and having the rapport with the parents and the family, brings relief a lot of times to

the families.” Fiona continued by saying:

Knowing what to expect, seeing a familiar face, knowing that there’s a stable, sometimes

even a Christian teacher in the school where they’re sending their child, and knowing that

there is somebody that they could go to in the time of need if they needed some sort of

thing. And even this year, this is my first year I think of teaching a child of a student that

I taught before.

Noele stated:

It makes me stay. I always have a vision to do things, and when it comes to pass, I have

to then see it through and sustain it. So I have to be here so I can see what I’m doing

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sustains. So I mean, start now, make the vision plain, so they can start having something

on their mind. They can’t understand everything, but allow them to start seeing the path,

because we’re in such a close-minded community that if these kids don’t have

opportunity to have an experience, they will stay right here.

Additionally, Noah shared:

You grow roots in the community, but also when you have a good year and students and

parents say, ‘I can't wait for you to teach my youngest son’ or ‘I've got two more children

coming up.’ And you sort of feel this, I know it might be silly of me, you feel this

obligation that you started with this family, you want to finish. And you just feel like you

need to keep going. Well, there's also a sense of pride, and part of it I don't want to leave

not being number one. If all of the older teachers bail, you don't have that sense of

continuity, and you don't have people to say, ‘Look, we've been through this before.

We’ll be all right. We need to stick together.

Noland emphasized:

My foundation, stability, and direction has come directly and indirectly from my

dedication to serve and love Jesus Christ with all my heart. The support and love from

my family has been my most valued earthly treasure, and using my gifts and talents to

give back to the community locally and beyond have given me overwhelming life worth

and fulfillment. These motivating factors allow me to get up each day and face life’s

uncertainties with great enthusiasm and optimism.

Participants explained the importance of giving back to the community where they were reared

and currently resided. They explained the significance of the students seeing them in the

community as positive role models and being successful. Equally, the participants wanted to be

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a direct connection for the students in the community, to help them become independent citizens

and maintain communication.

Service to Others

A common theme in the participants’ responses was that their former life history had an

impact on retaining their teaching profession beyond the initial three years and their motivation

to teach because of the way they were reared and the expectations of family and community.

Some of the participants explained that their family members were educators, and others shared

that they always had a desire and hunger to help others. Contextual influences that made a

positive impact in sustaining their teaching careers were participants’ families, friends,

colleagues, and their own aspirations to teach. These themes were present in the data collected

from the individual interviews, photo-narrative, and online focus group.

From the interviews, Francesca shared her intrinsic motivation in wanting to help others.

She stated firmly, “For me, my most intrinsic motivation is my desire—and innately too—to help

kids and want to see them succeed.” Fletcher explained:

My dad was in education. He taught for about 15 years. He was an administrator for a

school very similar to this as far as population. And I grew up really in diversity.

Through athletics and going to school, I didn’t just have friends that were just like me

from the same background. I think that’s important because, when you get in life, you’re

going to have to work with everybody. You have to work beyond differences and learn

to comingle, learn to communicate, accept each other’s differences, and work through

that. I think society, as we see that now, is suffering from that.

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Sophia explained her dedication to the whole child and her desire to help others: “Anything

outside of the classroom that I can do to help my students, I go looking for it. Teachers are good

beggars and I will beg for my students. I will beg for the whole school.”

Throughout the present study, the participants expressed the urgency of teaching and all

that it requires of them on a daily basis. Likewise, they spoke of how they benefited from

helping others and the moments when the students acknowledged them as making a difference in

their lives. Francesca shared her experiences from working in a former high-need public school:

I loved [that school], it was a difficult job with very little reward, except for the fact, that

in my own mind, I had to say I know that I was making a difference and that they need

strong teachers.

Nova explained her childhood and the expectations from her parents: “Growing up with my

parents, education was always very important. They did not attend college, but they encouraged

us to go farther than just 12 grades. They instilled in us to do and help others.”

Solona shared that her experiences with family and administrative support drove her

sustainability teaching in a high-need environment. Therefore, she referred to the principal she

knew as a child:

He always showed me such great love, and I don’t know if it’s because my mom worked

there or not, but he just had this mentality, that when he came around children—he just

reached out so much love to them. Doesn’t [sic] care what nationality you were, he

treated everybody the same. And, my mom always displayed this behavior as well, that

she just loved helping, and she loved doing things with kids as well. If they were in need,

she would go out of her way and do things for other children, not just myself. And so, all

of that, that she did, just seeing her, how she treated not just children in general, but

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people in general, rubbed off on me. It taught me how to actually reach out to others,

taught me how to actually communicate without going off the top of the head, or

anything.

Lastly, Noah expressed his willingness to help others in the school building with different

responsibilities and courses:

I think one thing that we need to do as older teachers, and I know this is a double-edged

sword, and I've tried to do this. And I'll be honest, I haven't always been successful– is

give up some of the choice teaching positions.

Throughout the present study, the participants expressed the intrinsic determination of teaching

and all that it requires of them on a daily basis. However, they spoke of how they benefited from

helping others and the continual opportunities when the students and families recognized them as

genuinely making a difference in their lives.

Composite Textural, Structural, and Essence Description

Textural description. The participants’ individual textural descriptions were combined

to arrange a composite textural description. The combination of the participants’ individual

descriptions hoped to capture a general description. The general description offered awareness

into what the participants collectively experienced (Moustakas, 1994). The composite textural

descriptions captured the essence of what the participants experienced while teaching in a high-

need, low-performing public school in North Carolina beyond the novice years. Utilizing the

themes derived from the voices of the participants, the data revealed the participants’

descriptions of teacher sustainability in a high-need public school in North Carolina beyond the

initial three years of teaching. The participants’ experiences can be identified via the specific

intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors they shared while teaching in a high-need public

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school. The textural description highlighted the experiences of the public school teachers. The

textural descriptions revealed five themes relative to teacher sustainability teaching in a high-

need public school.

According to Moustakas (1994), the last stage in phenomenological research is the

composite textural and structural descriptions derived from the study. Specifically, the

particular phenomena occurred at a specific time and place with specific people from the lens of

the researcher, “following an exhaustive imaginative and reflective study of the phenomenon” (p.

100). The researcher viewed the context through a different lens, with a fresh, naïve perspective,

that synthesized the meaning of the participants’ experiences. Thus, the researcher bracketed

thoughts and experiences by writing notes relative to the interviews and focus group discussion

to attain specific textural and structural characteristics of the participants and to capture the

essence of the meaning of their experiences (Lincoln & Guba, 1985; Moustakas, 1994).

During the interviews, focus group discussion, and reflective narratives, the participants

described their experiences of teacher sustainability teaching in a high-need, low-performing

public school. The overall results indicated that the participants attributed their colleagues as

family, love for children, giving back to the community, a sense of calling, and service to others

were the motivational factors that sustained their teaching careers beyond the novice years.

Structural description. The structural description indicates how the specific

experiences impacted the participants. In the present study, the structural descriptions

highlighted the participants’ perceptions of teacher sustainability in a high-need public school in

southeastern North Carolina. All the motivational factors that the participants shared helped to

create the structural description. These descriptions emerged from the acquisition of the

structural themes that were related to the experiences. After gathering separate textural and

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structural descriptions, data was synthesized to determine the essence of the experiences of

teacher sustainability as described by the participants. The acquired synthesis highlighted that

experienced teachers identified motivational factors that sustain their careers beyond the initial

three years teaching in a high-need public school in North Carolina. The participants shared both

the positive and negative experiences teaching in a high-need, low-performing public school in

North Carolina.

The researcher described the essences of the participants’ experience, which is known as

what is derived from the participants’ sharing their experience (Moustakas, 1994). Relative to

the description of the essences is an integration of the textural and structural descriptions into a

combined statement (Moustakas, 1994). In this study, the essence identified the motivational

factors that participants shared relative to sustaining their careers beyond the initial three years

teaching in a high-need public school in southeastern North Carolina. As a result, a detailed

analysis of the data revealed five descriptive themes derived from the participants answering the

interview questions, focus group questions, and completing the photo-narrative documentation

indicating the “teachers they had become” in their careers.

Essence description. Finally, the essence of the participants’ experiences captured the

aspiration of conducting a phenomenological study. The essence combined the specific

motivational factors from each participant within the study and captured the individualization of

each experienced teacher. Throughout the present study, the goal was to understand and describe

the motivational factors that teachers perceived as sustaining their careers beyond the novice

years teaching in a high-need, low-performing school in North Carolina. In this manner, this

transcendental phenomenological study was utilized to answer the three specific research

questions.

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Summary

Through the use of individual interviews, collective photo-narrative reflective

documentation, and an online focus group discussion, five themes related to the central

phenomenon (i.e., teacher sustainability beyond the initial three years) emerged. The emerged

themes were (a) Colleagues as family, (b) Sense of calling, (c) Love for children, (d)

Contribution to community, and (e) Service to others. The research questions were specifically

answered from the data obtained in this transcendental phenomenological study. In the

following chapter, the researcher will discuss specifically how the research questions were

answered from data collected in the study. The emerged themes addressed the questions that

were grounded in the related literature and theoretical framework. Equally, the themes sought to

clarify experienced teachers’ motivational factors that sustained their teaching careers while

teaching in a high-need, low-performing public school in southeastern North Carolina beyond

the initial three years of teaching.

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CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Overview

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe motivational

factors that sustained public school teachers in high-need areas in southeastern North Carolina

beyond the initial three years of teaching. The purpose of this chapter is to expound upon the

insights attained from conducting this study. This chapter addresses a detailed summary of

findings from the data collected. Equally, this chapter provides discussion, implications,

limitations, and recommendations for future research.

Summary of Findings

Three research questions that transpired from the literature guided this study. As a result

of the data collected, each of the three research questions is discussed.

Research Question One

How do public school teachers describe their experience working in a high-need

educational community in North Carolina? From the data acquired through interviews,

collective photo-narrative documentation, and an online focus group, it was concluded that

participants liked working in a high-need public school. Teachers stated that often times the

journey had been frustrating and presented difficulties. However, they continued to feel a sense

of connectedness with colleagues and a continued love for children. For the teachers who were

reared in the community, they believed that they were giving back to their community while

serving as teachers in a high-need, low-performing school. Also, they wanted to be a part of the

positive influences in the children’s lives. The teachers felt that they were born to teach or were

called to teach with the God-given talents and skills to help others.

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Often educators retain their profession while teaching in high-need schools by drawing

from each other and establishing relationships, which creates a sense of belonging. In a study

conducted by Meister and Ahrens (2011), four participants shared their dedication to teaching for

more than 20 years. They discussed the skills necessary to resist plateauing in the educational

profession. The participants indicated, “The presence of at least one caring person in an

individual’s environment can provide the support a person needs for healthy development”

(Meister & Ahrens, 2011, p. 775). Likewise, Meister and Ahrens denoted the positive, reflective

opportunities of building leaders, students, and educational colleagues influenced all four of the

participants in their study to retain their educational resilience when negative plateauing

emerged. Therefore, the participants in this study agreed that their teacher sustainability is

because of their love for children, service to others, sense of calling, contribution to the

community, and colleagues as family.

Research Question Two

How do public school teachers perceive their former life history as having an impact

retaining their profession beyond the initial three years of teaching in a high-need, low-

performing public school? The participants in this study shared no hesitation in describing the

contextual influences of their upbringing and their former life history as having an impact on

retaining their profession. All of the participants shared how their childhood, their parents, and

living in the community were factors that directly impacted their teacher sustainability. Also,

several of the teachers explained their work ethic, which transpired from their families and their

upbringing, as attributes that sustained their teaching careers in a high-need public school. A

few of the teachers were inspired to teach as children because of family members serving as

teachers in public schools and in church. Lastly, some of the teachers shared that making a

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difference in children’s lives and watching them and their families grow in the community were

motivational factors. As Bernhardt (2012) indicated, teachers who have a sense of giving back

to the community originates from their experiences within the community and their upbringing:

“This unwavering commitment to a moral agenda pushes us to uncover ways to break down

those barriers negatively influencing the lives of our students” (p. 6).

Research Question Three

What intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors do public school teachers describe as

encouraging them to sustain their teaching profession beyond the initial three years of teaching in

a high-need, low-performing public school? Noah accurately described both intrinsic and

extrinsic motivational factors when he said:

I just still love doing it. I mean, I get frustrated like everyone, and there's some days I'm

really frustrated, but I just still love doing it. And what's nice now is I'm the old guy in

the room, which I never thought I would reach that point. But it's neat. The longer

you've been here, you feel like, at least, that you're helping new teachers. Because I see a

very high frustration level with new teachers, especially coming here. And I think, if

they see that I persevered, and someone else persevered, and we still love it, that you can

get through those initial years.

Generally, the participants shared intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors. Solona

encapsulated the overall essence of her motivational factors when she stated:

In my thought process, it starts here. It starts at the beginning. If you can grab them

where they are just first really developing, and you can grab them where they’re young,

and just do all you can to help them to be successful? To help them not just in

academics, but just in life in general, then when they hit the middle school, when they hit

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high school, then everything that you have taught them, even though they may not show

it, it’s still instilled inside of them. And, something is going to trigger what you say to

them, what you’ve done, however you’ve treated them, it’s going to trigger something in

their heart, it’s going to trigger something in their brain. Then you’ll say, ‘Oh, yeah, I

remember Ms. [Solona] said this.’ So, that was my whole start. If I could just start

where they’re small, and just instill a little piece at a time.

According to research (Claeys, 2011; Dagenhart, Petty, & O’Connor, 2010; Meister &

Ahrens, 2011; Okojie, 2011; Phuntsog, 1999; Shernoff, Maríñez-Lora, Frazier, Jakobsons,

Atkins, & Bonner, 2011; Smeaton & Waters, 2013), the assemblage of community and

connectedness are positive indicators of sustaining teachers beyond the first five years in the

classroom. Likewise, colleague support and a sense of connectedness are vital in sustaining

experienced teachers in high-needs schools. Upon researching relative literature for the study, a

program was explored that was initiated in an urban school district where “the Teachers

Supporting Teachers in Urban Schools (TST) model organized resources through an influential

mentor and external coach, with the goal of enhancing new teachers’ effectiveness and

connectedness to colleagues” (Shernoff et al., 2011, p. 479). From their study, the expectancy of

the Teachers Supporting Teachers model was beneficial for enhancing professional learning

communities, cohesion among colleagues, effective classroom management strategies, and

addressing the specific needs of teachers, which is essential in sustaining teachers with

connections and colleague support.

Discussion

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe motivational

factors that sustained public school teachers in high-need areas in southeastern North Carolina

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beyond the initial three years of teaching. Therefore, to link connections between current

literature and this study, this specific discussion represents the literature recognized in Chapter

Two and explicates comparisons to the data discovered in this study.

Comparison to Literature

High-need public schools. Sustaining teachers beyond the initial three years of teaching

in a high-need public educational community is essential to student achievement, budgetary

needs, and teacher education programs. According to Burton and Johnson (2010), “The issues

related to teacher retention only intensify in high-needs schools, where up to 50% of teachers

leave teaching within the first five years” (pp. 376-377). Comparatively, it was estimated that

the nation’s cost of teacher turnover in the public school system totals “approximately seven

billion dollars annually” (Gimbert & Fultz, 2010, p. 2). Heineke, Mazza, and Tichnor-Wagner

(2014) found that “one third of the teaching force in the United States turns over each year, with

the highest attrition rates occurring in high-need schools—urban and rural schools with low-

income and minority populations” (p. 751). Interestingly, teachers who eventually begin their

careers in a high-need public school are often under-prepared for the journey because of the lack

of local school district support and programs offered during their teacher education programs

(Anderson & Stillman, 2011; Burton & Johnson, 2010; Dagenhart, Petty, & O’Connor, 2010). In

order to sustain teachers who teach in a high-need, low-performing public school beyond the

initial three years of teaching, motivational factors are to be considered and acknowledged.

Participants’ experiences in high-need communities. In this study, participants’

responses transpired from their beliefs that teacher sustainability is obtained through colleagues

as family, sense of calling, love for children, contribution to community, and service to others.

The participants described their years of experience, beginning with the novice years to their

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current experiences, including all the changes that have occurred. In recognition of the changes,

some participants shared that the community used to be recognized as somewhat safe, where the

dangers primarily occurred at night and on the weekends. Now, in schools situated on the east

side of town, crime and substance abuse has escalated into the daytime. Some of teachers shared

their experiences of being in school lockdowns during the school day because of local shootings

and drug-investigations. An additional change in all schools represented in this study is the non-

involvement of parents and the non-investment in their children’s education. Several of the

participants shared detailed accounts of how parents did not share a vested interest in their

children’s education and did not communicate with teachers when their children continued to

struggle.

Inconsistencies in high-need public schools. An additional area shared by participants

during the study was their concerns about students’ diminished desire to learn, a lack of

motivation, and an emphasis on social media and how it impeded students’ lives. Some of the

participants described examples of students’ inappropriate behaviors with themselves and others,

the hyper-focus of being involved with friends as opposed to learning, and the distractions

involved to socialize during the school day rather than learning. Further, the participants shared

some of the negative impacts that technology had generated within the school system. This

particular school district had invested in the one-to-one technology initiative

(http://www.ncpublicschools.org/docs/dtl/accountability/tech-plan/201104-lfi4.pdf) in which all

students were given iPads or Chrome Books for instructional purposes. However, the teachers

had observed an overall distraction with incorporating technology devices and inappropriate

responses from students. Also, the lack of textbooks had a negative impact on student

achievement. Teachers believed that current textbooks were needed in the classrooms and that

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additional resources for students who were identified as low achievers, were also needed to attain

academic success.

Likewise, some of the teachers believed accountability for public schools that were

identified as a high-need, low-performing school should meet a different criteria compared to the

non-low-performing schools in the state. They explained that the students who live in high-

poverty communities are not afforded the same access to education by their parents in the home,

and generational poverty is a never-ending cycle for some families. As a result, the statewide

initiative Give Five-Read Five (http://www.dpi.state.nc.us/give5read5/) should ultimately benefit

the children in the community, where each child is equipped with books to read in the summer

months away from school. Although, as one participant noted, no books had been given or

donated to her school for the summer reading program. Noele stated:

We are looked upon differently. Now [North Pole], we get a lot of things, and we get

these things because, I feel like, they think, ‘Woe is us,’ you know, a poor school, more

like charity. The more recognized schools get things because they have the funds to do

that. Their parents are involved, and they can raise money. And when they have Give

Five-Read Five, their parents can write $100.00 checks, so they know about the

resources. They are aware of things that are going on. We hear it secondhandedly,

maybe third, or maybe we don’t hear it at all. And we’re like, ‘You all didn’t tell us.’ Or

they have resources or material or knowledge of whatever’s going on, and we don’t.

Transitions in high-need public schools. Another area where the experienced teachers

benefit the total school environment is the overall student success by way of collaborating with

novice teachers. Several of the participants acknowledged the high teacher turnover in their

schools during their tenure and the continual increase in lateral-entry teachers pursuing the

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teaching profession. As of July 2015, the overall teacher retention rate for the school district was

12.91%. The retention rates in the schools designated in this study were as follows:

• North Pole Elementary School: 12.12%.

• South Pole Elementary School: 18.75%.

• Franklin Middle School: 27.78%.

• Norlina High School: 12.07% (www.dpi.state.nc.us).

Six of the participants acquired their teacher state licensure and credentials via an alternative

track, while the remaining seven participants attained their credentials through the traditional

track of a teacher education program. At varying stages in their careers, the participants served

as mentors for the novice teachers entering their building. Likewise, several of the participants

served on various leadership committees at their assigned schools and within the school district.

A few of the participants had continued their education by acquiring their administration

education and license and served within their assigned schools in partnership with the

administrative staff.

Contextual influences in high-need public schools. Some of the teachers involved in

this study believed their dedication to teach, love for children, sense of calling, and service to

others were some of the reasons they had sustained their careers. According to research

(Bullough & Hall-Kenyon, 2012; Levine, 2013), a sense of calling and hope is unclear and often

unnoticed in the educational community. However, throughout the history of educational

research, theory, and practice, teaching is recognized as “an ethic of love, compassion, virtue,

courage, and humility” (Bernhardt, 2012, p. 5). Often when experienced teachers are asked why

they teach, they reply with a decisive response of their God-given talents and skills and calling to

teach. Likewise, Bullough and Hall-Kenyon (2012) conducted a study to determine the

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effectiveness of hope, a sense of calling, and commitment to teach and how it impacts teachers’

retention. They discovered that when teachers are signifying their most important goals,

“Virtually every teacher focused sharply on students . . . . Teachers’ remarks indicate how caring

for students was not just a matter of emotionally connecting with them, but represented an

intellectual activity” (p. 19). During the interview and the online focus group, Noland explained

his belief:

I am a Christian. I've been saved 30 years. I love the Lord with all my heart. I know that

that's where my strength comes from, in whatever I face. My background, I feel has as

far as teaching is concerned. I've always had a love to teach, even in the church, and at

home, and it seemed everywhere I go, I have that, I guess, a knack to be able to get my

point across. Oh, I honestly believe that every course that I've taken, even at this point in

my life right now, and the decisions I'm making, I really believe that God's hand is in it,

and I'm going to end up exactly where he wants me to.

Likewise, Nova shared her mindset of helping others, initiated from her childhood, and that her

parents instilled in her the importance of education and helping others. Bullough and Hall-

Kenyon (2012) indicated that the positive influences of teaching as a calling are uncertain.

However, “it appears to be more common than generally recognized in the research literature”

(p. 8). Equally important and noteworthy is the sense of hope. According to Bullough and Hall-

Kenyon, “. . . teachers’ hopefulness and their deep commitment to teaching are precious

resources, sadly too often taken for granted by parents and policy makers alike” (p. 22). As

postulated by Levine (2013), “Hopebuilding strategies used by mid-career teachers might be of

great value as a means to support coping and hoping skills, which might positively influence

teacher retention” (pp. 70-71).

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Implications

The results of this study are important because they provide a voice to the experienced

teachers who taught in high-need, low-performing public schools in southeastern North Carolina

and the motivational factors that sustained their careers beyond the initial three years of teaching.

The goal of the researcher was to discover and present a synthesis of the meanings and essences

of the shared experiences of experienced teachers. This particular study was important because

it explored the lived experiences of rural experienced public school teachers who taught in high-

need, low-performing schools and the motivational factors that sustained their teaching careers

beyond the initial three years of teaching.

The implications of this study were important in the following ways:

1. This study highlighted the essence of experienced teachers who taught in high-need

educational communities and the motivational factors that sustained their careers

beyond the initial three years of teaching.

2. This study explored existing gaps in the literature related to teacher sustainability in

high-need public schools.

3. This study shared additional attributes of teacher sustainability of teachers who taught

in high-need, low-performing public schools in North Carolina by identifying the

motivational factors that have sustained them beyond the novice years.

4. This study created a voice for experienced teachers who taught in high-need

educational communities, which permits changes in pedagogy, future development of

the educational profession, and teacher education programs.

5. This study provided data sources and evidences needed to support current and future

studies for teacher sustainability in high-need schools.

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Theoretical Implications

The theoretical framework for this study was grounded in the research of Dweck’s

mindset theory, Knowles’ andragogical adult learning theory, and Mezirow’s transformative

adult learning theory. Carol Dweck’s mindset theory highlighted the differences between

individuals who possess a fixed versus growth mindset relative to motivation, personality, and

individual growth development. Dweck (2006) advocated, “Individuals who possess a growth

mindset can develop over time, however, an individual who retains a fixed mindset believes that

their qualities are carved in stone” (p. 6). Flexibility, adjustment, and growth indicate that

mindset can be positively transformed, which directly enables resilience. Likewise, when

individuals possess a growth mindset and are taught specific psychologically based interventions,

they become their own change agent (Dweck, 2006; Yeager & Dweck, 2012). Mindset theorists

affirmed that individuals who possess a growth mindset require minimal self-boosts, arise to

challenges, pursue aspirations, acknowledge novice opportunities, encourage team cohesion, and

preserve humility, which empowers them to be resilient to life’s struggles (Dweck, 2006; Yeager

& Dweck, 2012).

Important to this study was Malcom Knowles’ andragogical adult learning theory, which

signifies the mannerisms of how adults learn, their interactions within their environment, and

maturation of life. Holton, Knowles, and Swanson (2005) categorized the four sustainable

descriptions of an adult were as follows:

• Biological Period,

• Legal Timeline,

• Social Experiences,

• Psychological Platform.

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First, the biological period is the adult age of reproduction. Second, the legal timeline is the age

adults can register to vote, have a driver’s license, and choose to marry without their parental

permission. Third, individuals become adults socially when they can achieve specific roles in

societal context, such as working, parenting children, and voting citizenship. Fourth, individuals

are considered adults psychologically when they obtain a self-concept conducive to their own

responsibilities and self-sufficiency.

Lastly, Mezirow’s transformative learning theory supports the understanding of the

contextual influences and motivational factors for the participants in sustaining their careers

beyond the initial years of teaching in high-need public schools (Mezirow, 2003; Synder, 2012).

Mezirow’s transformative learning theory explains how adults process learning as instrumental

and communicative. It also explains how adults attribute their learning qualities as attaining

knowledge from experiences and reasoning. Mezirow’s transformative theory outlines the

epistemology of transformative learning while interchanging with adults, which indicates the

reasoning and mannerisms of how adults evaluate their beliefs, learning, critical reflection,

workplace, and community (Mezirow, 2003; Synder, 2012).

As discovered in this study, teachers believed their sustainability occurred beyond the

initial three years of teaching in a high-need educational community because of colleagues as

family, sense of calling, love for children, contribution to community, and service to others.

Colleagues as family were human resources in the school building that helped them sustain their

teaching careers beyond the novice years. Likewise, they discussed that sharing ideas, resources,

and expertise with other educators had a profound positive impact on their teaching

sustainability. By acknowledging their colleagues as family, the participants indicated that their

confidence, longevity, and academic growth enabled them to sustain their careers.

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Sustainability and growth mindset occurred because of colleague support from the

beginning of participants’ careers. Faith noted that her growth mindset began to develop as a

result of receiving help and support from colleagues when she first began her career. She

struggled with locating resources. Therefore, various teacher colleagues shared resources and

showed her how to incorporate strategies to meet the needs of the students. As a result, Faith

began modeling that same support with novice teachers each year by providing resources,

materials, and best practices for students’ success and teacher sustainability. Lastly, adult

learning theory, derived from Knowles’ andragogical adult learning theory and Mezirow’s

transformative learning theory, was used in the theoretical framework of this study. According

to Knowles (1975), adults require the following elements in order to learn effectively: (a)

knowledge of why and what they are learning, (b) a self-concept that involves ownership and

responsibilities to life’s decisions, (c) an understanding of their role in lived experiences, (d)

readiness to learn context, (e) an orientation to learning with a task-centered approach, and (f)

motivation to learn. In the present study, participants shared the importance of collectively

meeting with school building stakeholders and the foundational support of colleagues, students,

and families. As stated from the participants, there was a union and trust between the teachers

that enabled them to support one another and all their hard work.

Empirical Implications

As noted in the related literature and grounded in this study, a continual upheaval occurs

each year in the public educational school system with high teacher turnover. Teachers are

leaving the profession after the first five years and transferring to an alternate profession

(Shernoff et. al., 2011). Compounded with high teacher turnover is the high-need, low-

performing status of numerous schools in southeastern North Carolina, according to student

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achievement and the number of students receiving free breakfast and lunch. Orange (2014)

stated that “failing schools tend to have higher rates of teacher turnover and often employ larger

numbers of teachers working with emergency certification” (p. 1). Likewise, the Southeast

Center for Teaching Quality (as cited in Dagenhart, Petty, & O’Connor (2010) discovered that

approximately 30% of students who attended high-need schools were taught by teachers who

were not properly licensed. Often, teachers experience a sense of helplessness when trying to

acclimate within a high-need school.

According to numerous researchers (Claeys, 2011; Dagenhart, Petty, & O’Connor, 2010;

Meister & Ahrens, 2011; Okojie, 2011; Phuntsog, 1999; Shernoff, Maríñez-Lora, Frazier,

Jakobsons, Atkins, & Bonner, 2011; Smeaton & Waters, 2013), studies have shown that the

constellation of community and connectedness are positive motivational factors in sustaining

teachers beyond the first five years in the classroom. Likewise, obtaining an understanding of

the student populace in urban and rural schools also postures teacher retention and sustainability.

In a study conducted by Meister and Ahrens (2011), four veteran teachers were asked about their

continual enthusiasm for teaching; they each shared that dedication to students and their career—

along with self-initiated support systems, resiliency characteristics, and their resistance to

plateauing—distinguished longevity in their careers.

The results of this study support the view that having an experienced colleague, an

educational family, and a sense of connectedness positively impacts teacher sustainability in a

high-need public school. Significantly important to this study was prior research, which

indicated the negative impact of teacher sustainability when teachers felt that colleagues did not

support them or recognize their expertise in specific specialty areas (Anderson & Stilman, 2011;

Cooper & He, 2011; Orange, 2014). However, the majority of participants in the present study,

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recognized the cohesive environment and support systems acquired in their educational

communities.

Practical Implications

According to former research, administrative support is one of the primary purposes of

teacher retention in high-need public schools (Gimbert & Fultz, 2010; Castro & He, 2011;

Levine, 2013). However, in the present study, only a few experienced teachers acknowledged

their administrators as having an impact in sustaining their careers. Noele shared the positive

outcome in her career as a result of her administrators’ support, indicating that she only had

worked under two principals. She extended her experiences and gratitude of her administrators

by sharing administrative support that allowed her to live her vision and pursue goals for

students with various grants and programs. Also, Norma explained the positive impact her

former administrator had in her career with professional growth that directly impacted her

sustainability. She shared how her former administrator was reared in the high-need community

and chose to break away from poverty to pursue her educational dreams. Norma believed that, if

her administrator could be professionally successful, she and her students could as well. As

noted in this study, the voices of the experienced teachers conveyed that colleagues as family,

sense of calling, love for children, contribution to community, and service to others were the

ultimate factors in sustaining their careers beyond the initial three years of teaching in high-need

public schools.

Limitations

Though conducted with a careful research design, the study is limited by the following

factors. First, participants’ ethnicities consisted of only Caucasian and African-American.

Second, the teachers were limited to those who taught in public schools. Third, a limited

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diversity among the participants because of being centrally located in the southeastern region of

North Carolina, rather than additional school districts in other states, is acknowledged. Fourth,

this particular study was conducted in one public school district rather than additional school

districts in North Carolina. Fifth, all participants taught in the same school district. Sixth, only

four of the 13 participants participated in the online focus group. Therefore, this study concedes

that the motivational factors and experiences of the experienced teachers may not reflect the

diverse perspectives and teacher sustainability of other ethnicities, ages, novice years of

experience, and geographical locations.

Recommendations for Future Research

This study sought to describe the motivational factors that sustained experienced teachers

who taught in high-need, low-performing public schools in southeastern North Carolina. Future

research that may be beneficial to the educational community would be to study experienced

teachers who teach in non-high-need public schools within North Carolina and surrounding

states. Specifically, what are the motivational factors that sustain experienced teachers beyond

the initial three years in public schools in North Carolina and other states?

Likewise, replicating this study in an urban school district would pose interest. In a more

urban area of the county, the population may be more diverse and the socioeconomic status could

ultimately impact the results of this study. Thus, if the school is very large, the colleague

support, contribution to community, and service to others may be different.

An additional recommendation is to conduct a similar study with charter schools and

parochial schools that serve students in a high-need, low-performing educational community.

The teachers in charter schools and parochial schools often have different guidelines and

protocol for diversity and accountability according to state regulations. Likewise, the teachers in

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these schools may sustain their teaching careers beyond the initial three years. Questions to be

considered in conducting a similar study in charter schools and parochial schools, compared to a

public school, are as follows:

What are the student expectations?

What are the standardized testing requirements and expectations?

Are there systematic supports distributed equally among all teachers?

Lastly, a quantitative study could be explored on the effectiveness of teacher

sustainability and student achievement in a high-need, low-performing public school. Such a

study would afford teachers the opportunity to observe the professional longevity that was

attained and the students’ accomplishments through data collection. The researcher could then

measure the effectiveness of teacher sustainability and the direct correlation with student

achievement.

Recommendations for Teachers

As often heard in the educational community, educators are lifelong learners. The

primary goal of teachers stems from the knowledge attained as they mature through life as adults

and transform from life’s lessons with a growth mindset of acquisition. Therefore, as the

participants shared throughout this study, their growth mindset developed because of support

from others, contribution to the community, their dedication to teach and service to others, their

love for the children, and a sense of calling. From the voice of a participant during the online

focus group, Noah stated:

I look at being at a high-need public school, as I’m highly needed, too, to help turn things

around with having longevity. And intrinsically I love what I teach and helping others.

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Seems like I’m needed and appreciated. Also, I feel like I’m a conduit in helping people

help their students.

Recommendations for Administrators

During this study, participants shared the significance of administrative support both

positively and negatively. A few of the participants shared the importance of administrative

support and how that support has helped sustain their careers. Noele noted that her

administrators continually advocated for teachers. She also indicated that her administrators

understood the poverty-stricken dynamics of the students and their families. Likewise, Noele

explained that her administrators provided resources for all teachers in the building.

High-need schools need to be staffed with administrators who possess a forward-thinking

mindset, understand the community, and have knowledge of the curriculum. Contrary to

supportive administrators, a few participants shared their frustrations involving non-supportive

administrative staff. One participant noted that staff morale remained low in her building due to

non-recognition of accomplishments of the teachers and paraprofessionals. Also, a lack of

communication and being invisible in the school building on a consistent basis were all

frustrations involving non-supportive administrators. Another participant shared frustrations at

his school where the administrator turnover was ongoing. He noted that he had worked under

three principals and at least seven assistant principals in eight years. The conflict was the

inexperience and the expectations differing from each administrator. Lastly, several participants

shared their concerns involving the inconsistencies with behavioral interventions, and programs

being upheld and consistent expectations in the school building. Some of the participants shared

alarming concerns with administrators not supporting them when needed for behavioral

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interventions. One participant conveyed that his administrator would often blame him for the

students’ inappropriate behaviors when referring students for disciplinary needs.

Recommendations for Teacher Education Programs

Finally, experienced teachers play a vital role in the success of students. Often students’

academic achievements are governed by the quality and experiences of their teachers. A

mounting conflict arises each year among public education indicating teachers are leaving the

profession and pursuing an alternate career, specifically teachers who teach in high-need schools.

In the present study, seven participants pursued and completed a traditional track during their

teacher education experiences. However, six of the 13 participants completed their credentials

via an alternative track as second-career teachers. Therefore, a challenge and need exists among

universities and colleges to prepare student-teachers for the opportunities to teach in high-need,

low-performing schools and to observe and support the student teachers in high-need, low-

performing schools when assigned. In addition, courses need to be offered at the universities for

student-teachers that expound upon the diversity of communities where they may teach in their

clinical experiences and in their future employment. Lastly, university supervisors, content

experts, and clinical teachers should be required to educate themselves with a better

understanding of children who live in poverty and the general outcomes.

Recommendations for Local Central Services Administration

Some of the participants in the present study indicated that as a state and local public

school system—specific representations, district-wide expectations, and the dedication of all

schools—should be recognized beginning with the state board of education. In support of

teachers and all stakeholders in the building, the facilities should be presentable and clean.

Likewise, the participants shared their concern for balance across the district. They indicated

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that the high-need schools are not recognized and supported in the district. Often, the high-

achieving schools received additional programs and funding. Whereas, the high-need schools

did not receive additional programs and funding advancements. A few participants shared their

concerns relative to the unclean facilities of their schools. Teacher sustainability is highly

prevalent in high-need public schools where teachers feel that their local school board and

leadership constituents are invested in their careers and their communities.

Summary

This study was comprised of 13 participants who shared their experiences while teaching

in high-need educational communities in southeastern North Carolina. They shared their

experiences via individual interviews, reflective photo-narrative documentation, and an online

focus group. Teachers shared a timeline of their educational journeys gathered from the

interview and focus group questions, photo-narrative reflections, and the three research

questions. Interestingly, when the teachers were asked to share photo-narratives of the “teachers

they had become,” they paused for a moment to genuinely reflect upon their journeys exhibiting

pride for all their accomplishments through the lens of the constellation of children and their

families, whose lives they had shared, spanning from 8 to 35 years in the profession. From the

voices of the participants, it is discovered that their colleagues as family, sense of calling, love

for children, contribution to community, and service to others are the motivational factors that

sustained their teaching careers teaching in a high-need, low-performing public school.

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APPENDIX A: PARTICIPANT QUESTIONNAIRE

Dear Teacher, As a doctoral student at Liberty University, I am conducting research regarding

experienced teachers who have sustained their teaching careers beyond the initial three years of

teaching in public schools that are identified as high-need, low-performing according to the

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and the North Carolina State Report Card data,

situated in southeastern North Carolina. Thus, the purpose of this questionnaire is to identify

potential participants. If you are willing to do so, please take a moment to complete the

questionnaire below and email back to me [email protected].

1. How many years have you been a teacher in North Carolina?

2. How did you receive your NC teaching license (i.e., traditional tract or alternate license)?

3. Have you taught more than three consecutive years in your current school assignment?

4. Is the school where you teach, considered a Title 1, high-need, or low-performing school

in North Carolina?

5. If I have other questions, may I contact you again?

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APPENDIX B: CONSENT FORM

MOTIVATIONAL FACTORS THAT SUSTAIN EXPERIENCED TEACHERS IN HIGH- NEED, LOW-PERFORMING PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN NORTH CAROLINA: A

PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY

Michelle S. Casey Liberty University

School of Education

Dear Participant: You are invited to participate in a research study of experienced teachers who teach in high-need, low-performing schools in the local school system located in the southeastern region of North Carolina. You were selected as a potential participant because (1) you are identified as an experienced public school teacher, (2) you teach in a high-need, low- performing public school, and (3) you have been teaching for more than three years. I ask that you read this form and ask specific questions prior to your agreement to participate in the research study. This study is being conducted by: Michelle S. Casey, a doctoral candidate in the School of Education, Liberty University

Background Information

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study is to describe factors that sustain public school teachers in high-need areas in North Carolina. For the purpose of this study, the sustainability of teachers is generally defined as teachers who remain in a high-need, low- performing public school located in southeastern North Carolina beyond the initial three years of teaching. For the purpose of this study, public school teachers are identified as those who have been teaching beyond the initial three years of their profession, recognizing the literature indicates a gap in research with teachers who remain beyond the first three years of teaching (Aloe, Amo, & Shanahan, 2014; Gimbert & Fultz, 2010; Smeaton & Waters, 2013). The problem is that research has explored teachers’ attrition, retention, and burnout (Dagenhart, Petty, & O’Connor, 2010; Levine, 2013; Schaefer, Long, & Clandinin, 2012; Vaughn & Saul, 2013); however, minimal qualitative research exists in acquiring an understanding of the factors that sustain teachers beyond the initial years of teaching in high-need schools (Heineke, Mazza, & Tichnor-Wagner, 2014; Levine, 2013; Schaefer, Long, & Clandinin, 2012).

Procedures

If you agree to participate in this study, I would ask you to answer the following questions honestly, based on your own personal and professional experiences serving as an experienced teacher in a high need public school and your reasoning for sustaining your career beyond the initial first three years of teaching.

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1.) Meet with the researcher for an initial brief introduction and description of the study in your designated school (20 minutes). 2.) Participate in a semi-structured interview that will be audio-recorded for approximately one hour, where I will ask 10 questions related to: (a) your experiences while teaching in a high- need, low-performing public school, (b) your perception of your former life history as having an impact in retaining your teaching profession beyond the initial three years of teaching, (c) intrinsic motivational factors that contributed to you pursuing a degree in the specific concentration and grade level, (d) motivational factors that have enabled your sustainability beyond the first three years in a high-need educational environment, (e) specific factors that positively impact your role as a teacher, and (f) opportunities that you would alter from your experience as a teacher teaching in a high-need public school in North Carolina (1 hour). 3.) Participate in an online Focus Group via Google Hangout where the same topics will be discussed (1 hour). 4.) Participate in collective photo-narrative documentation (Synder, 2012) which will highlight the “teacher you have become” in non-designated areas (e.g., classroom, school, home, etc.) and write a brief description of the photo submitted per a narrative format (15-30 minutes). 5.) Participate in member checking, which encompasses the review of data to check for the researcher’s accuracy in the interpretation of the collected data (less than 1 hour).

Risks and Benefits of being in the Study

Risks: This research requires minimal risk and is no greater than everyday activities. Benefits: The results of this study will provide a deeper understanding of the motivational factors that sustain experienced teachers beyond the initial three years of teaching in a high-need, low-performing public school in southeastern North Carolina. Thus, there are possible benefits for teachers and educational stakeholders for future teacher sustainability with retaining teachers beyond the first three years of teaching in a high-need public school in the southeastern region of North Carolina. Ultimately, it is been proven in the educational community that sustaining teachers in their career benefits the overall achievement of students. During the progression of educational psychology, research, and theories, it is proposed, a student’s academic achievement is governed by the quality of his or her teacher.

Compensation

There will be no compensation for participants in this study.

Confidentiality

The records of this qualitative study will be kept private. In the event, the study is published or reports are derived from the study, I will not include any information that will disclose the participant’s identity. Thus, research records will be stored securely and only the researcher will have access to the records. Pseudonyms will be used for all participants. The information shared in the participant enlistment questionnaire referencing your years of experience, concentration area, grade level

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assignment, acquisition of teaching licensure, and high-need, low-performing school status will be reported in the study, however, all this information will be tagged to the pseudonym. Audio recordings will only be accessed by the researcher as well as an outside person who will transcribe all recordings. All electronic data will be password protected, and all hard copy paper documents will be stored and secured in a safe, fire retardant locked file cabinet. At the end of three years, all these documents and recordings will be destroyed. Due to the nature of the focus group, the researcher cannot assure that members of the group maintain confidentiality and participant privacy during this study.

Voluntary Nature of the Study

Your participation in this study is voluntary. Your decision whether or not to participate will not affect your present or future associations with Liberty University. Likewise, if you decide to participate, you are free to discard any question during the interview or withdraw at any time without affecting those relationships.

How to Withdraw from this Study

If you choose to withdraw from the study, please contact the researcher at the email address or phone number included in this context. Should you choose to withdraw, data collected from you, apart from focus group data, will be destroyed immediately and will not be included in this study. Focus group data will not be destroyed, however, your contributions to the focus group will not be included in the study if you choose to withdraw.

Contacts and Questions

The researcher conducting this qualitative study is Michelle S. Casey. You may ask any specific questions. If you have questions at any time during and or after the study, you are encouraged to contact the researcher at [email protected] or (919) 631-7248. You may also contact the researcher’s facility advisor, Dr. Sam Smith at [email protected]. If you have questions or concerns regarding this particular study and would like to talk to someone other than the researcher, you are encouraged to contact the Institutional Review Board, Carter 134, 1971 University Blvd, Lynchburg, VA 24515 or email at [email protected].

Please notify the researcher if you would like a copy of this information to keep for your

records.

Statement of Consent:

I have read and understand the above information, I have asked questions and received answers. I consent to participate in this qualitative study.

The researcher has my permission to audio-record me as part of my participation in this study.

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Signature of Participant: ______________________________ Date: ______________ Signature of Researcher: _____________________________ Date: ________________

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APPENDIX C: IRB APPROVAL LETTER

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APPENDIX D: LETTER TO SCHOOL DISTRICT

Dear Mr. Superintendent,

My name is Michelle Casey, and I am a graduate student at Liberty University pursuing a

doctorate degree in Educational Leadership. Mrs. BT Coordinator referred me to you as the

person to contact requesting approval to conduct research in your school district. I am working

on a qualitative study regarding motivational factors that sustain teachers in high-need, low-

performing public schools in southeastern North Carolina. I am asking permission to conduct

my research with teachers who teach all grade levels in schools identified as high-need, low-

performing in your district. I am interested in conducting my research in your school district

because of my professional interest and the ultimate goal to describe what intrinsically and

extrinsically motivates teachers in the schools that are considered high-need, low-performing to

sustain their career beyond the initial years of teaching. From my research, literature highlights

studies relative to teacher attrition and burnout, however, no studies describe the motivational

factors that sustain teachers who teach in high-need public schools specifically in southeastern

North Carolina. Likewise, research shares the environmental and academic needs of students but

no studies have been discovered to describe what motivates teachers in low-performing schools

to sustain their career in high-need areas. I currently serve as an instructional coach with the

North Carolina New Teacher Support Program (NC NTSP) via East Carolina University in your

school district and have served the district for three years. Therefore, I am genuinely invested in

your school district and the sustainability of teachers in high-need educational environments.

The purpose of the study is to explore the motivational factors that sustain public school teachers

in their career who continue to teach beyond the initial years when teaching in a high-need, low-

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performing public school in southeastern North Carolina. Data will be collected in three

methods: Individual interviews, online focus group, and photo-generated documentation. I will

conduct individual interviews with the teachers who are willing to participate. I will conduct the

interviews outside of school hours. In addition, I will request participants to take no more than

three photos of moments that indicate “the teachers they have become,” according to research

this lessens teachers’ instructional time compared to additional interviews. These photos can be

taken in their classrooms, schools, homes, or other memorable environments to capture their

teacher sustainability. No children will be included in the photographs or in the research in any

capacity. My data collection will not disrupt the school day or learning environment. All

identifiable information will be omitted and pseudonyms will be used to ensure confidentiality

for the teachers, schools, and the district. There are no known risks associated with this research.

This study is beneficial to the educational academia due to the fact that information will be

attained about teachers’ motivation and lived experiences of teacher sustainability and how to

support them in the educational community.

Thank you for taking time to consider my request. If there is another individual or method of

communication needed in the district, please share or forward this information. Feel free to

email ([email protected]) or call me (919-631-7248), if you have questions, concerns, or need

additional clarification of the study. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Respectfully, Michelle Casey

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APPENDIX E: EXCERPT FROM REFLECTIVE JOURNAL NOTES

Excerpt Reflection from One Interview

May 11, 2016 @ 3:00-4:00 pm (Franklin Middle School) Franco Interview #5 (37:20)

As a lifelong learner, partnered with serving as an educational coach, I find it difficult to refrain from sharing my thoughts and experiences when interviewing teachers. I am ultimately a people-person, therefore, for most, I enjoy dialogue with individuals especially educators. This is my fifth interview and the participant struggled somewhat to answer the interview questions. Therefore, I had to consciously not answer the questions and found myself talking more trying to retrieve information from the participant. I continuously had to reword the questions and elaborate to attain responses from the participant. The participant noted that he was naturally shy, exhibited an introverted personality, and is comfortable in his own place. As a result, this was a teachable moment for me, noting that with the remaining interviews, I will patiently wait for the participant to respond and if he (she) asks, I will elaborate the interview question. As I reflect, I am reminded of my position in the study and the boundaries that are present for gathering information and refraining from my own perspective. I consciously have to remain objective as I listen to the participants, write notes as they answer questions, and maintain a human interchange so that I do not appear non-interested. This consciousness allows me to gather the essence of the participants and their individual experiences. Although my extroverted personality is physically known, I have to respect the roles involved in the study (the researcher and the participants). Overall, the interview was successful, however, the duration was lengthy with a lot of empty space due to the delay in answering questions. A great lesson learned today.

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Excerpt Reflection from Focus Group Discussion

June 2, 2016 @ 5:00-6:00 pm (WebEx Meeting) Focus Group Discussion (55:00) Four Participants: Francesca, Noah, Noland, and Noele

Initially when the Focus Group Discussion was scheduled, two of the participants experienced technical difficulties with Google Hangout. I emailed Dr. Smith (chair) to confirm I could utilize a different online program and wouldn’t have to go back to IRB for approval. Therefore, we had to reschedule the discussion. The rescheduling posed problems with the initial four participants who volunteered to participate due to standardized testing schedules. As a result, I corresponded via email messages requesting other participants to participate while at the same time trying to have varied representation in the Focus Group (i.e., different schools, different grade levels, years of experience, gender, and ethnicity). Whew! What a challenge. Serving as an educator in the public education system for 20 years, I know the complications with scheduling during End-of-Grade (EOG) and End-of-Course (EOC). Hence, the purpose in planning the initial interviews and focus group discussion prior to the end of May. During the Focus Group Discussion, the four participants shared dialogue and emphasized in depth context they shared during their individual interviews. The focus group questions guided the conversation and each participant was very appreciative of each other and discussed the opportunity to network in the school district. Likewise, the participants were complimentary of each other’s dedication to teach and their love for children. There were a lot of laughs and humor during the discussion and somewhat of an enlightened sense of connectedness and recognition of how each participant serving in a high-need, low-performing school in the same public school district has their own set of issues and praises. Each participant exhibited no hesitation in sharing their educational journey teaching in a high-need, low-performing school and shared specific motivational factors that sustains their decision to teach in a high-need educational community with no thoughts of leaving. As Noah stated, “If not me, then who.” At the end of the discussion, the four participants received an audio-recording of the meeting via WebEx software for them to listen and share input, which was a part of member checking for accuracy. Each participant accepted the discussion with no changes, and was very grateful for the opportunity.

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APPENDIX F: COLLECTIVE PHOTO-NARRATIVE DOCUMENTATION

Goal: To visually capture insight about your growth as an experienced teacher indicating “the teacher you have become” (Synder, 2012). As indicated in research, “Human beings are best understood in relation to their environment . . . . reflexive photography can aid in understanding how meaning is formed when individuals interact with their environments” (Schulze, 2007, p. 552) Directions: Utilizing your Smart device, please take 2-3 photos of experiences that illustrate your professional growth (e.g., school, home, community, church, children, students, professors, colleagues, family, etc.) or attach existing photos that allow you to define yourself as a professional teacher in whatever capacity you choose. Afterward, upload your photos into the rectangle-shaped box below as a collage. In the lined bottom section (underneath the photos), please write a brief description in a narrative formation of the “teacher you have become.” Thank you for your participation in this study.

References Schulze, S. (2007). The usefulness of reflexive photography for qualitative research: A case study in higher education. South African Journal of Higher Education, 21(5), 536-553. Snyder, C. (2012). Finding the "royal road" to learning to teach: Listening to novice teacher voices in order to improve the effectiveness of teacher education. Teacher Education Quarterly, 39(4), 33-53. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA322480293&v=2.1&u=vic_liberty&it=r&p=A ONE&sw=w&asid=cf8dde209285837c0e0acd25802fbeaa

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APPENDIX G: PARTICIPANT PRELIMINARY-FINAL REVIEW

Participant Interview

Date Preliminary Review/Final Review Photo-

Narrative Sent/ Acceptance

Changes

Faith 5/9/2016 • We had more resources

• Common Core, there was no resources

that were given to us. We had to go

into and find our own resources

• I could see a decline after there was no

books and no resources and this new

program was opened up to us, but

nothing else was given to us to help

lead us and motivate the children into

what they needed to know

• My father was a teacher. And I saw my

father having a lot of fun with the kids.

He was a coach.

• It’s been the support system that I have

here at this school. We are like a

family.

• Encouraging support system here as a

family and that’s why I have stayed

here.

• But it’s just been a progression of what

somebody needed me to do. So I

would fall into that position of

whatever and wherever I was needed to

help the school as a whole to be a

success and be successful.

• I think that it’s the children, I mean

being here with the children. Wanting

to help them meet their goals and

succeed as a middle schooler. And then

my main goal with all children that

come in here, is to make them aware

that my main objective for them is to

graduate from high school.

• My goal is to make everyone feel

successful.

• And I wanted to be able stay in my local

area where I was born and raised and

try to make a difference in the area that

I was born and raised in.

• I think that my spiritual background is

one of the things. I don’t actively come

in and tell the students what I believe.

But I have a strong belief in my Lord

Jesus Christ and my Savior.

5/12/2016 5/30/2016 5/31/2016

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• I would alter that they would provide

more resources for the teachers to be

successful in their particular grade or

grade levels.

• I would like to see that the teacher pay

be increased in a fair, evenly distributed

way.

• People are not going into the

educational field because they are not

compensated for the hours that they

put in. It’s a 24/7 job. I never quit

working. When I get off work, I’m still

continuing to work. I work every

weekend

• More needs. It’s become an increase in

needs for the children. I can see that

the motivation of the children is not as

high as it used to be.

• I’ve seen a reduction, too, in the parent

concerns.

Francesca 5/9/2016 • I have always worked in high needs facilities and every school I’ve ever been in has been Title I school.

• I have to say I know that I was making a difference and that they need strong teachers

• My home. I have two parents, they were married in their 20s. I have two college-educated parents.

• I think that my experiences in school in my own personal life probably makes a difference because a lot of the people that I went to school with, because I really went to the inner city schools. I teach some of the same exact children now and grandchildren of those people I went to school with.

• I love math. I love animals. I love science. I love all kinds of nonfiction. I am a real cut and dry person.

• And I will say I had great teachers, and those teachers probably were what inspired me.

• I saw a difference that I was making in kids’ lives, they would tell me.

• They come back and tell you, ‘You just don’t know how much you helped me.’ It was amazing because I would say, where did that come from? Like I’d never thought I’d hear that. And because I’ve stayed in the same area.

• I am where I’m supposed to be and I

5/19/2016 6/2/2016 6/5/2016

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really don’t have any better explanation for that.

• Loyal commitment

• Administrative support. The number one is the administrator. The administration makes a significant difference.

• More parental and community involvement and how that’s done.

• What could we do to make it a cooler thing or a popular thing to go to work, to go to school, get an education, live right? It’s not really that they don’t have the ability to do that, a lot of them have very high intelligence

• You work twenty times harder at a place like that. Like, I would be exhausted in the afternoon. I almost felt like I was going to war on some days.

• A lot of teachers who were good teachers are now getting disgruntled.

• Which I haven’t been under Mr. [Principal] very long. You could come on the intercom and say, such and such is doing so and so. That wouldn’t cost anything. If they do recognize teachers.

• Sometimes I feel like that they don’t leave administrators in one place long enough for them to make a difference. It’s like as soon as we get used to someone, golly, we’re getting another person.

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APPENDIX H: VERBAL SCRIPT TO PARTICIPANTS

Good Afternoon, My name is Michelle Casey, and I am conducting research in the school district. I have formally received permission via Mr. Superintendent, the Beginning Teacher (BT) Coordinator, and your principal to discuss the possibility of you participating in the study. Mrs. BT Coordinator shared your name as a possible candidate in the study; therefore, you are invited to participate in a research study encompassing experienced teachers who teach in high-need schools in the local school system of North Carolina. Likewise, you were selected as a potential participant because (1) you are identified as an experienced public school teacher, (2) you teach in a high-need, low- performing public school, and (3) you have been teaching for more than three years. The study hopes to hear the voices of experienced teachers who teach in high-need schools in the district and have sustained their careers beyond the initial three years of teaching. In other words, there is a lot of research and conversations about students in high-need schools and their achievement; however, I have discovered no research about motivational factors that sustain experienced teachers in high-need public schools in southeastern North Carolina. Therefore, I am interested in hearing what you have to share about your educational experiences in a high- need school and your sustainability. I have an enlistment questionnaire and an informed consent form for you to read and sign if you are interested in participating in the study. Pertinent information is explained in the consent form (i.e., background information, purpose, procedures, risks and benefits, confidentiality, voluntary nature of the study, and withdraw procedures). If you agree to participate in the study, I would like to schedule an interview today at the end of our introductory meeting or via an email message. Likewise, if you agree to participate in the study, you will complete the following:

1. Meet with me (the researcher) for an initial brief introduction and description of the study

(20 minutes)

2. Complete the Enlistment Questionnaire (15 minutes)

3. Participate in a semi-structured interview where you will be audio-recorded (1 hour)

4. Participate in an online Focus Group via Google Hangout (1 hour)

5. Participate in collective photo-narrative documentation (given to you today), which will

highlight the “teacher you have become” (Synder, 2012) and write a brief description of

the photo(s) submitted in a narrative format (15-30 minutes).

6. Participate in member checking, which encompasses you reviewing the transcription

from your recorded interview for accuracy in the interpretation of the collected data (30

minutes).

Thank you for your time and willingness to share your voice in the study.