Date of Award

12-1991

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Department

Educational Leadership

First Advisor

Dr. Edgar A. Kelley

Second Advisor

Dr. Pat Jenlink

Third Advisor

Dr. Charles Warfield

Fourth Advisor

Dr. George DePillo

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify the relationship between teacher retention and the nine subscales of the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) Teacher Satisfaction Survey (Schmitt & Loher, 1986) for teachers in Lutheran secondary schools. Both former and current Lutheran secondary teachers (262) were surveyed to identify sources of satisfaction levels that may induce teachers to leave Lutheran secondary education.

The survey instrument used was the Teacher Satisfaction Survey developed by the NASSP. The survey includes nine subscales of satisfaction: administration, compensation, opportunities for advancement, student responsibility and discipline, curriculum and job tasks, coworkers, parents and community, building and maintenance, and communication. Former teachers were also asked to cite the main reasons they left Lutheran secondary teaching positions.

The data were analyzed for each of the following groups: (a) educational training of the respondent. called (synodically trained) or contracted (nonsynodically trained) teacher; (b) employment status, current or former teacher; (c) years of teaching experience, 0-5 years, 6-10 years, 11-15 years, 16-20 years, and over 20 years. The mean scores of the various groups were compared by use of t tests.

The findings indicated that former teachers perceive a significantly lesser degree of satisfaction than did current teachers, particularly in the areas of administration, compensation, and communication. Contracted teachers (nonsynodically trained) also perceived a lesser degree of satisfaction than did called teachers (synodically trained) in the areas of administration, compensation, building and maintenance, and communication. Overall, current Lutheran secondary teachers perceived a lesser degree of satisfaction than did the national teacher population for six of the nine subscales. All findings were significant at .05. Implications of the findings for further research are discussed.

Access Setting

Dissertation-Open Access

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