Date of Award

5-2026

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

Educational Leadership, Research and Technology

First Advisor

LaSonja Roberts, Ph.D.

Second Advisor

Jessica Heybach, Ph D.

Third Advisor

Kelly Amshey, Ph.D.

Keywords

Education, educational leadership, second career educators, teacher education

Abstract

School districts across the United States face a persistent teacher shortage driven by high attrition rates, declining enrollment in teacher preparation programs, and increasing demands on educators (Carver-Thomas & Darling-Hammond, 2017). Teacher attrition is especially high within the first three to five years, with nearly 40-50% of new teachers exiting within their first five years (Carver-Thomas & Darling-Hammond, 2017; Cells et al., 2023; Gray et al., 2015; Ingersoll et al., 2025). In response, many states have expanded alternative certification pathways that allow professionals from other fields to enter teaching, making second-career educators a potential solution to workforce challenges (Afacan, 2022; Sutcher et al., 2016). While existing research documents the motivations and early-career challenges of second-career educators (Koc, 2018; Živković, 2021), less is known about what sustains these professionals beyond the critical first years when teachers most commonly exit the profession.

This qualitative study employed interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to explore the lived experiences of nine second-career educators in West Michigan who had remained in teaching between seven and 25 years. Guided by an original conceptual framework integrating Schlossberg’s transition theory (Anderson et al., 2012; Schlossberg, 2008) and Mezirow’s transformative learning theory (Mezirow, 1991, 2000), semi-structured interviews examined participants’ transitions into teaching and the experiences shaping their continued retention. Participants represented elementary, middle, and high school levels across five school districts, with prior careers ranging from environmental science and insurance to social work and skilled trades.

Analysis revealed four interconnected themes. The first theme, from misalignment to a better fit, captured how participants transitioned not from career failure but from recognition that prior work was unsustainable given their values, bodies, or family lives. The second theme revealed that prior careers functioned as foundational capital, providing technical skills, relational capacities, and comparative gratitude that buffered early-career challenges. The third theme, identity formation and recalibration, demonstrated that despite professional maturity, all participants experienced significant identity disruption upon entering teaching, requiring reconstruction from expert to novice through collegial relationships rather than formal mentorship structures. The fourth theme identified students as context-dependent purpose, with validation varying dramatically by teaching level: elementary teachers experienced daily renewable validation through visible student progress, high school teachers found periodic measurable validation through test scores and graduation outcomes, while middle school teachers faced a structural validation deficit where effort yielded little visible return. The fifth theme addressed institutional and relational structures, revealing that leadership quality universally determined retention outcomes, and that notable gender differences emerged where only women described family as a retention threat. The fourth theme uncovered a retention paradox: the longest-tenured teachers showed the greatest vulnerability to departure, challenging assumptions that experience equals stability.

Key contributions include teaching-level validation models that help explain differential retention challenges beyond generic characterizations of student relationships; a proposed 15–20-year half-life for entry motivations, showing retention as requiring ongoing renewal rather than one-time decision; and identification of gaps between prescribed mentorship structures and what participants actually experienced as supportive, with collaborative teams and administrative responsiveness mattering more than formal mentor assignments. Findings suggest retention is not a problem solved at entry but an ongoing process requiring career-stage-specific interventions. Recommendations include differentiating induction support for second-career educators that honors prior expertise while guiding pedagogical development, investing in collaborative team structures, and extending retention attention to mid- and late-career educators whose entry motivations may have expired.

Access Setting

Dissertation-Open Access

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