Date on Master's Thesis/Doctoral Dissertation

5-2023

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Degree Name

M.A.

Department

Sociology

Degree Program

Sociology, MA

Committee Chair

Roelfs, David

Committee Member

Carini, Robert

Committee Member

Immekus, Jason

Author's Keywords

labor process theory; teacher retention; teacher turnover; labor management relationships; work satisfaction; workplace autonomy

Abstract

Evaluating worker satisfaction, retention, and attrition is far from a ground-breaking concept. Labor process theory has been a lens through which workers’ experiences have been studied and utilized in many workplaces. Schools are not exempt from this lens and others before me have slid them beneath the labor process lens, and I seek to add to that field of research. The teacher shortage issue is not a novel one by any stretch of the imagination, but with 45% of public schools having at least one teaching vacancy as of October 2022 (National Center for Education Statistics, 2022), there is just cause to revisit teachers as workers and how conditions in their workplace may be contributing to their absence. By analyzing teachers’ satisfaction, the nature of their work, how much control they have in their workplace, and the relationships they have with their administrators in Jefferson County Public Schools, I hope to shine new light on how teachers’ working conditions have affected retention, turnover, attendance, and the optimism that their workplace can change for the better. Working conditions survey responses from over 120 schools in the district from the 2020 school year will be examined in this thesis. Gaining insight into these conditions can help explore more nuanced perspectives on teacher retention and attrition. Reconciling the teacher shortage can be aided by theory-driven research. Getting teachers into classrooms, encouraging them to stay, and empowering them to provide enriching, equitable education to students is essential because “what we want and need is education pure and simple, and we shall make surer and faster progress when we devote ourselves to finding out just what education is and what conditions have to be satisfied in order that education may be a reality and not a name or slogan” (Dewey, 2015).

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