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Thesis/Dissertation Information
- Degree Disciplines:
- Education
Notes
- Abstract:
- The purpose of this study was to uncover the factors that influence public school teachers to assume the position of a Roman Catholic elementary school teacher. Specifically, the researcher is concerned with identifying why these select educators are transferring school communities in spite of the fact that Catholic school faculty are paid significantly less than public school faculty. Two primary aspects related to the teaching profession were examined to assess why public school teachers would take a significant pay reduction even though statistics show these same teachers are commonly dissatisfied with their salary. The researcher originally proposed that the cause of this phenomenon may be identified when uncovering the organizational commitment and job satisfaction of the sample population. Catholic school teachers have valued their aspiration and commitment to teach in the Catholic educational environment as their ultimate incentive for working in Catholic schools; their next highest motivating factor is the enjoyment of teaching. Other reasons that influence their choice to work at Catholic schools include school location, administrators, and hiring practices. The researcher embraced a phenomenological approach to explore if former public-school teachers who are currently teaching in the Catholic elementary school system hold similar beliefs. The researcher’s aim was “to obtain a view into the participant’s life worlds…constructed from their lived experience” to understand the motive behind their reasons for transfer). Methods : The present study applies a phenomenological tradition to discern the factors that cause public school teachers to teach at a Catholic elementary school. Phenomenology is an attempt to portray and communicate the essence of experience of some phenomena as described or reconstructed by a small group of participants. This process involves “an approach to studying the problem that includes entering the field of perception of participants; seeing how they experience, live, and display a phenomenon; and looking for the meaning of the participants’ experiences”. The data collection period lasted approximately 10-12 weeks. Data analysis included several stages that directly apply to Stevick-Colaizzi-Keen’s process of examining data. During the first stage, all responses were automatically saved through SurveyMonkey™. In the second phase, narratives from each participant were printed which provided a framework for analyzing the responses from each respondent. The third phase involved the organization of all information from the narratives. Data was categorized through the process of charting and sorting into key themes for analytical induction. Once the researcher created the first set of themes, development of larger categories was determined. Finally, all sorted information was thoroughly analyzed to provide an exhaustive description of the phenomenon. Conclusions : The analyses yielded results in relation to a variety of factors and issues affecting the transition of public elementary school teachers to teach at a Roman Catholic school. As stated previously and discussed, these major themes were identified by all respondents: Theme One: The Ability and Desire to Work with Children; Theme Two: The Ability to Share One’s Faith; and Theme Three: Personal Benefits.
- Thesis:
- Thesis (Ph.D.)--Barry University, 2008.
- Bibliography:
- Includes bibliographical references (leaves 79-89).
Record Information
- Source Institution:
- Barry University
- Holding Location:
- Barry University Archives and Special Collections
- Rights Management:
- Copyright Stephen Joseph Brown. Permission granted to Barry University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
- Resource Identifier:
- LC501.B76 2008_BrownStephen ( BU-Local )
- Classification:
- LC501.B76 2008 ( lcc )
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