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The impact of high teacher turnover rates have on high quality early childhood programs: an evaluation study
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The impact of high teacher turnover rates have on high quality early childhood programs: an evaluation study
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Running head: High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 1
THE IMPACT HIGH TEACHER TURNOVER RATES HAVE ON HIGH QUALITY EARLY
CHILDHOOD PROGRAMS: AN EVALUATION STUDY
by
Stacy Beharry
A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION
August 26, 2018
Copyright 2018 Stacy Beharry
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 2
DEDICATION
When I graduated with my undergraduate degree my father asked me why some of
the graduates had on a floppy hat. I explained to him that those graduates were getting a
Doctorate in Education. My dad then turned to me and said, “Stacy, I want you to get one
of those floppy hats. This floppy hat is dedicated to my parents. Their determination to
never give up on me, instilling in me the importance of education, and their never-ending
support for me to try new things. The fact that they supported my decision to go back to
school at 37 years old with three children and a full-time job, is a true reflection of the type
of people they are. I am truly blessed to have parents like you and dad this floppy hat is for
you.
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 3
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would first and foremost like to acknowledge my husband Marc. Thank you for
holding things down with our family so I could take class from ten pm to midnight twice a
week for three years. For always reminding me that I could do this, and for being positive
that I could do this even when I wasn’t. Your belief and unconditional love are priceless. I
would also like to acknowledge my children. Logan, Kyle and Ella you gave me the desire
to want to achieve this and show you that all things are possible. Logan in the car one day
you said, “Mom you can go back to school. You are smart and you will be great.” Thank
you, all three of you for allowing mommy to write when she had to, and get her work done.
I love you all.
I would like to acknowledge Doris Guttieriez for all of her help editing my work for
the last three years. Your constant help while refusing compensation was invaluable, thank
you. I would like to acknowledge my best friends in life Ann Marie Crum and Sytania
Smith Taylor. Many of you don’t know that while in school, my father had a quadruple
bypass and I had major spinal surgery. These two women helped care for my children, so I
could have time to get school work done. Where would I be in life without you? Your
friendship, love, and support do not go unnoticed.
I would like to acknowledge Dr. Mora-Flores and all of the professors I have
worked with at the University of Southern California. Dr. Mora -Flores your unwavering
positive belief that I could academically write pushed me to be better. Thank you for never
giving up. I am so lucky that I chose the University of Southern California because the
professors are nurturing, encouraging, and work to make you better. I would like to
acknowledge my committee members Dr. Selmi and Dr. Kaplan. Your expertise in the
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 4
field, your guidance, your support, and your willingness to help guide me through this
process was invaluable. I would like to acknowledge all of my cohort, specifically Leti
Govea, Quinn Bobbit, and Wendy Lundeen for keeping me going when times seemed
tough and for being great peer editors.
Lastly, I would like to acknowledge my brother Dr. Anthony Jaipersad. You have
always been my inspiration to be better than I am, and to strive to be great. Since I was
little you have always taught me that there was no glass ceiling and to keep pushing. You
read an education proposal when you know nothing about education, because that’s the
type of brother you are. Thank you for your endless support.
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 5
ABSTRACT
Researchers suggest that teacher turnover in early preschool programs is
increasingly high. Turnover is costly not only for early childhood programs but also for
child development. High teacher turnover can influence the quality of instruction that
children receive, as well as teacher motivation to remain with an early education program.
This study evaluates early childhood teachers at the LEX program, and early childhood
program for children from ages birth through age five. The research involves an evaluative
study that surveyed the literature currently available on early childhood turnover, as well as
evaluating primary research conducted through surveys of both former and current LEX
teachers as well as interviews of current LEX teachers. The results of the study demonstrate
that multiple factors influence teacher turnover and retention. Among the factors that
contribute to teacher turnover; inadequate compensation, dissatisfaction with management,
and lack of formal training were all found to be contributing issues that lead to turnover.
The study provides knowledge, motivational, and organizational recommendations to
improve retention at the LEX program.
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 6
TABLE OF CONTENTS
DEDICATION ....................................................................................................................... 2
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................... 3
LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................................. 8
LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................ 9
Introduction to Problem of Practice...................................................................................... 10
Organizational Context and Mission ................................................................................ 10
Importance of Addressing the Problem ................................................................................ 11
Purpose of the Project and Questions ................................................................................... 12
Organizational Performance Goal ........................................................................................ 13
Stakeholder Group of Focus and Stakeholder Goal ............................................................. 15
Review of the Literature ....................................................................................................... 16
Teacher Retention & Reasons for Turnover at Early Childhood Centers ........................ 17
Lack of Growth Opportunities/Teacher Burns Out .......................................................... 18
Factors that Impact the Quality of Early Childhood Education ....................................... 18
Organizational Impacts on Teacher Training and Educational Attainment ..................... 20
Knowledge, Motivation and Organizational Influences ....................................................... 23
Knowledge Influences ...................................................................................................... 23
Stakeholder Knowledge ................................................................................................ 24
Motivation Influences ....................................................................................................... 25
Goal Orientation Theory ............................................................................................... 26
Self-Efficacy ................................................................................................................. 27
Organizational Influences ................................................................................................. 29
Conceptual Framework......................................................................................................... 31
Data Collection and Instrumentation .................................................................................... 33
Participants ....................................................................................................................... 36
Results .................................................................................................................................. 37
Knowledge ........................................................................................................................ 38
Motivation ........................................................................................................................ 43
Organizational .................................................................................................................. 45
Findings ................................................................................................................................ 46
Predictors of Motivation Influencing Quality .................................................................. 47
Compensation as a Driving Factor that Motivates Teachers ............................................ 48
Theory X: Environmental Factors Influencing Motivation .............................................. 50
Synthesis and Discussion ..................................................................................................... 52
Recommendations for Practice to Address KMO Influences ............................................... 55
Knowledge Recommendations ......................................................................................... 55
Procedural Knowledge Recommendations ................................................................... 56
Motivation Recommendations .......................................................................................... 59
Expectancy Value Theory ............................................................................................ 59
Self-Efficacy ................................................................................................................. 60
Theory Y Environment ................................................................................................. 61
Organization Recommendations ...................................................................................... 65
Building a Theory Y Environment ............................................................................... 66
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 69
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 7
Appendix A: Participating Stakeholders with Sampling Criteria for Interview and Surveys
.............................................................................................................................................. 71
Qualitative Data Collection and Instrumentation ............................................................. 71
Interviews ......................................................................................................................... 71
Quantitative Data Collection and Instrumentation ........................................................... 72
Surveys ............................................................................................................................. 73
Appendix B: Protocols ......................................................................................................... 75
Interview Protocol ............................................................................................................ 75
Survey Protocol ................................................................................................................ 76
Appendix C: Ethical Considerations .................................................................................... 81
Appendix D: Integrated Implementation and Evaluation Plan ............................................. 83
Implementation and Evaluation Framework .................................................................... 83
Evaluation ......................................................................................................................... 87
Organizational Purpose, Need, and Expectations ............................................................. 87
Level 4: Results and Leading Indicators ...................................................................... 88
Level 3: Behavior ......................................................................................................... 90
References ............................................................................................................................ 92
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 8
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1 .................................................................................................................................. 14
Table 2 .................................................................................................................................. 36
Table 3 .................................................................................................................................. 37
Table 4 .................................................................................................................................. 39
Table 5 .................................................................................................................................. 57
Table 6 .................................................................................................................................. 64
Table 7 .................................................................................................................................. 68
Table 8 .................................................................................................................................. 84
Table 9 .................................................................................................................................. 89
Table 10 ................................................................................................................................ 90
Table 11 ................................................................................................................................ 91
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 9
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Conceptual Framework ......................................................................................... 33
Figure 2: Improvement of Retention (Current Teachers) ..................................................... 40
Figure 3: Desired Forms of Skills Training and Knowledge Augmentation ........................ 41
Figure 4: Comparison of Perceived Training Needs ............................................................ 42
Figure 5: Motivation for Perceived Training ........................................................................ 44
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 10
Introduction to Problem of Practice
Consistency is one of several factors that contribute to strong social and emotional
development in preschool children (Lang, 2016). Consistency in early childhood settings
may be disturbed by teacher turnover. Little research has explored the direct impact that
this form of inconsistency may have on a child’s social and emotional development. There
is some indication that teacher’s competence, coupled with child-centered beliefs,
motivation, and social and emotional responsiveness, may all influence the successful
development of children during preschool years (Lang, 2016). Because the field of early
child development is vast, this research focuses on a small subset of factors that influence
child development in preschool, namely teacher competency, motivation, and turnover.
Research suggests that teacher retention is a key indicator of the quality of early education
programs (Porter, 2012). Stormont and Johnson (2016) confirmed research stating that the
annual turnover rate for preschool teachers is 30%. This is alarming, because research
suggested that turnover may cost school districts more than two billion annually (Phillips,
2015). Thus, teacher retention appears to be a critical factor related to childhood program
success.
Organizational Context and Mission
The Learning Center Preschool (LEX) is a corporate center currently serving one
hundred and ninety children between the ages of birth and five years old. The preschool is
in the suburbs of North Eastern New Jersey and is considered multi-ethnic because of its
diverse population. One hundred and twelve children attending LEX are preschool age.
Preschool age children are defined as children before the age of six, up to age five, and
most commonly age three to four (Yoshikawa, Weiland, & Brooks-Gunn, 2016). While
there are many forms of preschool programs available throughout the US, including public
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 11
and private systems (Yoshikawa et al., 2016), the LEX program is considered a private
institution that does not accept any state or financial aid. The annual cost for a preschooler
to attend the LEX program is approximately $12,000.
The Mission of the LEX preschool is to encourage the expansion of creativity in
young minds through the company's unique curriculum and enrichment programs, designed
to enhance learning throughout in the early stages of development. LEX differentiates the
stages of development by separating each classroom by the age of children attending and
accepts children from birth through five years old when many children begin attending
kindergarten (Yoshikawa et al., 2016). LEX is also active in offering smart board
interactive learning, and academic enrichment programs for its preschool students. These
features defined the LEX program to be a high-quality program.
Importance of Addressing the Problem
For many years, researchers have studied the impact that teachers have on child
development. Teacher attrition is a significant influence not only on children, but also on
the status of organizations. While many factors may impact the quality of education
provided to preschool children, research has increasingly focused on the quality of
preschool teachers, and their tenure or ability to stay at a facility for a period of greater than
12 months (Porter, 2012). More so now than in years past, parents rely on preschool
teachers and caregivers to assist in child development at key stages of a child’s life (Lang,
2016). Turnover is a costly problem, not only for early childhood education centers but also
for educational facilities. The rate of job turnover for child care staff in early childhood
education centers has been identified as an indicator of program quality, with lower quality
associated with programs that have high turnover rates (Cassidy, Lower, Kintner-Duffy,
Hedge & Shim, 2011). If turnover continues to increase in classrooms, including in
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 12
preschools, then the quality status of preschool programs is more likely to decline. High-
quality preschool programs are directly correlated with teacher training and continuing
education (Yoshikawa et al., 2016). According to Burchinal, Vandergrift, Pianta, and
Mashburn (2010) teacher-child interactions in preschool result in better outcomes when
teachers are highly motivated and engage in high-quality education in cultures where
reduced turnover is likely. The administration of the LEX program needs to assess the
performance goal of retaining teachers to maintain a high-quality educational program that
is attractive to both staff and families.
Purpose of the Project and Questions
The purpose of this project was to conduct a needs’ analysis in the areas of
knowledge and skill, motivation, and organizational resources necessary to reach the
organizational performance goal. The analysis began by generating a list of possible needs
and will then move to examining these systematically to focus on actual or validated needs.
While a complete needs’ analysis would focus on all stakeholders, for practical purposes
the stakeholder to be focused on in this analysis is the preschool teachers.
The following list represented primary objectives and aims of the project, which led
to the development of a research hypothesis.
1. To what extent is the LEX preschool program meeting its goal of reducing teacher
turnover to ensure high-quality early childhood programming?
2. What is the preschool teacher’s knowledge and motivation related to ensuring high-
quality early childhood programming at the LEX preschool program?
3. What is the interaction between the culture at LEX and teacher knowledge and
motivation?
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 13
To answer these questions, a combination of methods or mixed-methods approach
was adopted to include a comprehensive review of the literature on preschool teacher
motivation, knowledge, resources, and turnover rates.
Organizational Performance Goal
The organizational performance goal of the LEX program is directly linked to the
mission of the organization. The founders of the organization developed the vision and
mission for the organization, which is to encourage the expansion of creativity in young
minds through the company's unique curriculum and enrichment programs, designed to
enhance learning throughout the early stages of development. The specific performance
goal of the LEX program is to reduce teacher turnover rates without reducing the quality of
the program. To meet this goal successfully, the LEX preschool administration and teachers
must attain a certain level of knowledge and skill. Most importantly, both associations need
to provide approaches to maintain enrollment and ensure the center generates the expected
tuition.
The stakeholder performance goals are described in Table 1.2, as related to teacher
retention and performance. The performance goals are linked directly with the
organizational mission at the LEX program, as a means of providing collaborative and
unifying goals that will impact teachers and students positively. Stakeholders may grow to
include other people, including community members that are seeking high-quality
education for their children, and interested in the long-term success of early childhood
education programs.
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 14
Table 1
Organizational Mission
The Mission of the LEX preschool is to encourage the expansion of creativity in young
minds through a unique curriculum and development of enrichment programs, designed
to enhance learning during early stages of development.
Stakeholder Goals: Teachers Stakeholder Goals: Children Organizational Goals
• Provide quality
education and
instruction that assists
the company in
realizing its vision.
• Improve children’s
cognitive
development.
• Gain knowledge in
early childhood
education.
• Develop collaborative
relationships with all
stakeholders.
• Improve children’s
cognitive
development.
• Build collaborative
relationships with
teachers.
• Feel motivated and
enthusiastic about
lessons taught in
program.
• Identify
knowledge
influences
(declarative,
factual,
conceptual,
procedural, or
metacognitive)
that impact
teacher retention.
• Assist teachers in
developing
weekly lesson
plans and
quarterly progress
reports for
children in class.
• Reduce Teacher
turnover.
The administrators and Board of Directors at the LEX program contributed to the
development of the performance goals, including the need to maintain high enrollment to
grow the program and to sustain the high-quality status of the company. The organization
considers teacher retention as key to maintaining an environment that supports high-quality
learning. The organization has developed a preliminary vision to expand its program
nationwide. The company also wants to attract investors and to convert the company to a
publicly-traded company within five-years. The company feels that monthly teacher
observations and auditing of teacher performance quality, the curriculum, preschool reading
tests and proficiency reports among children can assist in realizing performance goals. The
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 15
company also evaluates teacher performance annually and provides incentives to remain in
the LEX program.
Stakeholder Group of Focus and Stakeholder Goal
Preschool teachers, parents with children in preschool, and administrators are all
stakeholders for purposes of this study. Parents are stakeholders interested in the quality of
care provided to their children, and the performance of the company. Children are
stakeholders as they are subject to the breadth and depth of education provided and
impacted by multiple factors. Among the factors influencing children include consistency
of teachers, and thus teacher retention. Teachers are stakeholders interested in creation of a
consistent program and working with a high-quality organization that takes into
consideration teachers socio-economic, educational, and motivational needs. An analysis of
all stakeholders may be critical, but this study will focus on preschool teachers as a primary
stakeholder in the success of the LEX program, as well as a contributor to a high-quality
preschool program. Also, the teachers are primarily responsible for improving a child’s
language, cognitive skill and ensuring a high-quality preschool program (Burchinal et al.,
2010).
Teacher consistency serves a pivotal role in child development. Because high
turnover among teachers may detract from the consistency that children require to excel in
LEX, and because the quality of the program may be directly influenced by teacher
retention, teachers will remain the primary stakeholder for purposes of this study. Thus, the
study relates the impact of teacher turnover on preschool program quality. The inability of
an organization to meet the goal of retaining teachers will lead to the financial losses of the
organization and in return will affect the quality of the overall childhood programming.
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 16
Preschool teachers, parents with children in preschool, and administrators are all
stakeholders for the purposes of this study. An analysis of all stakeholders may be critical,
but this study focused on preschool teachers as a primary stakeholder in the success of the
LEX program, as well as a contributor to a high-quality preschool program. Also, the
teachers are primarily responsible for improvising a child’s language, cognitive skill and
ensuring a high-quality preschool program (Burchinal et al., 2010). Teacher consistency
serves a pivotal role in child development. Because high turnover among teachers may
detract from the consistency that children require to excel in LEX, and because the quality
of the program may be directly influenced by teacher retention. Teachers will remain the
primary stakeholder for purposes of this study. Thus, the study relates the impact of teacher
turnover on preschool program quality. The inability of an organization to meet the goal of
retaining teachers will lead to the financial losses of the organization and in return will
affect the quality of the overall childhood programming.
Review of the Literature
The purpose of the literature review is to expand on the causes for and explanation
of high teacher turnover, as well as to discuss the knowledge and skills that teachers need to
succeed in the preschool environment. The literature review started with a review of
literature summarizing the factors that influence teacher retention and turnover at early
childhood centers. Next, the literature review discussed the knowledge and skills that are
necessary for preschool teachers to succeed in early childhood education programs. This
section also included details about the knowledge and skills associated with a high-quality
preschool program. Lastly, the literature review discussed factors that influence primary
stakeholder motivation for remaining in an early childhood program like LEX. These
factors will be discussed as motivational factors. Detractors or factors that detract from
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 17
teacher motivation may also be covered within this section. Stakeholders in this section
refer to teachers that provide education to preschool students.
Teacher Retention & Reasons for Turnover at Early Childhood Centers
This section provides an overview of literature that addresses the major issues
impacting the knowledge, skills, motivation, and organizational gaps in correlation to a
high teacher turnover rates in high-quality early childhood programs. Retention is among
the leading forces that may impact child development. Preschool teachers that remain in a
stable environment develop relationships with the children they care for. Because children
from birth through age five are learning to develop healthy attachments, having a consistent
teacher or caregiver readily available may significantly impact the healthy development of
a child. Parents consistently search for high-quality care that provides not only consistency,
but also care in the way of a child’s intellectual development (Porter, 2012). Children that
receive appropriate care and stimulation are likely to do well as they pass into advanced
level school and courses. A close examination of factors influencing teacher retention is
provided.
This literature review is divided into three sections. Among the factors explored
include evidenced based variables that account for high teacher turnover. Factors that will
be explored via the literature include: (a) compensation, (b) educational backgrounds, (c)
teacher training, and (d) medical benefits. Because teacher turnover may impact the
revenue generation of the LEX program, the literature on the effect of teacher turnover
rates on revenue generation will also be reviewed. According to Wells (2015) in a survey of
170 preschool teachers in multiple head start preschool programs, teachers with two years
or less of experience noted that salary was not a significant factor contributing to high
teacher turnover. Rather, teachers that quit within a one to two-year time frame reported
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 18
they left because they were not inspired by their work environment, felt they had too little
education, had poor relationships with their supervisors, and were unhappy in their work
environment.
Low Teacher Compensation. Among the reasons for high teacher turnover is low
teacher compensation. Low teacher compensation may contribute to financial instability
among teachers, reducing their quality of life and job satisfaction. Despite the low
compensation associated with teacher compensation in early childhood education centers, it
is not a primary factor for teacher turnover in preschool (Tehseen & Ul Hadi, 2015; Boyd,
Grossman, Ing, Lankford, Loeb, & Wycoff, 2011). Low wages are detrimental to early
childhood professionals as they often live below the poverty level (Boyd et al., 2011).
Wells (2015) demonstrated that low wages are considered among the strongest predictors of
childcare staff turnover, while high wages can predict quality staff and reduced turnover.
Lack of Growth Opportunities/Teacher Burns Out
Preschool teachers viewed inefficient growth within an organization and considered
different fields beyond early child hood education for career advancement. Holochwost,
DeMott, Buell, Yannetta, and Amsden (2009) noted that incentives and benefits offered by
early child directors for educators increased teacher perceived opportunities and desire to
advance in their professional. Lack of growth opportunities and lack of challenging work
environments have also been shown to influence teacher rates of satisfaction and burnout in
the academic setting (Lee, Scheunemann, Hall, & Payne, 2012; Fard, Ghatari, & Hasiri,
2010).
Factors that Impact the Quality of Early Childhood Education
In addition to teacher competence, the following factors can influence the success of
children in the preschool setting: cognitive impacts, teacher training and education, student
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 19
success with teacher consistency, student dropout and arrest rate, academic achievement,
and socioeconomic status.
Cognitive Impacts on Children. There is direct correlation between preschool
teacher longevity and an increase in cognitive ability of children. Thomason and La Paro
(2013) demonstrated that the quality of teacher-child interactions in early childhood
classrooms often correlate with growth, including emotional, cognitive, and behavioral
growth. Further, the researchers find that teacher-child interaction and commitment
enhance performance of children including social-skills performance.
Impacts on Teacher Training and Education. Teacher turnover directly impacts
the level of training and education in early childhood teachers as they enter the field, and
throughout the period of employment. According to Bullough, Hall-Kenyone, and Mackay
(2012), young women with a degree higher than an associate, including a BA/BS are more
likely to leave preschool jobs, and are often replaced by inexperienced teachers.
Assessment of Student Success with Teacher Consistency. Teacher consistency
is associated with higher quality education and student performance in the short and long-
term. Positive and affective relationships between teachers and students have been shown
to reduce negativity associated with student success (Longobardi, Prino, Marengo, &
Settannii, 2016; Gehilbach, Brinkworth, & Harris, 2012).
Student Drop-out Rates/Arrests. When children attended high-quality early
childhood program, they were less likely to drop out from high school or be arrested.
Teacher consistency can assist in developing student-teacher relationships, and serve as a
protective factor as children grow, reducing their risk for drop-out and the risk of
maladjustment later in life (Longoboardi, Prino, Marengo, & Seffanni, 2016).
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 20
High Academic Achievement. When provided with teacher consistency of at least
a year, there is evidence of academic student success. Classroom-level factors including
teacher consistency contribute to high achievement and children’s social, behavioral, and
cognitive development in the classroom (Mitchell, Bradshaw, & Leaf, 2010; Osher, Bear,
Sprague, & Doyle, 2010; O’Brennan, Bradshaw, & Gurlong, 2014). Classroom-level
factors may include the skills, knowledge, and competency of teachers, along with teacher
collaboration, and the relationship that teachers and students are able to create with each
other in the classroom (O’Brennan, Bradshaw, & Gurlong, 2014).
Socio Economic Impact. Attendance in high-quality early childhood programs was
found to produce positive long-term effects on the socio-economic status of a child.
Teacher and student involvement was shown to influence academic motivation and future
success including professional and financial success among students (Maulana,
Opdenakker, Stroet, & Bosker, 2013). Teachers that were highly motivated were more
likely to commit to consistent organizational location, and to building long-term
relationships with administrators and students (Maulana et al., 2013). All these factors may
influence student’s likelihood of graduating in the long-term, and a student’s long-term
rather than short-term academic success. Factors that may also have a socio-economic
impact on teacher quality include teacher compensation. If teachers are not able to support
themselves or their family, they are more likely to seek additional opportunities, or
experience increased burnout in part because some take on secondary work to support
themselves and their family.
Organizational Impacts on Teacher Training and Educational Attainment
Clarke and Estes (2008) stated that work culture is present in our conscious and
unconscious understanding of who we are, what we value, and how we do what we do as an
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 21
organization. At the LEX early childhood program, the central focus of the organization
was on the academic and social well-being of the children. Semanyshyn and Popel (2014)
observed that when teachers were highly trained and built teacher child relationships within
the classroom, this lead to an efficient social functioning and independence in preschool
children. The LEX early childhood program must acknowledge the preschool teacher’s
obligation to experience an environment that allows for educational training opportunities
and growth. Wang, Elicker, McMullen, and Mao (2008) discovered that teacher beliefs on
educational attainment in the United States were directly correlated to the value they felt
was placed on them, and the educational policies currently in place by the organization they
worked for. At the LEX Early Childhood preschool program, less than 10% of the teachers
have earned a degree, including an Associate Degree or four-year degree in Early
Childhood Education. The organization should look at why the preschool teachers at the
early childhood program do not attain higher levels of education. Preschool teachers need
to experience an environment that allows for educational training opportunities and growth.
Agocs (1997) stated that individuals resist change because of habit, the fear of the
unknown, absence of skills they will need after the change and fear of losing power. The
preschool teachers at the LEX early childhood program have recently changed ownership
and have switched from a franchised organization to corporation. As a result, many
teachers have left the program and have expressed concerns over the corporations “don’t
care” attitude about their educational training and development. Ross and Gray (2006)
found a direct correlation between effective transformational leadership within an
organization and teacher commitment to the school. With so many teachers leaving the
LEX early childhood teacher program because of changes in leadership, there has been a
lack of teacher bonding and communication between the preschool teaching team. Bonney
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 22
(2015) explored teaching method, teacher performance and student perceptions of learning
gains. The researcher suggests that teachers require practical and formal training in the
work environment to produce stronger teacher-student relationships and inter-teacher
collaboration. Preschool teachers need to experience a work environment that allows for
their coworkers to be at the same educational level as them, producing comradery. Barnett
(2003) found that constant teacher turnover leads to a retraining of teachers, and often
results in the hiring of teachers with little or no educational background making quality
instruction impossible. The LEX early childhood program must work to recognize the
importance of retaining teachers to so that teachers understand the motivation and
organizational values of the LEX program.
Clark and Estes (2008) stated that organizational culture involves beliefs about the
importance of an individual’s initiative and places value on collaboration. For the LEX,
early childhood program to be successful, teachers can grow more fully by working in an
environment that is supportive and one that creates a culture of learning and collaboration.
The culture for LEX must operate in the context of building a collaborative environment
where teacher contributions are valued, and where training remains a priority. Additional
training can reduce turnover, assisting in teacher retention. Collaboration at LEX may look
like collaborative teaching, educational attainment, and adequate training. Many factors or
influences, including knowledge, motivation, and organizational influences, all affect
teacher turnover rates.
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 23
Knowledge, Motivation and Organizational Influences
Knowledge Influences
This study focused on a review of literature that scrutinizes the different knowledge
and skills necessary to assist the LEX program in achieving its goal. It also examined the
various knowledge types that influence the LEX program when working towards this goal.
Krathwohl (2002) defined four different knowledge types such as factual
knowledge, conceptual knowledge, procedural knowledge, and metacognitive knowledge.
The procedural knowledge defines the act of how to do something, while conceptual
knowledge describes the interrelationships amongst the fundamental elements to be looked
at strictly as they relate to the LEX program. Cunningham, Corprew & Becker, J. E. (2009)
found that a mismatch may exist between teacher’s self-reported early education
knowledge and best practice knowledge and skills for early childhood development. The
researchers noted that teacher quality is a central issue in early education, especially with
reference to children’s literacy and language acquisition. Researchers and policy makers
agree that the way teachers structure and allocate lesson time for literacy-related preschool
activities and their knowledge of reading development, processes, and pedagogy all may
influence childhood development (Cunningham et al., 2009). As noted by Clarke and Estes
(2008) performance gaps often exist that contribute to inadequate work processes. A survey
of the instructional practices of teachers through self-reports regarding instructional time
suggests that teacher self-reports of knowledge and attention to literacy did not align with
best practices associated with instructional activities and in some cases, curriculum
(Cunningham et al., 2009). Such deviation from established standards, including those
determined by the LEX program, may influence teacher retention, especially if teachers are
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 24
unable to comprehend appropriate strategies for developing high-quality education and
development among preschool children.
Oppermann, Anders, and Hachfield (2016) explored preschool teacher’s
mathematical competencies. Their research suggested that preschool teachers with high
self-efficacy and self-concept were often adept at mathematical competencies in the
learning environment. This study emphasizes the importance of ascertaining preschool
teacher’s mathematical content and knowledge regarding appropriate presentation of
mathematical content in the preschool setting. Findings from a regression analysis suggest
that teacher retention rates may be higher among teachers that rate themselves with high
self-efficacy, but also have high ability in areas that include mathematical instruction and
literacy instruction, which can contribute to retention and job satisfaction in the preschool
setting (Cunningham et al., 2009).
Stakeholder Knowledge
Teacher knowledge and training are also shown to not only influence teacher tenure
and competency, but also teacher motivation to remain at a preschool. According to Lang
(2016), teachers with an associate degree were more likely to respond negatively when
faced with educational challenges including emotional displays from young children. While
these teachers were educated, their associate training did not include appropriate training in
early childhood development, which is needed to provide preschool teachers with the
ability to engage in high quality pedagogical interactions among children (Lang, 2016). In
the same study, teachers with education in child development or early education
coursework were less likely to respond negatively to childhood outbursts including
emotional displays in preschool (Lang, 2016). Lang (2016) also showed that teachers that
received routine feedback from supervisors and other longer-tenured staff were more
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 25
motivated to engage in professional development, which led to decreased turnover among
staff. This suggests that with greater education and training, coupled with positive
feedback, preschool teachers are more likely to be motivated to remain in preschool as
teachers and less likely to quit within the first twelve months to two years (Lang, 2016).
Hamre, Piante, and Burchinal (2012) engaged in a study of 440 early childhood teachers,
demonstrating that additional education in effective teacher-child interactions provided
teachers with greater information, knowledge, and skills needed to succeed in early
childhood environments including in preschool. Teachers who took additional training also
demonstrated intentional teaching beliefs, in addition to greater knowledge and skills in
ascertaining effective interactions in the preschool classroom (Hamre, Pianta, & Burchinal,
2012). Even minor adjustments to teacher training including individual classes in early
childhood development were shown to improve teacher retention and to enhance the quality
of early childhood programs throughout the educational system (Hamre, Pianta, &
Burchinal, 2012).
Motivation Influences
Teacher motivation has been identified as a critical influencer of retention and job
satisfaction among preschool teachers. This section will discuss teacher motivation,
including the factors that contribute to and detract from teacher motivation. This section
will also touch upon the motivation for parents considering placing their child in a
preschool program, motivations for teacher turnover and failure of a preschool or other
educational facility to thrive.
For the LEX program to be successful in meeting its goal being considered a high-
quality early childhood program, the teachers must be motivated to remain at the center for
longer than a year. Clarke and Estes (2008) states that motivation influences three critical
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 26
aspects such as choosing to work towards a goal, persisting until that goal is achieved, and
how much mental effort they are willing to exert until the goal is accomplished. Teachers at
the LEX program must be motivated to work toward the goal of providing high-quality
education by staying longer than a year to receive necessary training on the curriculum.
Eccles (2006) found that the expectancy value theory could be broken down into whether a
task was something that could be done, or that the person wanted to do. Teachers at the
LEX program must be motivated to keep the program quality high and understand their
significance in a program’s success. This study will take a closer look at both the self-
efficacy and goal-oriented theories of motivation as it relates to the LEX programs, its
program quality, and teachers.
Goal Orientation Theory
According to Anderman (2015) goal orientation theory is a social cognitive theory
that examines people’s beliefs about their successes and failures. Goal orientation theory
focuses on self-improvement when one is focused on mastery and compares the ability
based on performance. The teachers at the LEX program require being motivated to
identify approaches to improve parent teacher relationships and maintain a high-quality
early childhood program. The teachers should be motivated to observe the parent teacher
relationships at other programs in the surrounding areas. The teachers should be motivated
to observe the parent teacher relationships at other programs in the surrounding areas
specifically studying how parent teacher communication impacts enrollment, to ensure that
they are in fact meeting the performance goal of the LEX program.
Teachers should contribute further than the core curriculum provided by the LEX,
showing the corporation their need to provide high-quality education as written in the
feedback to the survey question, “Do you want to provide high-quality educational
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 27
preschool programming?” (LEX data, 2015) Knopf and Swick (2007) found that children
benefited the most cognitively when there was high parental involvement between the
teacher and the parent. Currently, at the LEX program, there are parent teacher conferences
that take place, family parties a twice year, and weekly homework that is sent out to
provide a connection between school and home. The administration is responsible for
setting up all communication between parents and teachers. They also assist in all meetings
with parents to ensure that communication remains open and confident. When asked for
feedback by an administration, teachers expressed a disconnect between the parents and the
classroom at the LEX program. Teachers felt that without strong administrative support to
ensure that parents were attending conferences, events, and participating in homework
completion with their child, going beyond basic curriculum learning was not attainable. Hill
and Taylor (2004) stated that administrative and parental relations are imperative to early
childhood education as it helps the parent understand the academic expectations of the
school and assists the administration to understand everything the parent desires for their
child. This helps to promote positive feelings and helps with academic progress beyond the
classroom. The LEX administration should be motivated to improve parent teacher
communication to enhance student learning beyond the primary LEX curriculum. This will
allow the program to maintain its goal of remaining high quality. The table below describes
perceived motivational influences among teachers within the LEX program.
Self-Efficacy
Pajares (2009) posited that self-efficacy is the belief that people hold about
themselves and their capabilities. The teachers at the LEX program require being motivated
to understand their impact on how they can make a difference in a child’s cognitive
development. The teachers are expected to be motivated to encourage parent teacher
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 28
communicative relationships to enhance customer satisfaction enabling the program to
remain high quality. These relationships can only be built through teacher longevity as
parent teacher bonding takes time. Additionally, teacher training will encourage teachers to
be prepared and improve their confidence about their capabilities and accordingly do a
better job.
Teachers need to believe that they can provide high-quality early childhood
programming and maintaining high enrollment. Barnett (1995) stated that while early
childhood programs can produce sizable long-term effects on school achievement, grade
retention, and social adjustment. However, not all programs provide these benefits, because
of differences in quality and funding across programs. Teachers at the LEX program need
to be motivated to keep enrollment high so that the program remains high quality and
continues to generate revenue. This revenue will enable funding to remain high within the
program and provide an economic resource to keep program quality high. Early childhood
programs with vast financial resources were designed to improve the cognitive and social-
emotional functioning of preschool children, which, results in a better readiness to learn in
elementary school (Anderson-Butcher, Newsome, & Nay, 2003). A survey delivered by
LEX teachers shows that the teachers influenced parent's decision to remain enrolled in the
LEX program and 100% of the teachers responded agreed. Teachers must stay motivated in
this belief that they impact enrollment to ensure that enrollment remains high. This
motivation and self-belief will maintain enrollment. Thus, allowing the program to sustain
the revenue necessary to prevail as high quality. According to Cunningham et al. (2009)
high self-efficacy among preschool teachers often correlates with high early literacy
capability and mathematical competency. This suggests that teachers with strong self-belief
regarding their capability may also have the knowledge, skills, and competencies needed to
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 29
motivate children in early learning environments and to motivate their parents to continue
to engage with children during the preschool years. Preschool teachers have a duty to
engage children through various techniques, which is more easily accomplished when
teachers are highly motivated to excel in their job duty (Lang, 2016). Providing high-
quality education to preschoolers, particularly mathematical education, has been shown to
be challenging for preschool teachers as a specific set of competencies are needed that
coincide with program curriculum at various preschools (Anders et al., 2012). Thus, if the
LEX program maintains high standards, teachers will also have to have self-efficacy and
proven ability, or, instead, invest in the training needed to facilitate appropriate learning in
the preschool classroom.
Organizational Influences
Organizational influences that contribute to teacher turnover include compensation
according to the U.S. Department of Labor (2011), which suggested the median wages for
preschool teachers are less than $10 per hour. Moreover, such wages are significant lower
than cashiers and kindergarten and elementary teachers (Porter, 2012). Such low pay may
serve to de-motivate preschool teachers who work in very difficult programs, often
responsible for similar educational and development milestones as kindergarten and
elementary teachers. Teachers who are less trained are also identified as at risk for leaving
their position within a year, particularly if the organization they work for fails to provide
paid training opportunities for early education staff (Russell, Williams, & Gleason-Gomez,
2010).
Work Environment. Research also suggests that lack of administrative support for
preschool teachers may also contribute to teacher turnover (Russell et al., 2010). Teachers
intention to leave their position within the first year is also related to less supportive and
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 30
unskilled administrators, particularly those that fail to schedule teachers well or enforce
daycare center or early childcare center rules and regulations (Porter, 2012). Early
preschool teachers that perceived limited opportunities for advancement were also less
likely to remain satisfied with their work environment than teachers that had a clearly
defined succession plan (Porter, 2012). Among the factors that may influence retention
among preschool teachers at LEX include the work environment and level of support that
preschool teachers receive from supervisors and administrators or other personnel.
Personal Factors. Holochwost, DeMott, Buell, Yannetta, and Amsden (2009)
demonstrated that personal characteristics in preschool teachers may influence teacher
turnover or intent to stay. Older teachers were found to stay longer than younger teachers,
while teachers that were married were also more likely to stay in a preschool setting than
single teachers, who may have had to rely on higher compensation. Family conditions also
contributed to teacher turnover rates in certain circumstances, with some preschool teachers
leaving a childcare center to choose to stay home to care for their own children rather than
to care for their children and others in the context of an early childhood education center.
The Mission of the LEX preschool is to encourage creative young minds to expand
their learning through company’s unique curriculum and enrichment programs that are
designed to enhance learning throughout the stages of early development. The corporate
performance goal of the LEX pre-school program is to maintain a high-quality early
childhood program, not affected by high teacher turnover. To meet this goal successfully,
the LEX as an organization must research factors contributing to teacher turnover,
including lack of training, or organizational culture.
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 31
Conceptual Framework
Maxwell (2013) defined the conceptual framework as a system of concepts that
support and familiarizes the research being conducted. The purpose of a conceptual
framework is to combine research through various studies on a topic in an endeavor to
achieve an understanding of this same subject investigated in a novel or different way.
Maxwell (2013) states that frameworks are created by uncovering empirical and theoretical
factors that contribute to behavior or action, as much as it is critical to understand and
observe personal experiences and the environment as a means of creating a framework for
understanding. These influences help define what the framework will explore. Merriam and
Tisdell (2016) proposed an approach to constructing a framework to determine how to
build on and contribute to what has already been researched. The framework constructed
for this study will be examined to investigate how teacher turnover impacts high-quality
early childhood programming.
Clark and Estes (2008) stated that the essential factors contributing to the
performance gaps are the lack of knowledge and skill, lack of motivation to achieve a goal
and an inadequate work process. The study used a deductive framework for exploring
factors that influence preschool teacher turnover. Deductive theoretical approaches allow a
researcher to work from the top down, or by beginning with a theory, then narrowing that
theory into a specific hypothesis that can be tested and proven. This approach may be
acceptable when the researcher better understands the phenomenon being examined, or
when a hypothesis needs to be developed based on existing research. The opposite is true of
inductive reasoning, which allows the researcher to provide an observation, note a pattern,
test a hypothesis, and create a theory that matches the hypothesis. Deductive patterns of
theory are different; they allow the researcher the opportunity to ask open-ended questions
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 32
and test a theory or hypothesis. The hypothesis tested will be related to high teacher
turnover rates.
The LEX early childhood program is the focus of the current study. Specifically,
this study will explore the causes for a 40% rate of turnover in 12-months, and whether a
reduction in turnover may lead to higher-quality education for preschool students. The
program will be observed for performance gaps that lead to teacher turnover and directly
impact program quality.
Garner and Waajid (2008) found a direct correlation between preschool children’s
academic competence and teacher motivation to establish an emotional connection with the
children. Teachers that demonstrated higher levels of academic competence were more
capable of working with children to assist in development in multiple levels. These
included cognitive, social and emotional development. This emotional connection was
created by teachers building relationships with their preschool students over the course of a
complete school year, hence stressing the importance of teacher longevity within a
program. While teachers must be motivated to make connections, they must also possess a
knowledge base from which to teach. Knowledge base may come in the way of continuing
education, ongoing training, and internal training that may be provided in the workplace
(Garner & Waajid, 2008). Teachers may also gain additional knowledge and training
through standards established by the educational institution that require classes, formal
classes, in early childhood development and early childhood education. It is helpful to
understand how each factor influences teachers in the LEX preschool environment, as will
be described in Figure 1, which demonstrates Knowledge (K), Motivational (M), and
Organizational (O) factors leading to performance gaps at LEX Early Childhood Program.
Each of these factors contribute to teacher turnover, and, as a result, must be addressed to
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 33
improve performance. Teacher turnover impacts program quality. The teacher stakeholder
goal is expected to remain the same, as follows:
Figure 1. Conceptual Framework
Data Collection and Instrumentation
Stringer (2014) suggested that through systematic investigation the study can
attempt to answer the research questions through methodological means including
collection of data in an organized and efficient way. The data was analyzed through
inductive reasoning allowed the researcher and others to draw conclusions from
information gathered from the literature and through primary research. This project utilized
a mixed method of data gathering and analysis. Johnson and Christensen (2015) posited
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 34
that comparisons of different perspectives drawn from qualitative and quantitative data
provide convergent parallel mixed methods to determine the design should be used. The
surveys, interviews, and literature review were utilized to determine the impact on the
retention of preschool teachers on the LEX program’s ability to remain high quality.
Stringer (2014) referred to summative evaluation as information designed to serve in
decision making, gathered to help decision makers of the organization. This study evaluated
why preschool teachers leave the LEX program and provide information on what effect
teacher turnover has on the LEX preschool program’s ability to be considered a high-
quality preschool program.
Clark and Estes (2008) stated that the three biggest reasons for performance gaps
are the lack of knowledge, lack of motivation to achieve a goal or organizational barriers
like inadequate work processes. To better understand why there is a teacher turnover of
over 40% at the LEX program; surveys were distributed to staff members who left the LEX
program in less than a year. Johnson and Christensen (2017) described survey research as a
nonexperimental research method in which questionnaires or interviews were used to
gather information and the goal to understand the characteristics of a population based on
the sample data. In addition, survey questions focused on whether former employees left
the LEX program due to knowledge, motivation, or organizational problem. Stringer (2014)
stated that quantitative survey research is intended to provide a generalizable explanation
that provides the basis for predicting and controlling events. The data received from the
survey were used to quantify why teachers left the program in less than a year.
Johnson and Christensen (2017) described qualitative interviews as in-depth
because of the information gathered about many characteristics of the participant. These
may include knowledge, motivation, emotion, beliefs, and thought-processes engaged in by
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 35
participants (Johnson & Christensen, 2017). Current employees of the LEX program were
interviewed using a self-report questionnaire to learn more about factors that may influence
organizational and teacher retention and to identify factors that motivate teachers to remain
part of the LEX program. Teachers were asked to share information on the knowledge they
have regarding factors that impact turnover, and the quality of the LEX program. Merriam
and Tisdell (2016) referred to qualitative research as based on the assumption that
individuals construct “reality” due to personal experiences. The interview process allowed
for current employees of the LEX program to provide insight into what their reality is as a
preschool teacher of the LEX program.
Johnsons and Christensen (2017) discussed the mixed methods approach as two
forms of data collection being integrated by both qualitative and quantitative in the design
analysis by merging, connecting, and integrating the information gathered. The data on why
preschool teachers leave early childhood programs and how teacher turnover impacts the
quality of the LEX program was obtained through interviews and surveys. Stringer (2014)
stated that the primary purpose of research is to provide the means to engage an inquiry to
investigate the methods to evaluate the effectiveness of a goal set by an organization using
both qualitative and quantitative methods. This study examined the impacts of teacher
turnover on the organizational purpose of the LEX program to remain high quality.
Merriam and Tisdell (2016) discussed the concept of convergent design research,
where both qualitative and quantitative data are collected simultaneously to be analyzed
and compared. The researcher collected quantitative survey data from former teachers of
the LEX program by conducting sixteen qualitative interviews of preschool teachers
currently working at the LEX preschool program. This provided an approach to understand
the knowledge and motivation behind the reasons for teachers choosing to work at the LEX
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 36
preschool program and why the leave. The researcher chose these two methods as the
participants who were not willing to be forthcoming with their opinions (Fink, 2013). The
researcher used both interviews and surveys, to gather data in a method that provides a safe
environment for participants to voice their opinions openly.
Participants
There were 36 participants in the study. All participants were current or former
teachers. Sixteen of the thirty-six participants were current LEX teachers, eight of whom
worked in the LEX center that was the focus of the current study, and the remaining eight
of whom work in another LEX center that is corporately owned, but that was once
franchised. The remaining 20 participants of the study were former LEX teachers. The
existence of these comparison groups allowed the generation of rich findings that could not
have been obtained from a single group. The reason for obtaining comparison results
among these groups is to determine whether a difference exists and to explore similarities
in response rates between current and former teachers regarding factors that contribute to
retention and the quality of teaching programs in early education. The gathering of
comparison data is instrumental to this study because valuable information can be obtained
due to their understanding and experience in different areas of work when it comes to the
teacher turnover related issues. Quantitative findings were obtained from surveys where the
entire sample participated in the study, whereas qualitative insights were obtained solely
from interviewing the 16 teachers currently employed by LEX.
Table 2
Teachers and Work Locations
Teachers
Current LEX teachers 16
Former LEX teachers 20
Work Locations
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 37
LEX center 8
LEX center that is corporately owned but that was once franchised 8
Teacher turnover rate was not measured directly in this study. Nonetheless, it is
important to note that it was relatively easy to sample 20 former teachers and that all 16 of
the current teachers reported serious concerns about their relationships with management—
concerns that could certainly contribute to future turnover. Program quality was measured
qualitatively, by asking current teachers about both their teaching quality and program
quality. All 16 current teachers expressed confidence in both their teaching quality and
program quality. The following table shows teacher retention following the franchising of
the facility.
Table 3
Retention Following the Franchising of the Facility
Answer Choices Responses
Left when LEX was still franchised 9 (45.00%)
Left during early takeover from franchised to corporate owned 6 (30.00%)
Left when early child program was corporate owned 5 (25.00%)
Results
In this section, the results of the survey are reported. To obtain quantitative results,
the entire sample who participated in the study were surveyed while qualitative insights
were obtained solely from interviewing the 16 teachers currently employed by LEX. The
findings are presented based on the research questions. Separate results are presented in
this chapter for knowledge, motivation, and organizational factors that contribute to the
extent to which the organization is meeting its goal if increased retention. Substantial
research literature has documented that little research has gone into features of working
conditions in schools that drive relatively higher turnover rates and that a comparison of
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 38
teachers that leave versus those that stay can provide analysis into this phenomenon (Loeb,
Darling-Hammond, & Luczak, 2005; Boyd, Grossman, Ing, Lankford, & Wyckoff, 2009).
Knowledge
In the conceptual framework of the study (Figure 1), knowledge refers to skills
training and gaps in factual, conceptual, or procedural knowledge. Both skills training and
knowledge gaps were measured by more than one survey question. First, participants were
asked to name at least one thing the organization could do to ensure that preschool teachers
remain working at the program for longer than a year. The five answer choices to this
question were: Provide more training, provide better salaries, provide more assistance
within the classroom, provide more employee benefits, and nothing. Both provide more
training and ‘provide more assistance within the classroom’ were tacit measures of skill and
knowledge. Instead of directly asking teachers about their levels of skill and knowledge, the
next survey question asked teachers about professional staff development programs that
would enable them to receive additional skills- and knowledge-based assistance about
retention.
Most teachers including both current and former teachers, 58.82%, indicated better
salaries would be critical for retention, while only 11.76% indicated additional benefits
would impact retention. Salaries were the highest influencers of retention rates among
former teachers. Of the former teachers, three out of 20 (15%) indicated that retention could
have been improved by providing more training, and one out of 20, or five percent,
indicated that more assistance could have been provided within the classroom. It was found
that 14 of the 20 former teachers, or 70%, indicated that better salaries would be a more
important factor in retention, whereas two of the 20 former teachers, or 10%, stated that
more employee benefits would be necessary to improve retention. These findings have been
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 39
summarized in Table 4 below. The responses of the former teachers strongly suggested that
neither skills nor training were important factors in retention compared to compensation
and benefits.
Table 4
Factors Important for Retention (Former Teachers)
Response by Former Teacher Percentage Frequency
Agreed that better salaries would be a more important factor
in retention
70% 14
Agreed that more employee benefits would be necessary to
improve retention
10% 2
Agreed that retention could have been improved by providing
more training
15% 3
Agreed that more assistance could have been provided 5% 1
This section of the discussion is based on teachers’ attitudes regarding management
practices just before the takeover by a corporate agency. Previous to the change from a
franchise to a corporate, 45% of the respondents or nine respondents indicated that
“management was approachable and available to discuss issues that the teacher felt they
were having;” 30% or six respondents reported that management “provided a caring and
warm environment that felt welcoming;” while 20% of (four) respondents reported that
management was “distant but available to help handle challenging situations.” Furthermore,
five percent (one) respondent answered that management was “cold and left teachers to
handle problems alone.”
Current teachers were also asked how retention could be improved. There was a
close alignment between the answers given by current teachers and former teachers. Of the
current teachers, three out of 16 (18.75%) indicated that retention could have been
improved by providing more training. Meanwhile, two out of 16 (12.50%) indicated that
more assistance could have been provided within the classroom. Still, nine of the 16
(56.25%) indicated that better salaries would be a more important factor in retention, while
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 40
two of the 16 (12.50%) current teachers indicated that more employee benefits would be
necessary to improve retention. This was also the case with the responses of the former
teachers. The responses of the current teachers strongly suggested that neither skills nor
training were important factors in retention compared to compensation and benefits. The
findings have been summarized in Figure 2.
Figure 2. Improvement of retention (current teachers)
Both current and former teachers were also asked about their desired forms of skills
training and knowledge augmentation. The teachers were presented with the responses “I
wish I could receive more training on…” for current teachers and “I wish I could have
received more training on…” for former teachers. It was shown that four of the 36
(11.11%) teachers indicated a desire to have received additional training on implementing
the curriculum; 17 of the 36 (47.22%) of the teachers, wanted to have received more
training on behavioral issues in the classroom; six of the 36 (16.67%) teachers indicated a
desire to have received training on communicating more effectively with parents; one of the
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Agreed that more assistance could have been provided
within the classroom
Agreed that retention could have been improved by
providing more training
Agreed that more employee benefits would be
necessary to improve retention
Agreed that better salaries would be a more important
factor in retention
2
3
2
9
Improvement of Retention
Current Teachers
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 41
36 teachers, or 2.78%, wanted to have received more training on early childhood cognitive
development; six of the 36 teachers, or 16.67%, indicated that they had received sufficient
training; and two of the 36 (55.56%) teachers indicated a desire to have received training in
more than one of the training types evoked in this question. This is summarized in the
following figure.
Figure 3. Desired forms of skills training and knowledge augmentation
A comparison of the 75% confidence intervals (75% confidence intervals were chosen in
preference to 95% confidence intervals because of the extremely small number of
individuals in the sub-samples, with the n of former teachers being 20 and the n of current
teachers being 16) indicated that there were important differences in the self-perceived
training gaps of current versus former teachers.
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18
Additional training on implementing the curriculum
Additional training on behavioral issues in the…
Additional training on communicating more…
Additional training on early childhood cognitive…
Sufficient training received
Additional training in more than one of the training…
4
17
6
1
6
2
Desired Forms of Skills Training and Knowledge
Augumentation
All Teachers
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 42
Figure 4. Comparison of perceived training needs
Although former teachers indicated, in their response to the question about
increasing retention, that training, skills, knowledge, and support (which can be considered
as part of a single constructs related to knowledge) were less important retention factors
than salaries, the response to the question about training needs suggests that knowledge
might have had a more important role in the motivational dynamics of LEX teachers. That
teachers who left LEX were far more likely to perceive multi-domain knowledge
deficiencies suggests that, in one way or the other, knowledge gaps might have been related
to turnover. The existence of several knowledge gaps was noted in the above results where
most of the teachers desired to have received additional training on implementing the
curriculum, as well as wanted more training on early childhood cognitive development. The
teachers had a desire to have received training in more than one of the training types
evoked in this question. It is important to note that the responses of current and former
teachers showed knowledge gaps regarding the types of training needed. This information
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Desire more training
No training needed
Child development
Parent communication
Behavioral issues
Training on curriculum implementation
0
2
1
3
8
2
3
5
2
2
7
1
Comparison of Perceived Training Needs
Former Teachers Current Teachers
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 43
will prove to be important in guiding the recommendations to LEX made in the fifth
chapter of the study.
Motivation
In the conceptual framework of the study (see Figure 1), motivation refers to the
desire to engage in training to keep education standards high and to provide a high-quality
education. Motivation could be understood regarding differences between former teachers
(who were no longer motivated, at least within the organizational context of LEX) and
current teachers (who, while not necessarily highly motivated, were conceptually able to
demonstrate motivation because they were still at LEX). One way in which the differences
within motivation can be considered is through a comparison of the responses of former
teachers who were surveyed and current teachers who were interviewed. This can be
accomplished by asking respondents to name at least one thing the organization could do to
ensure that preschool teachers remain working at the program for longer than a year. The
outcome variable implied in this question was retention, and teachers were asked to identify
one of five predictor variables, as shown in the following figure.
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 44
Figure 5. Motivation for perceived training
The results in Figure 5 are on motivation variables. The results indicate that most of
the former-teachers are not motivated to receive training related to curriculum
implementation while the current teachers are interested in curriculum implementation
training. This is indicated by the fact that only one former teacher showed interest on the
pieces of training related to curriculum implementation compared to two current teachers
who showed interest in curriculum implementation training.
However, the results indicate that most of the teachers are interested in training
pertaining to behavioral issues. Based on this, seven former teachers and eight current
teachers believed that training on behavioral issues is important. On the other hand, only
two former teachers feel motivated to have training on parental communication matters
compared to three current teachers. Most teachers are not interested in the training related
to child development issues. The results showed that five former teachers feel contented
with the training they had received while only two of the current teachers also believed that
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
0
2
1
3
8
2
3
5
2 2
7
1
Motivation for Perceived Training Needs
Current Teachers Former Teachers
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 45
there is no need for any training. Finally, three former teachers have a desire for more
training while none of the current teachers need any training. In conclusion, trainings on
behavioral issues is necessary to increase the skills among teachers especially when
handling children. Although some teachers are not interested in child development issues, it
is still a recommendation that teachers should be trained on child development issues
including, parental communication matters. It also necessary that teachers be exposed to
additional refresher trainings now that some of the teachers have a desire for more training.
Organizational
Some of the collected data addressed organizational results indirectly, that is, from
the perspective of critiques of the organizational environment that could, conceivably, be
associated with teacher turnover and declines in program quality. For example, all eight
teachers at the LEX facility that was once franchised, but that was now owned corporately,
suggested that their relationships with management had deteriorated. According to one
respondent, “We had a much stronger relationship with management before the [corporate]
takeover. Now, we’re not close. It feels like an us-versus-them attitude.” Teachers from the
other LEX facility, which has always been corporately owned, indicated that they did not
have strong personal relationships with management; these teachers, like the teachers at the
other facility (and, for that matter, like the former teachers as well). The overall impression
that emerged from data analysis was that current teachers were not working as part of a
theory Y environment; they were working in a theory X environment in which they were
closely managed, in which drawing a salary was the most important motivator of work, and
in which teachers’ fulfillment in connecting with preschool children was possibly obscured
by the difficult nature of their dealings with management (in what was, additionally,
perceived by teachers to be a low-salary environment).
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 46
One way in which to understand organizational results is through the disparity
between the years that teachers intended to work at LEX and the number of years that
teachers ended up working at LEX. From the organization’s point of view, one of the views
of guaranteeing program quality is to reduce turnover, which ensures that (a) new, yet-to-
be-trained teachers do not dilute program quality and (b) retained teachers have a chance to
keep contributing to the organization. The extent to which LEX succeeds at the objective of
retention can be measured by comparing the 20 former teachers’ intentions of remaining at
LEX with their revealed behavior (that is when they decided to leave LEX).
Based on the results, two of the former teachers taught at LEX for only a partial
year. However, four former teachers taught for a full year; three taught between one and
two years; three taught between two and three years; two taught between three and four
years; and six taught for four or more years. However, when entering LEX, eight of the
former teachers worked for six more or years. Therefore, it was clear that former teachers
had intended to remain at LEX longer than they ended up remaining, which is a behavior-
based indication of the organization’s failure to retain teachers. The clearest indication of
the dissatisfaction of the former teachers was this disparity between their intended and
actual length of tenures at LEX.
Findings
This section will present the findings from the qualitative data collection which was
through interviews. Qualitative insights were obtained solely from interviewing the 16
teachers currently employed by LEX. In this section, main themes have been identified
from the interviews. Each of the themes addresses one or more of the study questions. The
themes are as follows: the absence of Maslovian (Maslow, 1965) or Herzbergian (Herzberg,
1965) motivation and the presence of merely material. These themes are not limited to
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 47
predictors of motivation influencing quality education, compensation as a driving factor
that motivates teachers and environmental factors influencing motivation as seen in theory
X.
Predictors of Motivation Influencing Quality
There are numerous high-level theories of work motivation and productivity.
Holochwost et al. (2009) concluded that demographic factors such as age and marital status
were important predictors of the motivation of preschool teachers to remain at work,
because demographic variation was related to developmental needs that, in turn, determined
work persistence and motivation. Herzberg (1965) and Maslow (1965) both predicted that
the motivation to do well at work was based on the fulfillment of higher-order emotional
and intellectual needs. Herzberg’s and Maslow’s theories appear to have informed much of
the work on organizational motivation in teaching contexts. It was noted that 20 of the 36
total teachers acknowledged that motivation impacts quality. During the interviews, one of
teacher stated that “I will do my best as a teacher to see the level of quality education being
at par only and only if I am motivated.” In other words, quality education depends solely on
how teachers are motivated. In addition, another teacher said that, “As a teacher, nothing
makes me so happy than seeing teachers being rewarded for their hard work.” This
indicates that teacher motivation is key in education sector. Of the scholars discussed in the
literature review, Clark and Estes (2008), Holochwost et al. (2009), Russell et al. (2010),
Porter (2012), Lang (2016), and Anders et al. (2012), all took positions that are consistent
with Herzberg’s or Maslow’s views on work motivation. They each recognized the
emotional and intellectual nature of work motivation. Of the current teachers, nine would
like to grow professionally in their careers. One of the current teachers stated that “Two
years from now, I see myself becoming a manager of a big institution.” Also, another
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 48
teacher stated that “It is important for every teacher to work where they can grow as an
individual and gain professional development.” During the interviews, one teacher said that
“It is only relevant for an old person to be motivated regular, but it does not make since to
do it once I have stopped teaching.” This is a clear indication that age affects motivation
among teachers as was supported by the majority (13) of the teachers.
Compensation as a Driving Factor that Motivates Teachers
However, there are other theories of work motivation. Smith (2010) argued that
compensation drove work motivation. One of the main themes in this study was that
material motivation was an important factor for both current and former LEX teachers. It
came out clearly during the interview that all teachers believed that compensation in the
form of material supports is a motivating factor. Furthermore, one of the current teachers
stated that “When given some material support including money, I do feel motivated as a
teacher.” Moreover, one of the teachers said that, “Teachers are also in need of additional
support and this will motivate them doing their duties”.
The qualitative analysis suggested that this material motivation is not necessarily a
function of intrinsic orientations. In fact, the interviewed teachers were unanimous in their
affirmation of the higher-order motivation values that Herzberg (1965) and Maslow (1965)
recognized as the basis of excellence at work, and that numerous scholars—including Clark
and Estes (2008), Lang (2016), and Wells (2015)—have identified as informing successful
teaching. These higher-order motivation values for teaching included factors like the work
itself and achievement, while lower order factors included work conditions, salary, and
supervision. This can be demonstrated by employee or teacher factors for leaving. One
teacher stated that salary is one of the motivating factors every teacher desires. Moreover,
another teacher said that “What motivates any teacher in teaching fraternity is salary.” Of
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 49
the teachers interviewed, 11 teachers stated they wanted to be a preschool teacher because
they “loved kids and needed a job.” Additionally, two teachers said they “loved children
and their children could attend the school,” while two stated they “thought they were a
good fit for the job.” When asked what made being a teacher enjoyable to the respondents,
10 respondents stated that “children learning” made the job enjoyable” while four others
stated that “making children laugh and working with families” was equally enjoyable.”
Moreover, nine teachers stated that they wanted to be teachers because they like interacting
with kids. In fact, one of the former teachers said that “When I grew up, I wanted to be a
teacher because I would contribute so much to the life of children.” Additionally, another
teacher said that “I enjoy being a teacher because I would like my preschoolers to be
responsible children by the end of their school year with me as a teacher.” Furthermore,
teachers believed that they do their best to ensure that children get the best. For instance,
one teacher said that “What motivates me so much as a teacher is to see my preschool
children get the best from me.” Through this, “I will ensure that I don’t leave a regret in life
simply because I didn’t play my part successfully.” This information shows that a
motivation for teaching is enjoyment.
Lower-order problems most commonly cited by teachers included salary; seven of
20 former teachers stated that pay was a reason for leaving, while three also cited included
“lack of growth opportunities” as a reason for leaving. However, when considering only
current teachers, only two were considering a career change, suggesting that higher-order
factors caused people to remain in the career field due to intrinsic satisfaction associated
with teaching students.
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 50
Theory X: Environmental Factors Influencing Motivation
According to Theory X (McGregor, 1960), there are two paradigms of management
environments: a theory X environment, in which employers assume that employees require
micro-management and extensive oversight and a theory Y environment, in which
employers trust employees and employees work because they are fulfilled, not because they
are micro-managed. A theory Y appeared to exist at the LEX facility that used to be
franchised, but that environment appeared to shift to theory X once that LEX facility was
taken over by corporate. One former teacher stated that “I left my teaching institution due
to poor management styles which were full of dictatorship.” One teacher in the previously
franchised, and now corporately owned, LEX facility stated, “Management was more
approachable, and spent more time in the classroom.” In one manner or another, this
sentiment was echoed by all eight teachers from the previously franchised LEX facility and
by several of the teachers in the LEX facility that has always been corporately owned. In
fact, another teacher said that “When management related issues are proper then all
teachers will just do their best within a classroom setup hence increasing quality
education.”
Teachers in the previously franchised LEX facility indicated that their relationships
with management were more oriented to a more hierarchical, command-and-control
paradigm—representing McGregor’s theory X environment—rather than to the relatively
autonomous, friendly theory Y environment that prevailed when the facility was franchised.
Other current teachers said that “It is always wrong for a fellow manager to put pressure on
the fellow staff, this discourages teachers from doing their best.” These are indicators that
show environmental challenges affecting motivation in general, as agreed upon by 75% of
the respondents.
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 51
During the interview with teachers, two agreed that they are of the opinion to see
improvements in the communication between themselves and the management at the LEX
program in general. In fact, one of the respondents stated that, “If there is what I desire
most, is to see a big improvement between teachers and the management at the LEX
program in general. The way it used to be.”
Teaching experience will have different impacts on the children especially those
learning in the classroom. At least 23 respondents said that their experiences contribute
positively to the life of the students. In fact, one of the teachers stated that, “My experience
in teaching has a great impact on the life of the children in classrooms.” On the other hand,
one of the current teachers said that “Any teaching environment will affect the life of a
child either positively or negatively.”
One of the challenges affecting the quality of education is the abrupt replacement of
teachers. During the interview sessions, a teacher confirmed that they had a co-teacher
leave them mid-year. Also, another teacher said that “One of the main problem influencing
the quality of education is the mid-year replacement for someone who left.” On the same
note, one teacher said that “I do feel sad especially for the children when teachers are
leaving especially in the mid-term when the children are just about to do their assessments;
this affects their quality of education.”
Finally, it was evidenced from the interviews that teachers would like to work in an
environment which is conducive and free from pressure. Due to this, two current teachers
maintained that they would rather quit their job if the working conditions are not favorable.
One of the teachers said that “As a teacher, I would like to be given too much pressure that
interferes with my productivity. Therefore, I would rather quit the job if management styles
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 52
are harsh on me.” This information tentatively suggests that the work environment is highly
influential to retention.
Synthesis and Discussion
The purpose of this section of the chapter is to explain the relationship between the
results of the survey administration and the qualitative findings. This explanation can be
expressed in a single word: dissatisfaction. Both current and former teachers were
dissatisfied with salary and managerial relationships, a that has led to the turnover and, in
turn, a decline in program quality. Dissatisfaction is a cross-theme in the findings, as it can
be found in every theme, and it represents the first link in the causal chain that leads to
decline in program quality.
Dissatisfaction must be carefully analyzed because it is reflected in two different
ways. For example, all eight of the teachers who used to work at the franchised LEX
facility before it was corporately acquired were dissatisfied with managerial relationships
and the overall organizational environment. However, both current and former teachers also
emphasized dissatisfaction with salaries and benefits (which can be understood as part of
the single construct of compensation). Dissatisfaction with salary aligns with Smith’s
(2010) classical theory of motivation, in which people work solely, or predominantly
because they are paid. However, dissatisfaction with relationships is more closely aligned
with Herzberg’s (1965) and Maslow’s (1965) theories of fulfillment-based motivation.
Thus, although the themes and findings of the study can be synthesized into the single
construct of dissatisfaction, it is important to remember that this dissatisfaction takes more
than one form.
Dissatisfaction should also be understood concerning the organizational outcome of
interest, which was identified as program quality. As noted in the results of the study, the
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 53
relationship between turnover and program quality is that, when teachers leave, they must
be replaced by other teachers who have their training curves and period of acclimatizing to
both the organizational culture and to specific classroom conditions. However, program
quality does not suffer solely because of the implications of hiring new teachers. Rather, the
same conditions that cause high turnover also impact program quality in other ways. For
example, before teachers decide to leave the organization, they might be dis-incentivized by
low salaries and bad managerial relationships to the extent that they undergo a period of
burnout or low quality of teaching.
The material motivation of teachers in the sample could also be inferred from an
analysis of the reasons for departure listed by the 20 former teachers. It was noted that 14 of
the 20 former teachers, or 70%, chose salary as the predominant factor in their departure,
and two of the 20 former teachers, or 10%, indicated that a lack of benefits was the
precipitating problem. Only one each of the 20 former teachers nominated a non-positive
work environment or lack of managerial support was an issue. An additional two of the 17
former teachers, or 10%, identified the lack of growth opportunity as motivation for
leaving.
Herzberg (1965) described LEX as a hygienic workplace—that is, a workplace that
is focused on conforming to formal rules, respecting a hierarchical division of labor
between a managerial and a technical class of employees, and structuring the work
experience in terms of efficiency and obligation more so than in terms of autonomy and
fulfillment. In such an environment, teachers end up envisioning their relationship to work
in merely economic terms. This interpretation makes the most sense for both current LEX
teachers. Individuals in both sub-samples consistently rated salary at the top of their
concerns, more so than what Herzberg and Maslow (1965) describe as fulfillment factors.
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 54
Ultimately, this interpretation strongly suggests the theme of compensation-based
motivation as a driver of retention and therefore, concerning the conceptual model of this
study, program quality.
The theme of a theory X environment is less prominent than the theme of
compensation-based motivation. All participants in the study emphasized the importance of
salary and benefits as the main drivers of retention. Participants chose these options despite
being given the ability to choose fulfillment-related reasons for both retention and turnover.
The applicability of theory X was based more on the responses given by current teachers
who were interviewed, none of whom reported a consistently pleasant and trusting
relationship with management. Indeed, both Maslow’s (1965) and Herzberg’s (1965)
theories make predictions of this sort. When organizational environments are not fulfilling,
Herzberg suggested that employees abandon the idea of working for emotional and
intellectual fulfillment and embrace what Herzberg referred to as ‘hygienic’ reasons, and
Maslow referred to as lower-order reasons, for working. Besides, former teachers might
have left the organization more rapidly than they intended because of the suppressive
nature of working in a theory X environment.
Based on the conceptual model of the study, the following chain can be
hypothesized: Motivational factor x retention decision the desire to provide a high-
quality education the desire to bolster skills and knowledge. In this chain, x refers to the
factors—whether intrinsic, extrinsic, or both—that motivate a LEX teacher to remain or not
remain with the organization. However, motivation factors do not merely determine
whether someone remains at a job; they also determine the strength of commitment to that
job. Both Abraham Maslow and Frederick Herzberg, the pioneers of organizational
motivation psychology, drew this distinction between the motivation to merely work and
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 55
the motivation to work well. Herzberg (1965) described these two motivations as separate
factors, and Maslow (1965) defined them in terms of lower- versus higher-level needs.
Herzberg (1965) predicted that the absence of an appropriate salary (and other
material, rather than emotional or intellectual, motivators to work) would motivate people
to leave jobs, but, for people who chose to remain within jobs, the source of positive
motivation was emotional and intellectual fulfillment. Maslow (1965) made the same
claim, arguing that overall self-fulfillment, more so than a paycheck, was what motivated
employees at the highest level. The data visualized in Figure 2 are not in alignment with
either Maslow’s or Herzberg’s predictions. Former teachers placed a high emphasis on
salary as a factor in retention, which is line with the Maslovian and Herzbergian theories of
organizational motivation, but current teachers also identified better salaries as the
predominant factor in retention. Therefore, it appears that both current and former teachers
at LEX are motivated materially, which, in turn, means that they are not as motivated
intellectually or emotionally—as would be reflected in a desire to do better in the classroom
by receiving more support and training.
Recommendations for Practice to Address KMO Influences
Based on the data collected and analyzed in the fourth chapter, it is possible to make
evidence-based recommendations for knowledge, motivation, and organizational outcomes.
The recommendations made in each of the three subsequent sections are both based on the
recent findings and grounded in theory.
Knowledge Recommendations
Introduction. In the conceptual framework of the study, knowledge referred to (a)
skills training (Wells, 2015); and (b) gaps in factual, conceptual, or procedural knowledge.
This study was aimed to gain understanding of what knowledge, motivational, and
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 56
organizational factors impact teacher turnover and affect preschool program quality. Table
one examines the assumed knowledge influences that impact teacher turnover based on the
literature review. The table also examines the validity of these assumed knowledge
influences and provides recommendations based on the validity of the findings.
Procedural Knowledge Recommendations
In the context of this study, the absence of declarative knowledge concerning
behavioral management—as disclosed by several study participants—has implications for
procedural knowledge as well. Teachers need to know how to implement behavioral
management techniques in the classroom. Shute (2008) found that feedback that is timely
and specific enhances performance. This would suggest that precise and clear feedback
given to teachers from peer mentors in the classroom in behavioral management could
improve teacher performance. Modeled behavior is also more likely to be adopted if the
person modeling the behavior is similar and has value to the person receiving the
information (Denler,,Wolters, & Benzon, 2014). If teachers are to become successful at
implementing behavioral management techniques, having peer mentors who can model
successful techniques as well as allow time for feedback and discussion is imperative.
Similarly, knowledge gaps exist or teachers who do not correctly follow procedures
when communicating with parents on difficult issues. Teachers need to know how to
implement procedures when communicating with parents on difficult issues. Schraw and
McCrudden (2006) found that information connected in meaningful ways to prior
information learned can be more meaningful as it can expand on what has already been
taught. Cunningham et al., (2009) found that a mismatch may exist between teacher’s self-
reported knowledge and best practice knowledge and skills for early childhood
development. For this reason, job aids, such as informational guides, should be provided to
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 57
teachers to ensure that they have reminders of the correct procedures given by management
when speaking to parents on difficult issues.
Schraw and McCrudden (2006) stated that to develop mastery, teachers must
practice skills they have learned and know when they can apply these skills. Teachers need
to have awareness on how to correctly implement behavioral management techniques and
demonstrate a clear thought process on how they can continue to improve on these
techniques. Hamre, Piante, and Burchinal (2012) engaged in a study of 440 early childhood
teachers, demonstrating that additional education in effective teacher-child interactions,
specifically in behavior management, provided teachers with greater information,
knowledge, and skills needed to succeed in early childhood environments including in
preschool. Since teachers have already been trained on how to correctly implement
behavioral management techniques, additional job aids, such as informational guides or a
peer mentor in the classroom, should be provided to ensure that behavioral management
procedures are implemented correctly.
Table 5
Summary of Knowledge Information and Recommendations
Assumed
Knowledge Cause,
Need, or Asset*
Validated
Yes (Y),
High
Probability
(HP), or
No (N)
Priority
Yes (Y)
or No (N)
Principle and
Citation
Context Specific
Recommendation
Teachers need to
know how to
implement
behavioral
management
techniques (P)
Y Y Feedback that is
private, specific,
and timely
enhances
performance
(Shute, 2008).
Modeled behavior
is more likely to
be adopted if the
Provide training
by allowing for in
classroom support
from a teacher
mentor who can
model appropriate
behavior
management
techniques and
allow times for
feedback and
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 58
model is credible,
similar (e.g.,
gender, culturally
appropriate), and
the behavior has
functional value
(Denler et
al.,2009).
discussion to
improve skill.
Teachers need to
know how to
implement
procedures when
communicating
with parents on
difficult issues (P)
Y Y Information
learned
meaningfully and
connected
with prior
knowledge is
stored
more quickly and
remembered
more accurately
because it is
elaborated with
prior learning
(Schraw &
McCrudden,
2006).
How individuals
organize
knowledge
influences how
they learn and
apply what they
know (Schraw &
McCrudden,
2006).
Training with
corrective
feedback (C&E,
p.59)
Job aids such as
an informational
guide needs to be
provided to
remind teachers
about the the
correct procedures
of how to speak
with parents on
difficult issues.
Teachers need to
have awareness on
how to correctly
implement
behavioral
management
techniques and
demonstrate a clear
thought process on
how they can
continue to improve
on these techniques
(M)
N Y To develop
mastery,
individuals
must acquire
component skills,
practice
integrating them,
and know when to
apply what they
have learned
(Schraw &
McCrudden,
2006).
Observations must
take place on a
periodic basis by a
peer mentor to
ensure that
behavioral
management
techniques are
being
implemented
correctly Teachers
will be provided
reflective time to
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 59
share their
thoughts on how
they can improve
behavioral
management
technique
implementation
when meeting
with peer mentor
to discuss the
observation that
has taken place.
Motivation Recommendations
Introduction. In the conceptual framework of the study (see Figure 1.1), motivation
referred to (a) the desire to engage in training to keep education standards high and (b) the
desire to provide a high-quality education. In this sense, motivation was defined as
attributes possessed by individual teachers. However, building on the theories of McGregor
(1960), Herzberg (1965), and Maslow (1965), it will be argued that the motivation
demonstrated by LEX teachers should be approached as a function of organizational
commitment to building what can be considered an improved work environment.
Therefore, the recommendations in this section of the chapter are focused on the actions
that the organization should take to better understand both the origins and the effects of
employee motivation, which, in the organizational recommendations, will be described as a
natural outcome of an improved work environment.
Expectancy Value Theory
Preschool teachers at the LEX preschool program expressed a need to have more
positive relationships with management to be more confident and successful in their
classroom teaching. Eccles (2006) found that higher expectations for success and
perceptions of confidence can positively influence learning and motivation. Preschool
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 60
teachers need to believe that management knows that they can be successful in the
classroom. Lang (2016) showed that teachers that received routine feedback from
supervisors and other longer-tenured staff were more motivated to engage in professional
development, which led to decreased turnover among staff. Opportunities should be
provided for management to give positive feedback to teachers creating a more positive
relationship with teachers and building their confidence to be successful in the classroom.
These opportunities to provide feedback can occur through observations from management
with immediate positive feedback given to teachers, and employee of the month program
being created, or by surveys giving surveys quarterly to teachers focusing on questions on
how management can relationship build to help teacher confidence. The preschool teachers
expressing a lack of positive relationship with the management demonstrates a lack of
congruity. This lack of connectivity impacted their belief in their ability to feel successful
in their role of classroom teacher. For the preschool teachers to feel successful, change
must be implemented.
A more motivating environment must be created for the LEX preschool teachers. T
If the LEX preschool programs are given more positive feedback from the LEX
administration, their belief in their ability to perform well in the classroom will increase, as
well as their ability to implement and utilize professional development.
Self-Efficacy
The LEX preschool teachers’ need to believe that they are can provide positive and
educational learning environments for the children in their classroom. Pajares (2009)
discussed self-efficacy as the belief that people hold about themselves and their
capabilities. For the Preschool teachers of the LEX program to believe that their quality of
work is at a high standard, they must be given the opportunity to feel successful (Pajares,
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 61
2006). Surveys should be distributed periodically to teachers that focus on how teachers
feel about their classroom success. These surveys provide a reflective opportunity for
teachers to engage in how they feel about classroom success as well as provide
management opportunities to see areas where they can provide more success.
Preschool teachers have a duty to engage children through various techniques, which is
more easily accomplished when teachers are highly motivated to excel in their job duty
(Lang, 2016). All 36 participants surveyed an interviewed expressed that their inability to
receive positive feedback from management, not only lowered their motivation to perform
well in the classroom, but also affected their self-esteem, making them question their ability
to teach effectively. By allowing classroom observations completed by management,
positive and constructive feedback conversations can occur that empower preschool
teachers to be successful and believe in themselves. This opportunity will allow the
preschool teachers to feel more successful in their teaching ability and provide
opportunities to improve classroom performance.
Theory Y Environment
Expressed in words, the creation of a theory Y environment gives rise to motivation,
which prompts employees to not only remain at work (instead of turning over) but also
improve the quality of their work product. The next section of the chapter provides
numerous recommendations on how to build a theory Y work environment, whose creation
is the main recommendation of this study. However, the creation of a theory Y work
environment is merely the first step in the motivational chain. Subsequent links in this
chain also need to be considered.
One of the presumptions in the knowledge domain of KMO was that teachers would
want to build their skills to deliver the high-quality teaching that is the cornerstone of
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 62
program excellence for LEX. None of the collected evidence suggested that teachers were
building skills or their own (or that former teachers had built skills on their own). Both
current and former teachers were more engrossed by the issues of salary and work
environment than by the need to build skills. The absence of a proactive skill-building
attitude can be considered as an intrinsic orientation of teachers, but it can also be
considered as a natural result of the theory X environment that LEX appears to have built.
The recommendations in this section focus on the work persistence and work excellence
portion of the motivational chain with respect to the steps that LEX ought to take.
There is little doubt that teachers entered the LEX working environment with a love
of their profession and of children, which was unanimously reported by the participants.
Therefore, there is little reason to doubt the intrinsic motivation of incoming teachers; if
there were such a reason, the problem could be described solely in terms of LEX’s hiring
practices, but such a description would be incomplete and inaccurate. Teachers entered the
LEX environment not only with a love of the teaching profession but also with the intention
of spending a substantial amount of time (more than four years) at LEX. The fact that so
many of the ex-teachers left LEX years before they wanted to leave indicates that there is
something about the LEX environment that demotivated teachers; as argued in chapter four,
the two factors that are responsible are probably (a) low compensation an (b) the absence of
a theory Y environment. Recommendations to address these organizational deficits have
been made in the next section of the chapter. However, the key point to be made in this
section is that the link between work persistence and work excellence, given that work
excellence was defined as the commitment of teachers to building skills and delivering
high-quality teaching, is that LEX needs to pay special attention to creating an environment
in which teachers are both motivated and able to build skills.
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 63
This recommendation can be better understood by means of expectancy theory. The
seminal definition of expectancy theory is as follows:
Expectancy theory states that the strength of the tendency for an individual to
perform a particular act is a function of (a) the strength with which he [sic] expects
certain outcomes to be obtained from the act, times (b) the attractiveness to him
[sic] of the expected outcomes. Thus, the theory frequently is summarized by the
phrase, “Force equals expectancy times valence” (F = E x V). (Hackman & Porter,
1968, p. 418).
Given this definition of expectancy theory, and of the conceptual definition of knowledge
in terms of skill-building, LEX requires teachers to exercise what Hackman and Porter
described as force towards the acquisition of improved teaching skills. In expectancy
theory, the strength with which an action is taken (in other words, the force that informs
behavior and its underlying cognitions and feelings) is a product of how attractive the
action’s outcome is (valence) and of the actor’s belief that engaging in the action is likely to
have a desirable result.
Expectancy theory is not informed by Herzberg’s (1965) and Maslow’s (1965)
distinction between fulfillment and material factors (such as compensation) (Hackman &
Porter, 1968). Therefore, in the context of expectancy theory, there is no reason for an
organization to structure valence around compensation. Indeed, in economic theory, the
Efficiency Wage Theorem is one theory that predicts that the best motivator of employee
change is increased motivation (Campbell III, 1993; Lindbeck & Snower, 1987). The
recommendations made in the next section of the chapter focus on building a theory Y
environment, which is characterized by autonomy and fulfillment. However, in the context
of the Efficiency Wage Theorem and expectancy theory, it is also possible—and
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 64
desirable—for LEX to take advantage of the motivational chain by paying its teachers
more. Increased compensation, plus the easy availability of training (for example, through
LEX-subsidized external training or an internal training program), can lead to the desired
result of a better-trained workforce.
Table 6
Summary of Motivation Influences and Recommendations
Assumed
Knowledge Cause,
Need, or Asset*
Validated
Yes (Y),
High
Probability
(HP), or
No (N)
Priority
Yes (Y)
or No (N)
Principle and
Citation
Context Specific
Recommendation
Teachers need to
have more positive
relationships with
management in
order to be more
confident and
successful in their
classroom teaching
(EV)
Y Y Higher
expectations for
success and
perceptions of
confidence can
positively
influence learning
and motivation
(Eccles, 2006)
Activating
personal interest
through
opportunities for
choice and control
can increase
motivation
(Eccles,
2006).
Opportunities
should be
provided for
management to
give positive
feedback to
teachers creating a
more positive
relationship with
teachers and
building their
confidence to be
successful in the
classroom. These
opportunities to
provide feedback
can occur through
observations from
management with
immediate
positive feedback
given to teachers,
and employee of
the month
program being
created, or by
surveys giving
surveys quarterly
to teachers
focusing on
questions long
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 65
how management
can relationship
build to help
teacher
confidence.
Teachers need to
believe that they are
are capable of
providing positive
and educational
learning
environments for
the children in their
classroom. (SE)
Y Y Learning and
motivation
are enhanced
when learners
have positive
expectancies for
success (Pajares,
2006).
High self-efficacy
can positively
influence
Motivation
(Pajares,
2006).
Surveys should be
distributed
periodically to
teachers that focus
on how teachers
feel about their
classroom
success.
Observations
should be
completed by
management that
allow for positive
and constructive
feedback
conversations to
occur that
empower
classroom
teachers to be
successful and
believe in
themselves.
Organization Recommendations
Introduction. In the conceptual framework of the study (see Figure 1), motivation
referred to (a) the desire to engage in training to keep education standards high and (b) the
desire to provide a high-quality education. In this sense, motivation was defined as
attributes possessed by individual teachers. However, building on the theories of McGregor
(1960), Herzberg (1965), and Maslow (1965), it will be argued that the motivation
demonstrated by LEX teachers should be approached as a function of organizational
commitment to building what McGregor referred to as a theory Y environment. Therefore,
the recommendations in this section of the chapter are focused on the actions that the
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 66
organization should take in order to better understand both the origins and the effects of
employee motivation, which, in the organizational recommendations, will be described as a
natural outcome of a theory Y environment.
Building a Theory Y Environment
A theory Y environment is one in which employees feel fulfilled and autonomous
(McGregor, 1960). Admittedly, most of the participants in this study focused their
recommendations on higher compensation, which is why compensation was emphasized in
the previous recommendation. However, according to both Maslow (1965) and Herzberg
(1965), employee demands for higher salary can often either mask a desire for fulfillment
or indicate that the employee does not believe that fulfillment is possible and therefore
focuses on compensation. It should be noted, however, that all eight participants from the
LEX location that was previously franchised reported bad relationships with management,
strongly suggesting that fulfillment deserves as much attention as salary.
LEX need not resort to exotic means in order to create a theory Y environment. As
one of the teachers in the previously franchised location noted, previous managers had two
qualities that are closely associated with a theory Y environment: They were approachable
and friendly, and they also encouraged the teachers to spend as much time as possible in the
classroom rather than in meetings and other administrative activities. Teachers interviewed
particularly focused in on the lack of communication that currently exists with management
especially when change was set to occur. When implementing new initiatives, the
organization must ensure that they are rolled out in positive ways to teachers in order to
create effective change. According to Clarke and Estes (2008), effective change occurs
when motivation influencers are addressed to help group understand why the change must
take place. The LEX organization must provide explanations and reasonings on why
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 67
changes are taking place through meetings before asking teachers to implement new
changes. LEX should strongly consider maximizing teachers’ classroom time while also (a)
implementing an open-door approach to listening to employees; (b) letting teachers feel
more valued through awards and other forms of recognition (such as bonuses, which have
the dual benefit of increasing compensation while also signaling emotional commitment to
an employee); and (c) providing teachers with the support that they need (such as extra
training or guidance related to factors such as parent communication, behavioral
management, child cognition, and curriculum development). Clarke and Estes (2008), also
state that effective leaders are knowledgeable about using effective communication skills to
help create change and understand how effective communication positively impacts
organizational change. The organization needs to create meetings that specifically
designates times for teachers to have opportunities to speak openly with management about
issues or concerns they are having. This will help management gain an understanding of the
teacher’s perspective on relevant issues and influence decision making. Research also
suggests that lack of administrative support for preschool teachers may also contribute to
teacher turnover (Russell et al., 2010). Teachers intention to leave their position within the
first year is also related to less supportive and unskilled administrators, particularly those
that fail to schedule teachers well or enforce daycare center or early childcare center rules
and regulations (Porter, 2012). By providing opportunities for better communication, the
LEX preschool program could in fact reduce teacher retention.
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 68
Table 7
Summary of Organization Influences and Recommendations
Assumed
Knowledge Cause,
Need, or Asset*
Validated
Yes (Y),
High
Probability
(HP), or
No (N)
Priority
Yes (Y)
or No (N)
Principle and
Citation
Context Specific
Recommendation
The Organization
needs to create an
environment that
promotes positive
effective
communication
between teachers
and management.
Y Y Effective leaders
are knowledgeable
about the use of
effective
communication
skills to facilitate
change and
enhance
organizational
capacity.
Effective leaders
understand the
intricacies of
organizational
communication.
The organization
needs to create
meetings that
specifically
designates times
for teachers to
have opportunities
to speak openly
with management
about issues or
concerns they are
having. This will
help management
gain an
understanding of
the teacher’s
perspective on
relevant issues
and influence
decision making.
When
implementing new
initiatives, the
organization must
ensure that they are
rolled out in
positive ways to
teachers in order to
create effective
change
Y Y Effective change
begins by
addressing
motivation
influencers; it
ensures the group
knows why it
needs to change. It
then addresses
organizational
barriers and then
knowledge and
skills need (Clark
and Estes,
2008)
Effective change
efforts insure that
all key
Provide
explanations and
reasonings on why
changes are taking
place through
meetings before
asking teachers to
implement new
changes.
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 69
stakeholders’
perspectives
inform the design
and decision-
making process
leading to the
change.
This section provided different recommendations for future actions. For example, it
is recognized that the workplace must be supportive in order to establish teacher retention.
At the same time, it is also recognized that it is important to play to the strengths of the
workforce, which may also serve to improve retention rates. The recommendations were
based on the data results, as well as the conceptual framework, leading to knowledge,
motivation, and organizational recommendations. Each of these recommendations is
important for the improvement of the workforce, which will ultimately improve education
standards for students. The most significant recommendation – the implementation and
evaluation plan – was developed (see Appendix D). This plan is designed to assist the
school in improving retention, as well as continually promoting retention in the future.
Therefore, the plan is designed to work positively with new and tenured teachers.
Conclusion
It has been suggested that teacher turnover in early preschool programs is
increasing, which is significant considering this turnover rate is already high. Not only is
turnover costly for the impacted early childhood program, but also for the development of
the children within the program. This is because high teacher turnover can have an impact
on the quality of instruction received, as well as impact the motivation of other teachers to
remain with the program. This study evaluated early childhood teachers within the LEX
program for children from birth to five years of age. The research was conducted through
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 70
an evaluative study based on a survey of existing literature regarding early childhood
education teacher turnover, as well as evaluating primary research conducted of current and
former LEX teachers. It is expected that the results of this study will demonstrate multiple
factors that influence both teacher turnover and retention. There are different factors that
contribute to teacher turnover, yet the most striking was the lack of formal training and
performance factors.
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 71
Appendix A:
Participating Stakeholders with Sampling Criteria for Interview and Surveys
Qualitative Data Collection and Instrumentation
Merriam and Tisdell (2016), state that the purpose of research is to investigate
something systematically to determine if the LEX preschool program is meeting its goal to
reduce teacher turnover and to find the motivation required by the preschool teachers to
remain at the LEX preschool program interviews will be conducted. Discussions focused
on the teacher’s motivation to continue at the LEX preschool program. Through interviews,
the researcher hoped to gain a strong understanding of the impact teacher turnover rates had
on preschool classroom quality.
Interviews
Interviews of teachers who currently work for the LEX preschool program were
conducted in two separate locations. One of the locations was the LEX preschool program
that was being studied, while the other was at another LEX program location that is also
corporately owned. Both locations are similar in size, generate similar revenue, and are
located within 25 miles of each other. The researcher chose a similar yet different location
to help identify how much of a role a corporate takeover has on teacher turnover. Eight
interviews were conducted at the LEX preschool program, and similarly, eight other
interviews were conducted at the other location. Only preschool teachers, all whom a high
school diploma or higher, as it is a requirement at the LEX preschool program, were
interviewed. Patton (2011) stated that evaluative interviews aim at capturing the
perspectives of the staff. The goal of the interviews was to gain an understanding of why
the LEX preschool teachers decided to work at the LEX preschool program and what
motivated them to remain part of the LEX program. Interviews at the LEX preschool
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 72
program were conducted via a third party in the private employee lounge. Interviews were
carried out during the hours when the employee lounge was not in use and so privacy could
be maintained. Interviews were be conducted by an outside peer who has been trained on
how to properly conduct interviews. This person was Citi trained, and completed
certification through the IRB. This peer is also a researcher in the field of early childhood
education but has no connection to the LEX preschool program. The interviews were
recorded and transcribed without using the names. However, only these transcriptions were
given to the researcher and not the recordings. The second set of interviews was completed
at the other location by the researcher. These interviews took place in the private employee
lounge at this location during off hours when the lounge was not in use. The interviews
were also recorded and transcribed. Merriam and Tisdell (2016) found that semi structured
interview questions allow for interviews to be more flexible and give the researcher the
chance to understand the respondent's view and ideas of the subject being researched. The
interviews were semi structured in an attempt to gain understanding of the knowledge that
teachers had on their impact on classroom quality and what organizational influencers
affect preschool teacher longevity in the classroom. Semi structured interviews allowed for
open ended questions, as well as follow up questions based on the responses given. These
aided the researcher in gaining in depth knowledge into why preschool teachers chose to
remain in the LEX preschool program.
Quantitative Data Collection and Instrumentation
Creswell (2014) stated that the purpose of survey design is to provide a quantitative
description of trends, attitude, or opinions by studying a sample of the population. To
understand the motivation behind why preschool teachers, chose to leave the LEX
preschool program, the researcher surveyed twenty preschool teachers who no longer work
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 73
at the LEX preschool program. The survey identified if teacher’s left the program before
the corporate takeover, during the takeover, or after the takeover was complete. This helped
identify organizational issues that may have resulted in teacher turnover. The researcher
decided to survey former LEX Preschool teachers to assist the LEX program in finding
solutions to the problem of teacher turnover. Additionally, current LEX preschool teachers
were given some of the interview questions very similar to the survey given in an attempt to
find comparisons between current and former preschool teachers knowledge, motivational,
and organizational gaps.
The corporate takeover only focused on the eight teachers on the LEX program but
not the entire program. The survey identified whether the teacher’s left the program before
the corporate takeover, during the takeover, or after the takeover was complete. This helped
identify organizational issues that may have resulted in teacher turnover.
Surveys
Creswell (2014) states that the researcher’s ability to draw correct inferences from
the data about the population are threats to validate the experiences of the participants that
threaten. As indicated previously the participants were once former employees of the LEX
program and were once managed by the researcher. The researcher does not influence their
current employment, nor does they maintain close relationships with these former
employees. Each participant agreed to participate will receive an email via Survey Monkey.
Participants provided email addresses, and each participant was notified that they can opt
out from completing the survey if they felt any level of discomfort. Participants were also
explained the purpose of the inquiry, that it would help the organization to find solutions in
retaining preschool teachers and lower teacher turnover rates. This helped participants
understand that their responses have no bearing on their current employment situation. Fink
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 74
(2013) states an approach to ensure reliability and validity when conducting surveys, is to
pilot the survey because it will help you see that all topics are included, that a sufficient
variety of responses are available, and that the survey tool being used is easy to manage. To
ensure that this study aimed at what the researcher was studying, pilot surveys were
distributed to five early childhood educators who do not work for the LEX program, are not
participating in the research, but have knowledge of preschool. This piloting process helped
the researcher fine tune questions and ensure that the online survey process was easy to
manage the twenty questions being asked and the response rates will be monitored. Surveys
were available on a computer online or a smart phone via Survey Monkey that allows the
studies to be taken. Participants in the survey were all English speakers. Therefore, all
surveys will be given in English with no option for translation. Results were calculated
through tools available via Survey Monkey. Additionally, the results were calculated by
utilizing a financial expert with a specialization in statistics to ensure the validity of the
researcher’s findings.
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 75
Appendix B: Protocols
Interview Protocol
Thank you for taking the time to meet me today. The purpose of this interview was to
collect information on teacher turnover happening at the LEX preschool program. Please
understand that even though you signed the consent form, you can discontinue this
interview at any time, and will not have to answer any question that you are not
comfortable with. During this interview, I will be recording so that I do not miss any of the
valuable insights you share. I will also have a note pad to take notes of the information that
I feel is especially pertinent. All of this information will then be transcribed, and your name
removed before the researcher has access to it. Is this all right with you? Do you have any
questions before we begin?
1. What led to your decision of wanting to be a Preschool Teacher?
a) What was your Educational background when you were hired as a Preschool
Teacher for the organization?
2. Can you describe what makes being a Preschool Teacher enjoyable to you?
3. Can you describe what are the most challenging part of being a preschool teacher
is?
a) Do the things that you enjoy about being a Preschool Teacher out way what
makes it difficult? Why?
4. You wake up in the morning and it’s time to go to work, what has you motivated?
5. A new policy has just been implemented by the LEX program that you can wear
jeans on Friday, how do you find out about this policy?
6. It is the beginning of the year and you have to implement the LEX phonics
curriculum that you have never taught before into your classroom, how do you do
it?
a) How do you assess the children’s learning in the area of phonics throughout
the year?
7. If a child is exhibiting behavior problems in your classroom and repeatedly
disturbing the rest of the class, and you have used all teaching strategies you know
to try and help this child but have failed, how would you handle that situation?
8. If a parent is being overly demanding and you feel that you are having a hard time
communicating with them, what do you do?
9. What would make communication easier for preschool teachers?
10. Are you aware of any incentives available for teachers from the LEX program? If
you are, could you share some of them with me?
11. You have just been given the ability to add any new incentive or program for
teachers that will be implemented this year… what do you add and why?
12. How would you describe your relationship with the other preschool teachers at the
LEX preschool program?
13. How would you describe your relationship with the management at the LEX
preschool program?
14. Are there any improvements that you would like to see happen in the
communication between yourself and the management at the LEX program?
15. How do you think your teaching impacts the children in the classroom?
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 76
16. Have you had a co teacher leave you mid-year, or were you a mid-year replacement
for someone who left? If so how do you feel that impacted the children in the
classroom?
17. When you grew up what did you want to be and why?
18. 2 years from now, where do you see yourself personally and professionally?
19. What do you think your preschoolers should know by the end of their school year
with you?
20. Do you feel you have accomplished what you wanted to with your preschool
children last year? Why, or why not?
21. Can you describe an environment that a Preschool Teacher would want to remain
working in for many years?
Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today. Your insights about preschool
teachers and the personal experiences shared have been invaluable. The researcher might
have additional questions after transcribing everything, would you be comfortable if she
had me contact you with follow up questions? I will be sending you a transcript of this
interview to you as well as the researcher. Here is a thank you gift card from the researcher
for your willingness to participate. Do you have any final questions for her? Thank you
again for your time.
Survey Protocol
Email being sent:
Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey. The purpose of this survey was to
collect information on teacher turnover happening at the LEX preschool program. Please
understand that even though you signed the consent form, you can discontinue participating
in this survey at any time and may skip any question that you are not comfortable with.
This survey will remain confidential, and your IP address will be removed to protect your
anonymity once the survey is completed. Thank you for your participation.
1. I left the LEX program:
a) Before the corporation took over the franchise
b) During the takeover of the franchise
c) After the corporation took over the franchise
2. The corporate takeover had something to do with me leaving the organization
a) True
b) False
c) Don’t know
3. The LEX Program as an Organization provides an environment that makes their
preschool teachers want to stay with the organization for many years…
a) Strongly Agree
b) Agree
c) Disagree
d) Strongly Disagree
e) I Do Not Know
4. Do you agree that preschool children’s learning is improved both socially and
academically if they have the same preschool teacher for an entire year?
a) Yes, I agree with this statement
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 77
b) No, I do not agree with this statement
c) I am not sure
5. What was your highest education level when you were hired to work at the LEX
Early Childhood Program?
a) High school Diploma or GED equivalent
b) Some college
c) Master’s Degree
d) Bachelor’s Degree
e) No Formal Education
f) Doctoral Degree or higher
g) Associates Degree
h) Do not wish to disclose
6. How many years of teaching experience did you have in the field of early childhood
when you were hired as a preschool teacher?
a) 0
b) 1
c) 2
d) 3 or more
7. How many years did you teach at the LEX Early Childhood Program?
a) Almost a year
b) 1 full year
c) 1 and ½ to 2 full years
d) 2 and a ½ to 3 full years
e) 3 and a ½ to 4 full years
f) 4 full years or more
8. Did you leave the field of early childhood education for a completely different field
(career change any other field but education)? (if no please skip to question 10)
a) Yes
b) No
9. If Yes, did you leave the field early childhood because of (circle all that apply):
a) More money
b) Better hours
c) Better employee benefits
d) Not happy in the field of early childhood
e) Other___________________
10. How many years did you plan to work at the LEX Early Childhood Program when
you first started?
a) 1 year
b) 2 years
c) 3 years
d) 4 years
e) 5 years
f) Less than a Year
11. When did you start looking for another job?
a) Immediately upon hire
b) Within 6 months of hire
c) After working for one year
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 78
d) After several years of working at the location
12. (Rate your reasons for leaving the LEX preschool program from strongest to not a
factor:
a) Salary: Strong, Fairly Strong, Mediocre, Not a Factor
b) Commute: Strong, Fairly Strong, Mediocre, Not a Factor
c) Lack of growth Opportunity: Strong, Fairly Strong, Mediocre, Not a
Factor
d) Lack of Managerial Support: Strong, Fairly Strong, Mediocre, Not a
Factor
e) Non-Positive Work Environment: Strong, Fairly Strong, Mediocre, Not a
Factor
f) Benefits: Strong, Fairly Strong, Mediocre, Not a Factor
g) Work Load: Strong, Fairly Strong, Mediocre, Not a Factor
h) The Corporation Take Over of the Franchise: Strong, Fairly Strong,
Mediocre, Not a Factor
i) Lack of Teacher Comradery: Strong, Fairly Strong, Mediocre, Not a
Factor
j) Work Hours: Strong, Fairly Strong, Mediocre, Not a Factor
k) Family Issues: Strong, Fairly Strong, Mediocre, Not a Factor
l) Relocation: Strong, Fairly Strong, Mediocre, Not a Factor
m) Tired of the Early Childhood Field: Strong, Fairly Strong, Mediocre, Not
a Factor
13. The best thing about working at the LEX Early Childhood Program was:
a) The teachers I worked with
b) The children I worked with
c) The managers who managed me
d) The curriculum I was trained to teach
e) I did not enjoy anything about working at the LEX Early Childhood
Program
f) I enjoyed everything about working at the LEX Early Childhood Program
14. At the LEX program I wish I had received more training on:
a) How to implement the curriculum
b) On how to deal with behavioral issues in the classroom
c) On how to communicate with parents effectively
d) On early childhood cognitive development
e) Nothing, I received enough training
f) I wish I had received more training on several of these topics
15. Please select the factors that might have led you to remain at the LEX program
(Circle all the apply):
a) Lesser work load
b) More growth opportunities
c) Better benefits
d) Higher Salary
e) Better Support from Management
16. The Management at the LEX program was:
a) Approachable and available for me to discuss any issues I was having in the
classroom
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 79
b) Distant but available to handle situations when I asked for assistance
c) Provided and warm caring environment that made me feel welcomed and
able to ask for help
d) Were cold and left me on my own to handle problems that arose within my
classroom
e) None of these statements reflect how I felt about the Management when I
worked at the LEX program
17. The communication between the parents and I when I taught at the LEX program:
a) Was an open two-way relationship and I felt very comfortable to speak with
parents on my own.
b) Was filtered through management and I was given support from
management when necessary but was still able to communicate with parents
on my own.
c) Was completely done through management and I received parent
information from management, rather than communicating with parents on
my own.
d) I had no communication with parents during my time at the LEX program.
18. As an organization the LEX program can improve on communication between
parents and teachers by:
a) Allowing more times for teachers and parents to have communication
throughout the day
b) By taking a more active role in communicating with parents themselves
c) By allowing more direct communication between teachers and parents
without administrative involvement.
d) Communication between parents and teachers when I worked at the LEX
program was fine and did not need improvement when I was there.
e) Improvement was needed, but I am just not sure how it could have been
improved
19. During the time I worked at the LEX preschool program when a child had a
behavioral issue in my classroom:
a) I felt that I was trained enough to deal with this child on my own I was given
support from management to deal with the child
b) I felt overwhelmed and was unable to deal with the child in my classroom
and was given no support from management
c) I never had a child with a behavioral issue during my time at the LEX
program
20. I felt the classroom sizes at the LEX preschool program were:
a) Were just the right amount
b) Too large despite being in ratio
c) Too large and sometimes were not in ratio
d) Were too small
e) I don’t know
21. The curriculum at the LEX program in my opinion:
a) Was challenging for the children and easy to teach
b) Was challenging for the children and difficult to teach
c) Was too easy for the children and easy to teach
d) Was too easy for the children yet still difficult to teach
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 80
e) I don’t remember
22. Of the list below name at least one thing the organization could do better to ensure
that preschool teachers remain working at the LEX early childhood program for
longer than a year?
a) Provide more training
b) Provide better salaries
c) Provide more assistance within the classroom
d) Provide more employee benefits
e) Nothing can be done by the organization to retain teachers.
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 81
Appendix C: Ethical Considerations
Ethical consideration is vital to the integrity of research. Ethics may be defined in
many ways, including as the norms or the standards of conduct that provide a foundation
for what researchers consider right or morally wrong. Ethics may also assist in determining
what acceptable and unacceptable behaviors are by the researcher. The ethics of research
are integral to the reliability and the validity of the research findings. The codes of conduct
established by the University for the development of research shall be followed. All
participation in the study will be gathered from willing or voluntary participants.
Participants will not be coerced in any way to participate in the survey. Study participants
will also provide written or oral consent to ensure their agreement to the conditions of the
study, and all efforts will be made to provide confidentiality and to protect the anonymity
of participants of the study. The names of participants will not be included in the study
results.
Glesne (2011) affirms that participants are made aware that their participation is
voluntary and they can feel free to stop participating at any time through informed consent
potential. All participants being interviewed by the researcher will be given a consent form.
This consent form will acknowledge their willingness to participate as well as protect their
identity from the LEX organization. Rubin and Rubin (2012) discussed the importance of
ensuring that participants understand the nature of research and if any risk involved in
them. In addition to a consent form, each participant will receive an explanation from the
researcher about the research topic, and their involvement will aid in the research.
Researcher currently working at the LEX preschool program will not conduct any
interviews. As stated previously, an external person with no connection to the LEX
program, trained interviewer, will conduct the interview. Each interview will then have
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 82
transcribed by an outside source and names will be removed. The researcher will then have
access to these transcriptions. The researcher will conduct all interviews at the other LEX
organization as they have no connection to the employees at this organization nor does have
any influence on their position at this program.
Rubin and Rubin (2012) discuss the importance of building trust between the
researcher and the participants. This is to ensure that the volunteers trust the intent of the
researcher, and believe statements, and will not press for stressful information. Each
interview question asked by the research assistant will be done conversationally allowing
the participant to answer when they are comfortable. Survey questions will be done online,
with an email prefacing the survey informing participants that they do not have to answer
any questions they do not want to address.
Creswell (2014) states that when interpreting results address whether the results are
because of inadequate procedures, such as issues with internal and external validity, and
how the results might be generalized to the situation, as well as mention implications
towards future research. The researcher plans to examine the findings of both the surveys
and interviews. Furthermore, the researcher plans on addressing potential biases with their
results whether they are in the design flaw or the interpretation of their analysis. The
researcher also plans to address how the results categorize the problem of teacher turnover
at the LEX preschool program. Lastly, the researcher also plans to look at the implications
for future research on how organizations in the field of early childhood can improve teacher
retention rates.
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 83
Appendix D: Integrated Implementation and Evaluation Plan
Implementation and Evaluation Framework
Just like it would be the case for any other organization, the study conducted by
LEX preschool adopts Kirkpatrick Model for its implementation as well as evaluation plan
(Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016). It is important to consider however that this model is a
four-level model of evaluation and bring forth different suggestions which influence
various factors in an organization or institution. The model, however, starts its focus by
considering the performance goal of an entity and therefore working in a retrograde manner
to provide the desired results. By working in a regressive way, the model shows some of
the leading indicators which have a massive effect on the general outcome of the study, and
for better solution or evaluation these indicators are usually aligned with the goals of the
institution. Three significant actions are considered a part of this model, and they include
presenting solutions that focus on outcomes influenced by the work behavior; in other
words, the development solution that arises when the work behavior is assessed. The other
action is the identification of learning outcome when the implementation is being
conducted, and finally the last activities are the identification of indicators that indeed the
organizational members are satisfied with the implementation policies as well as strategies
put in place. Having a well-designed implementation as well as evaluation plan determines
the success of an institution towards meeting its short terms and long-term goals. Table 8
below shows the different stages of implementations as suggested by the model used in the
study:
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 84
Table 8
Five Stage Implementation Plan
Formal Action Informal Action
Stage 1: Development Introduction: Clarifying
roles, agreeing to
parameters
Gathering data: Interviews,
observation, group activities
Organizing data: Making
sense of and systematizing
data
Background reading:
Documents, contextual
information, getting to
know the organization
Familiarization: making
contacts, building
confidence
Stage 2: Training &
Recruitment
Feeding back data: Building
alliances
Making sense of data:
Helping the program to
understand and define
issues
Negotiating a role:
Establishing style, listening
mode
Building alliances: Moving
beyond the management
team
Facilitating: Entering into
discussion, raising
questions, offering
suggestions
Stage 3: Familiarization &
Orientation
Considering the options:
Working within the
program's agenda, planning
priorities, target setting.
Supporting initiatives:
Sitting in on working
groups
Monitoring: Reflecting on
actions taken, evaluating
self; record-keeping,
reviewing
Challenging: Broadening
and extending the
program’s self-perception
Stage 4: Kick Off Maintaining momentum:
Encouraging, clarifying,
revisiting issues.
Stage 5: Evaluation Embedding: Helping to
develop structures and
procedures so sustain long-
term growth
Evaluating: Identifying
achievement
Disengaging: Removing
crutches
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 85
In stage one, a consultant will be brought in to help transform LEX’s working
environment. At this stage, the CEO and other senior managers will demonstrate buy-in,
and the consultant will gather and assess the data—including the results of this report—as
part of the process of building familiarity with the problem and generating solutions. The
consultant should also, at this stage, continue to collect novel data; the consultant will be
empowered to gather additional data from LEX teachers and ex-teachers. The process of
data collection can focus on (a) identifying what teachers would consider an appropriate
wage and (b) asking teachers about what a more autonomous and fulfilling work
environment would look like for them.
In stage two, the consultant will present LEX with the new data, and the consultant
and senior leaders will negotiate over how to move forward with implementing decisions.
The consultant should also, at this stage, continue to cement relationships with individuals
beyond the management circle. The consultant will have come to build good relationships
with teachers and other administrative staff in the process of data collection. Thus, the
consultant will be well-positioned to apply Jensen and Kerr’s (1994) change management
communicate principles in order to reach out to both groups of stakeholders. With respect
to senior management, the consultant should communicate the advantages of increasing
teacher salary and tie salary increases to the subsequent motivational chain that will result
in what LEX seeks to achieve, that is, a high and well-maintained level of program quality
driven by high-quality, improvement-driven teachers. This stage will also include the
administration of a parent survey that has been described in greater detail as part of the data
analysis and reporting section.
Stage three is pre-implementation. By now, the consultant and senior leaders must
have agreed on a suite of proposed actions. Although the exact actions will vary depending
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 86
on the process of collaboration between the consultant, the teachers, and the senior
leadership of LEX, the following constitute examples of actions that can be taken: (1) raise
salary to 115% of the salary offered by comparable organizations. The justification of this
increase is that offered by the Efficiency Wage Theorem, according to which, after an
optimal salary increase, employees will more than compensate their employers for added
wages by adding to their productivity (Lindbeck & Snower, 1987; Wu & Ho, 2012). The
consultant’s task will be to find that optimal salary important, based on data analyses and
simulations that can be subject to the formal evaluation discussed in greater detail in the
next sub-section of the chapter. Second, reduce meetings and administrative times so that
teachers spend at least 10% of their time in the classroom. Added classroom time is a
means of paying back the organization for the increased salary level (as more time in the
classroom will lead to more skilled and motivated teachers, who, in turn, can eventually
allow LEX to charge more for its services). Third, create monthly bonus schemes for
teachers on the basis of positive feedback from children and parents; the teacher with the
highest monthly evaluation (which can be based on the result of a survey administered to
parents) can be given $200. The existence of a bonus system will not only result in an
increase in compensation but also in an increase in performance motivation, teachers’
desires to keep building their skills, and a signal of emotional commitment from LEX to its
teaching cadre. Finally, create both formal and informal training opportunities that are
keyed to the specific needs of teachers. For example, teachers who report problems with
managing the behavior of children in the classroom should be exposed to classroom
management training. Such training should be internally designed and administered so that
it meets LEX’s needs precisely and so that costs can be cut down.
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 87
In stage 4, the actions described above will be executed. At the stage of execution,
the leaders and consultant will need to remain closely engaged in order to raise the
likelihood that the change plan will succeed. In stage five, the main tasks are to implement
an evaluation system that is based on the principle of continuous improvement and for the
consultant to disengage after having helped to embed the desired changes in LEX.
Evaluation
LEX does not have the luxury of targeting teacher satisfaction as its only metric of
interest. For this reason, evaluation of the success of the suggested plan must rest on several
metrics. The following logic chain should guide evaluation.
Increased salary / workplace changes costs increased teacher motivation teachers
voluntarily improve work performance and commitment / teachers attend and benefit from
training and skill-building exercises Alex attracts more customers and can charge a
premium in comparison to its competitors. Realistically, changes recommended to LEX
have to make sense from an economic perspective in order to be implemented. The chain of
factors in the logic chain above suggests that an evaluation of the suggested plan should
take the form of a formal business case based on the concept of return on investment (ROI)
or a cost-benefit analysis (CBA).
Organizational Purpose, Need, and Expectations
Culture is present in our conscious and unconscious understanding of who we are,
what we value, and how we do what we do as an organization. At the LEX early childhood
program, the central focus of the organization was on the academic and social well-being of
the children. (Semanyshyn & Popel, 2014). When teachers were highly trained and built
teacher child relationships within the classroom, this leads to an efficient social functioning
and independence in preschool children. The LEX early childhood program must
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 88
acknowledge the preschool teacher's obligation. This will lead to experiencing an
environment that allows for educational training opportunities and growth (Wang, Elicker,
McMullen, & Mao, 2008). The teacher beliefs on educational attainment in the United
States were directly correlated to the value they felt was placed on them, and the
educational policies currently in place by the organization they worked for. At the LEX
Early Childhood preschool program, less than 10% of the teachers have earned a degree,
including an Associate Degree or four-year degree in Early Childhood Education. The
organization should look at why the preschool teachers at the early childhood program do
not attain higher levels of education. Preschool teachers need to experience an environment
that allows for educational training opportunities and growth
Level 4: Results and Leading Indicators
Individuals resist change because of habit, the fear of the unknown, absence of
skills they will require after the change and fear of losing power. The preschool teachers at
the LEX early childhood program have recently changed ownership and have switched
from a franchised organization to corporation. As a result of this, many teachers have left
the program and have expressed concerns over the corporations "don't care" attitude about
their educational training and development. There is a direct correlation between effective
transformational leadership within an organization and teacher commitment to the school
(Ross & Gray, 2006). With so many teachers leaving the LEX early childhood teacher
program because of changes in leadership, there has been a lack of teacher bonding and
communication between the preschool teaching team. The exploration on the teaching
method, teacher performance and student perceptions of learning gains, the researchers
suggests that teachers require practical and formal training in the work environment to
produce stronger teacher-student relationships and inter-teacher collaboration (Bonney,
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 89
2015). Preschool teachers need to experience a work environment that allows for their
coworkers to be at the same educational level as them, producing comradely. The constant
teacher turnover leads to a retraining of teachers, and often results in the hiring of teachers
with little or no educational background making quality instruction impossible. The LEX
early childhood program must work to recognize the importance of retaining teachers to so
that teachers understand the motivation and organizational values of the LEX program.
The organizational culture involves beliefs about the importance of an
individual’s initiative and places value on collaboration. For the LEX, early childhood
program to be successful, teachers can grow more fully by working in an environment that
is supportive and one that creates a culture of learning and collaboration. The culture for
LEX must operate in the context of building a collaborative environment where teacher
contributions are valued, and where training remains a priority. Additional training can
reduce turnover, assisting in teacher retention. Collaboration at LEX may look like
collaborative teaching, educational attainment, and adequate training (Clark and Estes,
2008). Table 9 below provides the metrics used in this section.
Table 9
Outcomes, Metrics, and Methods for Internal Outcomes
Outcome Metric(s) Method(s)
Teacher motivation raised Measure of employees’
work motivation
Quantitative questionnaire
Retention increased Turnover rate Quantitative measurement
of turnover rate
Teacher knowledge
improved
Test of declarative and
procedural knowledge
Performance evaluation
Practice improved Feedback from parents Parent satisfaction survey
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 90
Level 3: Behavior
On this section, we focus most on the critical behaviors present in the organization
with reacts to the retention and performance of teachers in the LEX preschool. The
stakeholders focus on the retention procedures as well as how the turnover will affect the
quality of the programs being offered at the school since their main goal is to carry out the
turn over without interfering with the quality of education the children receive in their early
stages of development. The first critical behavior, therefore, is the teacher’s turnover while
the second critical behavior is how the turnover affects the quality of the programs offered
and the performance of the organization. The last critical behavior, however, revolves
around the various indicators presented by the different factors of implementation and
therefore identification of gaps within the system. The completeness of the performance is
also put under review to ensure that only the desired qualities are met. It is thus very crucial
to note that the methods, specific metrics as well as timing for the above outcomes are
presented in Table 10 below:
Table 10
Critical Behaviors, Metrics, Methods, and Timing
Critical Behavior Metric(s) Method(s) Timing
Teacher retention Turnover (Y/N) Measurement of turnover
rate
Annual
Teacher
participation in
training
Attendance sheet Measurement of
attendance
Monthly
Apart from the above, it is important to note that to meet the stakeholder's goals, the
stakeholders require support from each other primarily from the parents who are the
primary stakeholders. In doing so, the turnover process will need supervision, and therefore
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 91
the supervisors are referred to as the required drivers since they play a significant role in
the process of implementing and achieving the set goals. Thus Table 2.4 shows the
expected drivers who are vital when it comes to the support of the critical behaviors.
However, for the needed drivers to occur it is a require the usage of three strategies. The
three strategies are what can be used to monitor the progress of the turn over the period, and
it involves the different questions raised to meet the set objectives or much better to
understand it. The three strategies require the creation of confidence opportunities to share
stories related to success, asking the teachers to take a survey after months of training and
finally the leaders can access the performance of those involved in the training monthly.
The entire process is called monitoring.
Table 11
Required Drivers to Support New Behaviors
Method(s) Timing Critical Behavior(s)
Supported
Increase wages Immediately 1, 2
Increase classroom time Over 3-6 months 1, 2
Create friendlier work
environment
Over 9-12 months 1, 2
High Teacher Turnover Rate Impacts 92
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Abstract (if available)
Abstract
Researchers suggest that teacher turnover in early preschool programs is increasingly high. Turnover is costly not only for early childhood programs but also for child development. High teacher turnover can influence the quality of instruction that children receive, as well as teacher motivation to remain with an early education program. This study evaluates early childhood teachers at the LEX program, and early childhood program for children from ages birth through age five. The research involves an evaluative study that surveyed the literature currently available on early childhood turnover, as well as evaluating primary research conducted through surveys of both former and current LEX teachers as well as interviews of current LEX teachers. The results of the study demonstrate that multiple factors influence teacher turnover and retention. Among the factors that contribute to teacher turnover
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The impact of high teacher turnover rates have on high quality early childhood programs: an evaluation study
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