University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses

The voices of teacher attrition: Perceptions of retention and turnover at an international school in Thailand

(USC Thesis Other)

The voices of teacher attrition: Perceptions of retention and turnover at an international school in Thailand

PDF

Download a page range

Download transcript

Copy asset link

Request this asset

Transcript (if available)

Content Running head: THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 1

THE VOICES OF TEACHER ATTRITION: PERCEPTIONS OF RETENTION AND
TURNOVER AT AN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL IN THAILAND

By

Edward Makoto Johns

A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION

August 2018

Copyright 2018 Edward Makoto Johns
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 2

Table of Contents
Table of Contents .......................................................................................................................... 2
Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................... 4
Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... 6
Chapter 1 - Introduction .............................................................................................................. 7
Importance of Organizational Innovation ...............................................................................................10
Stakeholder Group for the Study .............................................................................................................11
Purpose of the Project and Questions ......................................................................................................12
Chapter 1 - Conclusion ............................................................................................................................12
Chapter 2 - Literature Review ................................................................................................... 14
International Schools and Teachers .........................................................................................................14
Teacher Identity ..................................................................................................................................20
Cultural Adjustment ............................................................................................................................22
Teacher Attrition and Turnover – Definitions and Explanations ........................................................24
Conclusion ...........................................................................................................................................30
Knowledge, Motivation, and Organization Influences of Teacher Retention at TIS ..............................30
Knowledge and Skills .........................................................................................................................31
Motivation ...........................................................................................................................................37
Organization ........................................................................................................................................40
Conceptual Framework: The Interaction of Stakeholders’ Knowledge, Motivation, Organizational
Context ....................................................................................................................................................48
Chapter 2 - Conclusion ............................................................................................................................54
Chapter 3 - Methods ................................................................................................................... 56
Participating Stakeholders .......................................................................................................................57
Interview Sampling Criterion and Rationale .......................................................................................58
Participants ..........................................................................................................................................60
Data Collection and Instrumentation .......................................................................................................61
Data Analysis ...........................................................................................................................................65
CQR Team ..........................................................................................................................................65
Creation of Domains and Core Ideas ..................................................................................................69
Cross Analysis .....................................................................................................................................69
Demographic Questionnaire, JSS and Cross Reference .....................................................................70
Narrative Write Up ..............................................................................................................................70
Credibility and Trustworthiness ..............................................................................................................71
Validity and Reliability .......................................................................................................................74
Ethics .......................................................................................................................................................75
Chapter 3 - Conclusion ............................................................................................................................79
Chapter 4 - Results and Findings .............................................................................................. 80
Quantitative Results .................................................................................................................................81
Qualitative Findings ............................................................................................................................85
Knowledge ..........................................................................................................................................86
Motivation ...........................................................................................................................................94
Organization ......................................................................................................................................104
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 3

Chapter 4 - Conclusion ..........................................................................................................................118
Chapter 5 - Discussion .............................................................................................................. 120
Discussion and Implications of Research Questions .............................................................................120
How Did Teachers’ Lack of Knowledge Impact Their Decision to Leave the School? ...................120
What Recommendations Can We Draw to Improve Professional Development at TIS? .................125
How Did Motivational Values and Costs Influence Teachers’ Decision to Leave? .........................128
What Were the Organizational Factors That Influenced Teachers’ Decisions to Leave? ................135
Limitations .............................................................................................................................................140
Areas for Further Research ...............................................................................................................142
Chapter 5 - Conclusion ..........................................................................................................................144
Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 145
References .................................................................................................................................. 148
APPENDIX A - Demographic Questionnaire Items .............................................................. 161
APPENDIX B - Job Satisfaction Survey ................................................................................. 162
APPENDIX C - Interview Questions ...................................................................................... 164
APPENDIX D - Informed Consent/Information Sheet ......................................................... 166
APPENDIX E - Recruitment Letter ........................................................................................ 169
APPENDIX F - KMO Influencer and Interview Question Matrix ...................................... 170
APPENDIX G - Team Member Hour Requirements ............................................................ 171

THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 4

Acknowledgements
First, I would like to thank the Kamehameha Schools Financial Aid and Scholarship
Services for the ʻImi Naʻauao Scholarship which helped fund my doctoral studies at the USC
Rossier School of Education. I am honored and humbled to be a recipient such a scholarship as it
is a reminder of the importance to represent and serve my Native Hawaiian community.
Next, I would like to extend my gratitude to my Dissertation Committee. First, I want to
thank Dr. Emmy Min her valuable feedback on teacher identity and suggestion to connect my
research back to the literature. This helped me to ensure that I critically examined my
implications, recommendations, and engaged in reflection. Second, I would also like to thank Dr.
Sarah Lillo for sharing her expertise in international schools and research methodology. I would
especially like to thank her for being my accountability professor for the last few weeks prior to
my dissertation defense which helped ensure that I kept my writing on track. In addition, her
method classes energized my interest in research while also being some of the best courses I
have taken in my academic career. And finally, I would like to thank Dr. Jenifer Crawford, my
dissertation chair. I could not think of a better professor to Chair my dissertation committee.
With her flexibility and support I was able to mold my dissertation into something that I was
truly passion about. I am grateful for her guidance, support, and encouragement through this
process.
I would also like to acknowledge my previous academic professors and colleagues who
provided me the experiences necessary to be successful in this program. First, I would like to
thank Dr. Bryan S.K. Kim and Dr. B. Christopher Frueh who sat on my master thesis committee,
wrote recommendation letters, and believed in my ability to be a researcher. Second, I would
like to thank Dr. L.P. who believe in my ability to be an outstanding administrator and educator.
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 5

Finally, I would also like to thank the countless teachers and office staff, especially on my
student services team, who supported me as an international educator.
Next, I would like to recognize my colleagues, Eric Santos, Puneet Vohra, and Faye
Haymond for without their support this study would not be possible. First, I would like to thank
Eric Santos for not only his countless hours of support but also for keeping me grounded
academically and career wise. Second, I thank Puneet Vohra for his consistent dedication,
objectiveness, and reliability. Finally, I would like to thank Faye Haymond for her assistance on
our work. Together, we accomplished something outstanding.
Finally, I would like to recognize my family for their love and support during my studies
at USC. First, I would like to recognize my hero, my mother, Donnalyn Kalei. I grew up seeing
her struggle as a single mother to support three children and rise to become a tenured professor.
It is because of her unconditional love, support, and modeling that I had the confidence to peruse
my doctorate. I would also like to recognize my father, James Johns, bother, Kimo Johns, and
sister, Jackie Johns for their love and support on my life journey. And last, I would like to
recognize my loving life partner, Dr. Patompong Johns Saengwilai, or Khwan. You are my rock.
You always believe in me even when I don’t believe in myself. Thank you for your love and
support though this journey through life.

THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 6

Abstract
Retaining qualified teachers is a well-known yet seldom researched issue for many
international schools across the world. Teacher turnover has been shown to reduce student
performance while also being expensive and hindering to international school development. This
study sought to add to the literature and provide implications to reduce turnover and attrition by
studying international school teachers who broke their teaching contracts. Teachers who
prematurely leave (PL), face considerable professional risks suggesting significant organizational
problems at their school. Nine participants, all of whom broke their contract at a Thai
international school with a high turnover rate, were recruited for the study. Using quantitative
and qualitative methods, the researchers administered a demographic and job satisfaction survey
and interviewed each participant. Through the knowledge, motivation, and organizational gap
analysis framework, the team of researchers used the rigorous consensual qualitative research
(CQR) methodology to analyze the interview data, and frequency analysis for the survey data.
Both methods were used to interpret and triangulate participant perspectives. The results
revealed that issues regarding professional development, language and cultural adaptation,
collaboration, high workload, communication, and lack of leadership and support promoted
teacher attrition and turnover. Recommendations for improvement, such as applicable
professional development, teaching mentorship, systems of communication and leadership
succession were suggested to promote job satisfaction and teacher retention at international
schools.
Keywords: International schools, teacher retention, teacher turnover, job satisfaction, mentorship,
communication, leadership

THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 7

Chapter 1 - Introduction
According to the European Council of International Schools (ECIS), a key concern and
characteristic for many international schools the increased demand and turnover of qualified
teachers (Hallgarten, Tabberer, & McCarthy, 2015). Although turnover is a common
characteristic of international schools, only a few studies have documented such rates (Odland &
Ruzicka, 2009). Henley's (2006) research, one of the few studies available, concluded that 14.4%
of the 22,098 teachers surveyed from 270 schools in the European Council of International
Schools (ECIS) and Council of International School (CIS) resigned from their teaching positions
during the 2005-2006 academic school year. Similarly, Mancuso, Roberts, and White's (2010)
article on the Near East South Asia region, which includes North Africa, the Middle East, and
South East Asia international schools, estimates the turnover rate in their region to be at 17
percent. Should the current study assume these studies reflect turnover in the international
schools across the world, the rates highlight a significant issue as they are similar to that of
public schools in the United States which are considered to be a significant problem for the
American public education system (Ingersoll, 2001).
Although the turnover data of international schools is not as powerful or as conclusive
when compared to the US (Odland & Ruzicka, 2009), turnover is a well-known issue for
international schools (Cambridge, 1998; Fink, 2001; Gillies, 2001; Hallgarten et al., 2015).
Furthermore, turnover is also compounded by the transiency of faculty members at international
schools (Hardman, 2001; Mckillop-Ostrom, 2000). According to Oto (2014), Teachers often
transfer out international schools as they only require teachers to sign contracts for one to two
years. Regardless of the transiency of teachers at international school, some teachers choose to
terminate their employment before their contracts period and risk tarnishing their professional
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 8

teaching reputation and are unlikely to receive employment offers from other schools
(International School Review Inc., 2016). Considering the risks, the premature termination of
one’s teaching contract suggests that leaving goes beyond the typical transiency of teachers and
is likely to highlight profound issues at the teacher’s organization. As such, this study seeks to
discover the reasoning behind teachers who choose to leave their positions before the end of their
contract to provide implications for the improvement of teacher retention and international
school organizational performance.
Organizational Context
Thailand is an ideal location to study the phenomena of international school turnover
because of its growing number of international institutions. According to Hayden and Thompson
(2008), the number of international schools in Thailand surpassed 100, a number which has been
continuing to grow. As such, many existing international schools in Thailand may face issues
regarding teacher retention including the school that was researched in this study. From the large
number of educational organizations in the country, an international school was chose based on
its high rate of teacher turnover. The following paragraphs will provide general description
information and turnover rates of the chosen international school.
The school researched in this study will be referred to as the Thai International School
(TIS), a pseudonym used to protect the identity of organization. Besides using a pseudonym, it is
important that note that little information regarding the school has been provided in order to
reduce the risk of organizational identification. Based upon these confidentiality parameters and
at the time of which this study took place, TIS was a new international high school in an urban
suburb of Thailand. The school used an internationally recognized curriculum and received
accreditation status from an internationally recognized accreditation agency. The school caters
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 9

to a mostly Thai study body, common for many international schools in Thailand (Hayden &
Thompson, 2008).
TIS has a typical school organization structure. The institution’s school board appoints
the head of school and approves policy which includes organizational, employment, student, and
funding policies. The next level is the senior administration, which reports to the school board.
This level consists of the head of school and three assistant administrators. The senior
administration advises the school board on policy and procedures, supervises faculty members,
and carries out policy. While the head of school oversees all operations of the school, the
assistant administration supervises faculty members and office staff. One assistant administrator
oversees administrative affairs, supervises the office staff, and is generally a Thai national. The
other two assistant administrators supervise faculty members. The faculty members report to the
assistant administrators for academic direction and provide instruction to the students at the
institution. Although the organizational structure of this institution is not uncommon in other
international schools, the rate in which employees resign from the institution is unusual.
At the time of this study, TIS was experiencing a high level of faculty turnover. The
turnover rate for teachers was approximately 30% per year. In fact, over 85% of the faculty
members who were hired in the first year of operation had left the institution in its third year,
many of whom resigned during the academic year. This turnover rate was much higher than the
average turnover rate between 13% to 17% across the world (Ingersoll & Strong, 2011a;
Mancuso et al., 2010; Odland & Ruzicka, 2009). Although high turnover is common for
international schools, the high level of resignations suggests the presence of significant issues
regarding the school and its employees through organizational innovation.

THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 10

Importance of Organizational Innovation
Organizational innovation on teacher turnover and retention at TIS is important for two
reasons: impact on student achievement and performance and costs. First, teacher turnover has
been shown to have a direct negative effect on student achievement in math and English
language acquisition (Ronfeldt, Loeb, & Wyckoff, 2013, p. 30). Teachers who leave a school are
often replaced by less experienced instructors who must develop new working relationships with
fellow faculty members, administration, and students (Kersaint, Lewis, Potter, & Meisels, 2007).
As students must adjust to a new teaching method, even if the teachers who left were at the
school for a short period of time (1 to 6 months), the replacement teachers can be less effective
and may take up to two years to be as efficient as their predecessors (Henke, Zahn, & Carroll,
2001). Although international schools may have a transient teacher population, many teacher
replacement took place during the middle of the academic year. Therefore, this study assumes
that similar teaching replacement issues regarding effectiveness are likely to occur. In addition to
effectiveness, a loss of teacher collegiality and trust between faculty and a loss of institutional
memory has been documented in literature (Ronfeldt et al., 2013). In summary, teacher turnover
reduces the educational quality because of the time it take for new teacher to adjust to the school,
its students, teachers, and administrators.
Second reason to study organization innovation regarding retention is because
international schools have high overhead costs in regards to recruiting qualified expatriate
teachers (Hayden & Thompson, 1998). The recruitment of qualified teachers often require
international schools to pay expensive international teacher organization recruitment fair fees,
travel fees to recruit teachers from different countries, and personnel fees to process immigration
and other government paperwork (Skinner, 1998). It appears that no studies exist that examine
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 11

the cost of teacher turnover in the international school community. However, the cost of
replacing teachers in US public schools has been reported to be from $4,631 up to $25,602 in
some studies (Watlington, Shockley, Guglielmino, & Felsher, 2010). Although these are costs in
the US public schools, international schools are often private self-funded institutions, which is
likely to have even more overhead costs as they are independent from established government
employee systems (Walsh, 2013). As such, the overhead cost of teacher turnover and lower
student performance are significant reasons for exploring the perceptions of faculty who have
left the school in order to improve organizational performance.
Stakeholder Group for the Study
While all stakeholders contribute to the organization’s goal of increasing faculty
retention, turnover issues directly affect the faculty who left the school prematurely which will
be refered to in this study as premature leavers or “PL”. These full-time teachers were required
to sign a three-year teaching contract, the required contract period at TIS. In the international
school domain, completing a contract is required to receive a positive recommendation from the
school. Teachers who break their contracts risk tarnishing their reputation in the international
school field and have fewer teaching opportunities as nearly all schools require teacher to
indicate if they have broken a teaching contract (International School Review Inc., 2016). The
PL group of TIS accepted the risks of breaking their contract. This study seeks to identify
through their eye, what the organization could have done to promote the stakeholder group to
complete their contract. As such, the next section presents the purpose and research questions of
this project.

THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 12

Purpose of the Project and Questions
The purpose of this project is to conduct a needs’ analysis in the areas of knowledge,
motivation, and organizational goals related to the purpose of reducing teacher turnover and
increasing retention. The analysis will begin by generating a list of possible organizational needs
and assumed influences. Then, the analysis will identify and focus on the actual and validated
needs of the TL stakeholder group to promote retention at the organization.
As such, the questions that guide this study are the following:
1. What recommendations can be drawn to improve teacher retention through faculty
professional development?
2. How did teachers’ lack of knowledge impact their decision to leave the school?
3. How did teachers’ motivational values and perceived costs influence their decision to
leave?
4. What were the organizational factors that influenced teachers’ decisions to leave?
Chapter 1 - Conclusion
Chapter one provides introduces the problem of practice of teacher turnover, attrition and
retention in international schools. The teacher turnover has been shown to be a significant issue
at the current study organization. As such, organizational innovation has been shown to be a
possible approach to address retention issues as it focuses on study the current organization with
the intent of providing innovative solutions to address teacher turnover. To implement the
organizational innovation approach, the teachers who left the school prematurely group (PL)
were chosen as the key stakeholder for the study as they are the group that is most impacted by
their decision to leave the organization. Furthermore, their experiences are likely to provide rich
information that can be used to provide significant implications for practice. Based upon problem
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 13

of practice, organizational innovation approach, and key stakeholder group, four research
questions were developed to direct the current research study with the intent of addressing the
problem of teacher retention at the current study school and international schools at large. The
next chapter provides a review of the literature as it pertains to international school and possible
knowledge, motivation, and organizational influencers of teacher retention.

THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 14

Chapter 2 - Literature Review
This chapter will first explore the literature to describe what international schools are and
provide an organizational context in which this paper hopes to provide implications for teacher
turnover and retention. International Schools are institutions that use an internationally
recognized curriculum to educate students in foreign countries. Like all educational institutions,
international schools have their unique characteristics, strengths, and areas for improvement, but
teacher turnover is a phenomenon that nearly every school experiences. Definitions of turnover,
attrition, and retention, as it pertains to international schools, are also presented to provide a
clearer conceptualization of the problem of practice. Then, a theatrical basis of how turnover
affects the functioning of the school and student performance is reviewed. As a cumulating
analysis of the literature, this paper finally explore the knowledge, motivation, and
organizational factors that contribute to international school teacher turnover. This review begins
by examining the international school organization.
International Schools and Teachers
What is an International School?
International schools provide internationally recognized curriculum and educational
programing from countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom. Hayden and
Thompson (1998) provide four categories of international schools. The first category of
international schools serves students who come from different countries and are either privately
or state funded. The second group focus on a national community of students in which the
school is in another country separate from the host countries school system. The third group
focus on developing student language and cultural identity and while allowed them to have a
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 15

transcultural identity. The final group of international schools are guided by tolerance,
recognition of difference, and multiculturalism.
International school curriculums, which include what and the way students are taught and
assessed, are distinctly different from the from the educational systems from the hosts country’s
national education system (Hayden & Thompson, 2008). For example, British international
schools often adopt the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE)
curriculum. In order to receive a basic secondary education certification, students must take the
IGCSE examinations. These students will then continue to a secondary education program, such
as the Advanced Level (A-Levels) qualifications in the British System, International
Baccalaureate (IB), or college. Students who attend an international school are often qualified to
attend colleges and universities in the country that the curriculum is based upon.
International schools have several common characteristics. Blaney (2013), article on
international schools long-term planning highlighted a list of similar important characteristics
across many international schools. He explained that the primary purpose of international
schools is to support the international family’s children’s education because the local education
is not suitable due to instruction being in a different language. The institutions are generally
nonprofit and must work with the host country to gain a legal charter. Instruction is in English
and generally open to those who wish to have in international education and can pay for the
tuition cost. These institutions often serve transient families who wish for their children to go to
the University in their home country. The tuition of the transient families is often paid by
educational grants provided by the parent’s organization. It is common for parents of the
international school students to work at international organizations such as United Nations. A
common challenge among international schools is their transient board members, faculty
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 16

members, and students. Since these institutions are tuition driven, the schools often face
challenges predicting future enrollment and consistent planning due to the transient stakeholders.
Not all international schools have the same characteristics as explained above. Hayden
and Thompson (2008) explain that the mixture of expatriate nationalities will vary. Some
institutions will have over 40 different nationalities whereas others may only have a few. For
example, an AmDavidan international school may have mostly AmDavidan students and a
French international school will have mostly French students. In Thailand, for example, it is not
uncommon to see many international schools who have student bodies that are mostly Thai.
Institutions that a mostly Thai student population may not cater to the international families.
Instead, their mission is to educate the people of their country and promote Thai students to
attend universities in United States or the UK (Hayden & Thompson, 2008, p. 47). Ultimately,
the education provided at international schools provides opportunities for students they may not
receive at host public institutions.
The educational opportunities for students who attend international schools are
considerable. Each school has distinct missions and visions that influences the teaching, co-
curricular activities, and values. The school instills their unique mission and vision in their
students. This makes international school students different from one another. On the other hand,
other research on third culture kids suggests that international school students, regardless of their
school, have a common culture of being raised in a cross-cultural and highly mobile world
(Pollock, Van Reken, & Pollock, 2010). However, these differences may be minimized at the
current study school as nearly all the students Thai suggesting that any cultural influence from
the school would be because of the school’s distinct mission and vision.
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 17

The distinctiveness of each school is developed and executed by the administrators and
governing school board. For example, while two international schools may have the same British
IGCES curriculum, one school may provide programming for its students to be community
leaders, while another may focus its students on becoming scientists. The graduates from each
institution will have the same secondary education certificate but are characteristically different
from one another. Some international school can have over twenty different nationalities whereas
other may have mostly nationals from the host country. As such, the international school’s
promise of international accreditation and unique educational programming for students is
appealing to expatriate and domestic families alike (Mancuso et al., 2010).
Clientele in Thailand. In Thailand, most international schools have a mix of expatriate
and Thai students. Expatriate students are usually from diplomat families or have parents whose
company pays or subsidizes tuition fees (Walsh, 2013). Many schools have quota that aims to
recruit a higher number of expatriate students than Thai (Hayden & Thompson, 2008). These
schools often aim to maintain an international feel to their institution. Furthermore, international
schools are private institutions that have high tuition fees when compared to domestic state
schools. Because of the cost of tuition, these schools are only accessible to Thai families who can
afford for their children to attend (Walsh, 2013).
Parents of domestic international school students are often the socio-economic elites of the
country. These parents want their children to attend an international school in order have
competitive edge compared to others in the country (Lowe, 2000). Thai parents specifically,
consider international schools because they feel that their children will have superior language
skills, extracurricular opportunities, personal confidence, self-development and be mixed with
socially elite Thai and international students (Walsh, 2013).
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 18

In recent years, the sector of international schools in Thailand appears to be changing in
order to accommodate for a new flux of Thai students. The increase of Thai students has caused
an increase in the number international institutions which has put pressure older ones to raise
their admission quota for Thai students (Hayden & Thompson, 2008). As such, Thailand’s
expensive private international school industry that once served a mostly expatriate clientele is
now molding into an educational sector that serves more elite Thai families. As the international
education industry continues to serve more Thai citizens, a rise of new international schools with
Thai managers is likely to increase.
Operation of international schools in Thailand. International schools in Thailand are
unique as they must incorporate the international and host country’s management styles. Often
run as businesses, international schools can be managed by individuals, families, and be for-
profit or nonprofit institutions (James & Sheppard, 2014). Generally, the governing systems of
international schools can be influenced by the country in which the school is located (Hayden &
Thompson, 1998). In other words, the predominate leadership and management of the host
country influences how the school’s policies, procedures, mission, and vision are established.
The leadership and management style at Thai international schools are different than that of
western countries. Thailand is considered to be a high context communication nation that prefers
a avoiding conflict and focuses on social harmony (Selvarajah, Meyer, & Donovan, 2012). High
context communication, common in many Asian cultures, occurs when “most of the information
is either in the physical context or internalized in the person, while very little is in the coded,
explicit, transmitted part of the message” (Hall, 1976, p. 79). In other words, information is not
explicitly stated with in the actual communication. On the other hand, the western style of
management has a low context style of communication. In low-context communication, “the
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 19

mass of the information is vested in the explicit code.” (Hall, 1976, p. 70) In other words,
information is explicitly stated in the actual communication. Therefore, individuals from
western cultures are more accepting of conflict and solution oriented management (Croucher et
al., 2012). The combination of both low-context and high context communication at international
schools suggests the potential for leadership and management problems if communication is not
carefully negotiated.
Leadership style of foreign administrators. International schools in Thailand often
incorporate curriculum from the United States and United Kingdom and recruit school
administrators who are familiar with the curriculum from these nations. These administrators
come with Western leadership styles. The western school leaders often have conflicts with the
Thai administrators because they would deal with school issues differently. For example,
Crutcher’s (2012) study suggests that AmDavidans managers will look for solutions through
argument and discussion whereas Thai managers will focus on a solution that maintains social
harmony. Such differences in leadership style may lead to Western employees having low job
satisfaction. For example, Wei and Perez (2013) in their study on foreign educational
administrators, explained that in Thailand, Western administrators were dissatisfied because all
of their decisions were required to be approved by a Thai administrator. This suggests that
regardless of the title held by Western administrators, the Thai leaders are gatekeepers of
decisions regarding the school. In addition, Walsh (2013) suggests that foreign school
administrators and teachers feel that they are not provided the power to influence or change the
direction of the school. As such, in order for an expatriate international school employees to be
effective, they must be able to establish good personal relationships with Thai administrators
(Selvarajah et al., 2012).
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 20

To sum up, the literature suggests that in Thailand there is a distinct cultural management
style that may not fit Western expatriate employee’s expectations of school leadership.
International employees at these institutions may have no other choice but to adjust to the Thai
management style of their school. Ultimately, the Thai leaderships who influence the school’s
mission, vision, and ideology also determine who the institutions is managed. Thus, to be
effective, a foreign employee must change their expectations and adjust to the host culture’s
management style. Unfortunately, should employees not be able to adjust, they may end up being
dissatisfied with their position and resign from the school.
Teacher Identity
The current study school has both native English speaking and non-native English
speaking teachers. Each group is invested in the study school in different ways. Investment
plays a strong role in how school stakeholders in an institution of language learning are
committed to their language learner identity and learning commitment (Darvin & Norton, 2015).
According to Kramsch (2013), investment focuses on humans ability to work on a particular task
that allows individuals to receive economic and symbolic capital which fuels their desire to
accomplish that task. To further explain the what influences teacher desire, Darvin and Norton
(2015) provided the Model of Investment for the New World Order: Ideology, Capital, Identity.
Their first concept focuses on ideology, or a “normal set of ideas” creates reality for individuals.
In the case of non-native English speaking teachers, they often have a poor self-image because of
their negative self-perceptions. This negative self-perception is influenced by students often
questioning their teaching abilities and competencies (Canagarajah, 2005). Native English
Speaking teachers, on the other hand, are often judged less and forgiven if they make mistakes or
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 21

do not know all the details of the English Language reducing negative self-perception and
allowing them to focus more on professional or organizational development (Amin, 2007).
The second concept of the model of investment is capital. The Darvin and Norton
explain that the focus of the obtainment of economic capital, which focuses on obtaining
material wealth and money; cultural capital, or the obtainment of education and knowledge; and
social capital, or the social networks on has, is different for both groups. In non-native English
speaking teachers, the ability of speaking English fluently is often seen an elite societal
characteristic which provides additional opportunities not available to those who cannot speak
English (Gee, 2015). Native speaking English Teachers, on the other hand, are already placed in
privileged category as English language learners often see them as the best allow them more
access to money making jobs available in the ESL market (Moussu & Llurda, 2008). In terms of
social capital, Non-native English speaking teachers do have access to more elite local and
international connections, as speaking both their native and English language and understanding
of the culture which allows for more social communication (Canagarajah, 2005). Native English
speaking teachers may be able to develop similar social connections as the language reduces
linguistic cultural boundaries (Canagarajah, 1999).
The last concept of the model of investment is identity, or how the individual perceives
him or herself in the world. It is a common perception for non-native English speaking teachers
to have a lower professional self-esteem when it comes to teaching English (Moussu & Llurda,
2008). Such levels of professional self-esteem can negatively affect non-native English speaking
teachers’ instructional performance in the classroom. On the other hand, Native English speaking
teachers may have a higher self-perception because the automatic status they receive even
though some teachers may have poor knowledge of the English language and teaching
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 22

techniques (Moussu & Llurda, 2008). Their higher self-perception may positively affect their
classroom performance as they may be perceived as confident and trustworthy instructors.
Together, the three concepts of ideology, capital, and identity create the level of
investment for non-native and native English speaking teachers. It appears that the elements for
the three categories are quite different than one another. Non-native English speaking teachers
appear to have more challenges in terms of ideology and identity influenced by the mainstream
perceptions of non-native English speaking teachers. It also appears that the main focus of their
investment could be in capital as knowing and speaking English increases an individual’s
opportunities to increase their wealth, education, and social connections. Native English
speaking teachers seem to already have a higher level of acceptance and status of all three
categories regardless of being an effective teacher. Therefore, the investment focus of the native
English speaking teachers is focused more in reinforcing their status whereas non-native English
speaking teachers are driven because of their desire to develop their social position.
Cultural Adjustment
Cultural adjustment and culture shock could adversely affect teachers’ experiences
working at international school. Culture shock is the occurrence of anxiety, stress, and
disorientation that occurs due to individuals encountering a unfamiliar environment to which
their normal patterns of social behavior are ineffective (Mumford, 2000). Oberg (1960)
categorizes culture shock into u-curve four stage process. The first stage is known as a
honeymoon stage in which the individual feels positive about their host country. However, after
a period of time, the individual then finds that their behaviors and social perceptions are not
consistent with the host countries. The inconsistent perceptions is the signifies the beginning of
the crisis stage in which individuals experience homesickness, stress, role confusion, depression,
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 23

and the rejection of the host nation modus operandi. As the individual continues living in the
host country, they eventually reach the recovery stage to which the begin adjusting to the
behaviors and practices of the host country. This signifies the upturn of the u curve when the
individual starts to feel better about living in the host country. After recovering, they begin the
adjustment stage. This stage is when the individual becomes very familiar with the behaviors and
expectations of the host country and has adjusted himself or herself to fit in to society. Although
the Ober’s theory provides a general explanation for individual adjustment, international school
may also find an additional culture shock at their educational institution.
Roskell's (2013) research on international school teachers suggests that instructors
encountered a double culture shock. In other words, teachers needed to adjust to both the host
country’s culture as well as the unfamiliar culture of the school. Her research found that some
teachers had difficulty adjusting resulting in a flat line, in which they did not adjust to the
organization, versus a U-shaped curve, or successfully adjusted. For these teachers, at the point
where individuals with typically begin the recovery stage, these individuals adjusted in a way
that reduced their performance. For example, these teachers often executed their duties at the
school with minimum effort. However, the teachers must adjust to both the host culture and the
organizational culture to reach the Ober’s final stage of adjustment. The ill adjusted teacher may
need to acquire social skills necessary to interact successfully with the nationals of the host
country at their institution. If individuals cannot adjust to the culture shock inside and outside
their organization, they are likely to consider terminating their teaching contract due to their
distress.

THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 24

Teacher Attrition and Turnover – Definitions and Explanations
One of the main purposes of this study is to explore teacher attrition and turnover. To
explore teacher turnover in international schools, this paper provides a working definition of
teacher turnover, retention, and attrition. Ingersoll (2003) explains that there are two types of
teacher turnover, attrition and migration. Attrition “refers to those who leave the occupation of
teaching altogether” (p. 3). Teacher migration refers to teachers who transfer or move to a
different teaching position at another school. Retention, refers to teachers who remain in their
current teaching position at the same school (Billingsley, 1993). To provide further detail, Watt
and Richardson (2008) identify three different types of career teachers that deal with retention
and turnover. The first type is the “highly engaged persisters” who are individuals who intend to
spend their whole career in teaching (p. 48). The next is “highly engaged switchers” who are
individuals who had other career plans but are highly involved and engaged in teaching (p. 47).
These individuals may spend the beginning of their career teaching but switch their jobs. These
individuals will often work towards paths that lead into school leadership or administration roles.
Others may seek positions or opportunities outside of school such as seeking a doctoral degree or
the working in the commercial industry as trainers. The final type is the “lower engaged
desisters.” These individuals, disappointed by their career choice, end up leaving the teaching
profession (p. 48). The article noted there are a variety of reasons the lower engaged detisters
leave the profession. Some of the reasons include unpleasant experiences at their university or
current teaching position. In regards to international schools teachers, some lower engaged
desisters may choose to leave due to cultural issues or homesickness (Roskell, 2013). If the
teachers are not provided adequate support for adjustment, they may end up giving up on being
international school teacher permanently.
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 25

The first section of teacher attrition and turnover provides the definitions of common
words or terms used throughout this study when discussing teacher turnover. Providing these
working definitions will allow readers to understand specific word references. Teacher turnover
and attrition and may be used synonymously. Furthermore, this section provides different
categories for teachers who do not stay at the current institution or leave the teaching profession
altogether. Next, this paper will provide a brief summary of the prevalence, causes, effects, and
solutions of teacher turnover.
Prevalence. Over the past decade, retention of teachers has been a focus of educational
research in the United States and most recently in the international school domain. In the United
States, the attrition rates of teachers who leave the profession within the first five years was
reported to be between 20% to 50% (Hughes, 2012; Ronfeldt et al., 2013). Teacher turnover was
found to be particularly high in urban schools that served impoverished and diverse populations
with low academic performance (Levy et al., 2015; Ronfeldt et al., 2013). Ingersoll (2001)
estimated that the turnover rate for experienced and inexperienced teachers in the United States
is 13% to 15% per year. Like the United States, teacher turnover rates in the international domain
has been also an area of concern.
As explain in chapter 1, few studies provide data regarding the retention and turnover of
international schools. The turnover rate of international school teachers based on limited research
was estimated to be around 14.4% per year (Henley, 2006; Odland & Ruzicka, 2009), with some
areas at 17% per year to as high as 60% at individuals schools (Mancuso et al., 2010). Although
international schools experience a higher than usual turnover of teachers (Gillies, 2001), all
attrition negatively affects the international school organization (Mancuso et al., 2010),
especially if teacher brake their contract.
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 26

It is common for teachers to sign a short-term contract and migrate to other institutions.
However, should teachers break their contract, it tarnishes the reputation for working in the
international school domain (International School Review Inc., 2016). Teachers who terminate
their contract risk being less marketable to other international schools and may have no other
choice but to accept positions that are less rewarding. These teachers, knowingly or
unknowingly, decided to void their teaching contract taking the risk that they may never be able
to work in a reputable international school again.
Causes. A number of studies identified several areas that appear to impact teacher
turnover including administrative support, salary, workload, and family considerations. Most of
the reviewed studies noted administrative support as having either a high or medium level of
importance in regards to international school teacher retention (Boyd et al., 2011; Churngchow
& Sittichai, 2014; Kersaint et al., 2007; Mancuso et al., 2010; ten Bruggencate et al., 2012).
Some of the issues presented by research focued on the trustworthiness of administrators. For
example, Odland and Ruzicka (2009) reported that some of their study participants questioned
the international school administrators ethics because they lied about recruitment packages and
misrepresented themselves and their schools. Other concerns were regarding the support from
school leadership. For example, Ingersoll and Strong (2011) noted that teacher participants
lacked administrative support in terms of opportunities for professional learning, supportive
policies, mentoring/leadership programs, and being able to communicate and seek help from
administrators. They conclude that the lack of support may have caused teachers, especially
beginners, to struggle in their day to day jobs and which lead to teachers leaving their schools.
In addition to administrative support issues, the review of the literature revealed that low
satisfaction with teaching salaries reduced teacher retention (Churngchow & Sittichai, 2014;
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 27

Kersaint et al., 2007; Mancuso et al., 2010). Furthermore, Odland and Ruzicka's (2009) study
participants left their school because they had issues with their contract, which included
unfulfilled salary promises. In addition to salary issues is also high workload at international
schools. The high intensity of schoolwork and paperwork also lead to teachers to resign from
their schools (Buchanan, Prescott, Schuck, Aubusson, & Burke, 2013; Churngchow & Sittichai,
2014; Kersaint et al., 2007). However, teachers may not always leave the school due to
organizational concerns and issues. For example, Kersaint et al. (2007) noted that teacher
turnover may also occur because of family concerns. For example, some teachers may have to
take care of their elderly or child family members or decide to have children, which reduces their
availability to teach.
In summary, turnover and attrition appears to stem from several factors. Regarding
issues at the organization, the biggest factor is administrative support in terms of trustworthiness,
guidance, communication, and professional development. Other concerns include issues with
salary and workload. Conversely, teachers may also leave because of personal reasons such as
issues with family. Together, these factors are likely to encompass the major reasons teachers
decide to resign and break their contract which are likely to have long term effects on their
international school.
Effects. The literature suggests that attrition negatively impacts international school
student achievement, finances, and school operations (Mancuso et al., 2010). First, teachers who
leave must be replaced which impacts student achievement. For example, replacement teachers
must create new relationships with school stakeholders (i.e. students, teachers, parents, etc.)
(Kersaint et al., 2007), which can take up to two years to develop and be effective in the
classroom and therefore negatively impact students (Henke et al., 2001). However, other
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 28

research suggest that teachers leaving may have a positive impact as well. Ingersoll (2001)
suggested that if the teachers being replaced are performing poorly, teacher turnover may
promote effective and quality instruction. At the same time, Ingersoll also acknowledges that
teacher turnover, as a whole, has been documented to have a mostly negative impact on
educational quality.
Although few studies have been conducted on the casual relationship between teacher
turnover and academic achievement (Ingersoll, 2001; Ronfeldt et al., 2013), a more recent study
by Ronfeldt et al. (2013) in the United States, documented a direct negative effect of teacher
turnover on student achievement in math and English language acquisition. Their research of
over 850,000 student performance observations over the course of 8 years found students who
had teachers who left during the school year were more likely to do poorly when compared to
students with consistent instructors. Although this study took place in the US, the phenomena
impact of teacher turnover may affect the performance of international school students as well as
other aspects of the organization (Gillies, 2001).
In addition to student performance, international school financial operations are also
adversely affected by teacher turnover due to the replacement and recruitment of teachers.
Expatriate teacher recruitment, because of the numerous recruitment and human resource
expenditures, is expensive (Hayden & Thompson, 1998). For example, foreign teachers are often
paid well and receive generous benefit packages which include housing and travel allowances
(Skinner, 1998). In addition to benefits, the recruitment of these foreign teachers require
international schools to pay expensive international teacher organization recruitment fair fees,
travel fees to recruit teachers from different countries, and personnel fees to process immigration
and other government paperwork (Skinner, 1998). As such, when teachers leave the international
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 29

school, there are numerous human resources expenses which impacts the international school’s
overall operation budget.
In summary, it is clear that turnover negatively affects international schools. First, student
performance is negatively affected by the inconsistent instructions. Second, turnover is
expensive as schools invest a lot of money in to recruitment and employee benefits. Finally, the
expenses associated with recruiting after a teacher resigns reduces the overall school budget.
Together, these effects highlight the importance and need for solutions to address international
school attrition and turnover.
Solutions. Strategies to retain retaining teachers can help schools avoid the expensive
and negative effects of teacher turnover on education quality and student achievement. The
literature provides several solutions to improve retention in schools, which include mentorship
and induction programs for teachers, supportive administration policies, improved facilities, and
teacher compensation. For example, Boyd et al. (2011) suggested that schools could increase
teacher retention by creating policies aimed at improving the school administration practices.
Some policy reforms that were recommended involve recruiting effective school leaders,
leadership programs, and support for people who are in leadership positions. However, the
school must be sure to consider the needs of the school determine the implementation of
effective school policies.
One of the most effective school policies to promote retention includes mandatory
teacher mentorship and induction programs. To illustrate, Ingersoll and Strong (2011) conducted
a meta-analysis across fifteen teacher mentorship or induction programs studies and found that
these programs had positive impact on teacher retention. Their review suggested if teachers had
mentors in the same discipline, similar department planning, and scheduling meetings, is likely
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 30

reduce teacher turnover. Furthermore, Ingersoll and Strong proposed that induction programs at
the beginning of a teacher’s tenure is likely to promote better teacher performance and retention.
One example of an induction support program was studied by Deveney (2007) which focused on
multicultural support programs for international school teachers to improve cultural
responsiveness. The study suggested that mentoring and inductions programs not only improved
multicultural understanding between teachers and students but, promoted retention by providing
peer support to help teachers cope in culturally diverse classrooms.
In summary, the solutions to address retention issues at international schools focus school
policies. Supportive administrative policies and teacher compensation are some of the key
solution considerations. One of the most promising policies include teacher mentorship and
induction which has been found to effectively promote retention. Regardless, all policies to
reduce attrition and turnover must fit the needs of the international school to insure teachers
needs are met.
Conclusion
Teacher retention at international schools is an important and complex issue. This
literature review provided a brief overview of the international school organizations in Thailand
and the working definitions of this study. Further, this study described the prevalence, causes,
effects, and solutions of turnover and retention. This section of the literature review provides a
foundation of knowledge that will allow for a conceptual understanding of the Knowledge,
Motivation, and Organizational Influences of Teacher Retention.
Knowledge, Motivation, and Organization Influences of Teacher Retention at TIS
There are specific influences that affect the knowledge, motivation, and organizational
aspects at TIS. Using theory and literature, each of the three KMO sections will identify the key
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 31

influences of teacher retention and attrition. Using the assumed KMO influences, this study will
describe the conceptual framework at the end of the chapter.
This section of the literature review will begin with a discussion of the knowledge, then
motivational, and finally organizational influence areas. Each of the KMO areas will end with an
influence summary table (Table 4). After the study explains the organizational influencers, a
complete summary of all KMOs will be provided followed by the conceptual framework of the
study.
Knowledge and Skills
The purpose of this section is to explore studies regarding the knowledge and skills
needed to understand and promote teacher retention, turnover, and efficient transition. The key
stakeholders, who include administrators and educators, must have the knowledge and expertise
necessary to develop effective strategies to address the organizational goal to retain 70% of
teachers each academic year. In this literature review, this study will look specifically at the
knowledge and motivational influences that affect the organizational behaviors and help achieve
stakeholder goals. By exploring these influences, this paper hopes to identify specific gaps in
knowledge and motivation to effectively address the organizational problem of teacher turnover.
This paper starts by exploring the knowledge influences of the key stakeholders.
Knowledge influences. The information processing theory suggests that knowledge
people obtain from formal and informal learning experiences determine how they learn and
apply what they know (Schraw & McCrudden, 2006). A lack of knowledge of the causes and
solutions of teacher retention may prevent the organization from developing effective strategies
to achieve stakeholder and organizational goals. To significantly increase teacher retention at
Thai International School (TIS), both teacher and administrator stakeholders must learn and
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 32

understand the knowledge influences to identify organizational problem areas and practices to
address these challenges.
The first of the three knowledge types is declarative which identifies facts, meanings of
terms, and other descriptive characteristics of a particular organization, situation, or stakeholder
(Aguinis & Kraiger, 2009). The second knowledge type is procedural which answers how an
individual, group, or organization can perform a particular task or behavior (Aguinis & Kraiger,
2009).The last knowledge type is metacognitive. Metacognition is the process in which one
thinks deeply about the processes, behaviors, influences, and other factors that determine the
development and implementation of strategies (Pressley & Harris, 2006). These concepts are
assist with the understanding of the knowledge area because the processes can improve
individual and organizational performance by producing information through assessment to
address the needs of the stakeholders (Aguinis & Kraiger, 2009). Table 1 provides a summary of
knowledge types pertaining to teacher retention, and turnover.
In this literature review, five different knowledge influences have been identified that may
affect the effectiveness of teacher retention efforts at TIS. The following sections will explore
each knowledge influence, how they are related to the organizational and stakeholder goals, and
identify the associated knowledge type.
Knowledge of teacher concerns. The literature suggests that administrative support is
essential for teacher retention. As explained previously, there are numerous studies that have
found administrative support as high or medium level of important regarding the decision of
whether or not a teacher decides to leave a school (Boyd et al., 2011; Churngchow & Sittichai,
2014; Kersaint et al., 2007; Mancuso et al., 2010; ten Bruggencate et al., 2012). For the
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 33

administration to be supportive, they must be aware of teachers’ concerns that affect their job
performance and satisfaction.
Both administrators and teachers behave in a manner that is connected their belief systems
molded by their learned experiences. These learnt experiences affect how individuals react to
situations. For example, in Bengtsson and Penny's (2013) study, two groups of participants of
equal intelligence, were primed as being intelligent or unintelligent and given a series of
cognitive tasks (i.e. solve a puzzles) in which made errors on. The group primed as intelligent
attributed errors to problems with motor skills whereas the group primed as unintelligent
attributed errors to memory problems. This suggests that the groups’ beliefs about themselves
determined what they thought was the cause of their errors regardless if their ideas were correct
or not. Therefore, if teachers’ beliefs about the organization are negative, their thoughts
regarding school improvement are likely to be negative. Thus, school improvement maybe seen
as a futile effort because of negative school beliefs.
Accurate information regarding the teacher’s perception of general teaching conditions at any
school can be important essential for school development. Providing realistic perception
information may allow teachers to reduce their non-productive thoughts and behaviors to work
situations. In in this study, teacher perceptions are a form of declarative conceptual knowledge
can be assessed using surveys and interviews.
Teacher knowledge of retention best practices. Organizational actions can be more effective
if evidence-based best practices are implemented (Lynch, 2012). In this study, best practices are
a declarative knowledge type. The literature reveals many different best practice programs and
strategies. These programs and strategies include new teacher inductions, teacher mentorship,
improved recruitment practices, policies to keep partnering teachers together, open door policies,
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 34

and professional development opportunities (Ingersoll & Strong, 2011). While administrator
stakeholders are responsible for implementing a retention program, faculty members may benefit
from having knowledge of retention best practices because it can inform the actions and
behaviors needed to support the completion of their contract. Adjusting current teacher retention
efforts could thereby change the environment of the school and alter teacher behavior (Daly,
2009). The effort to gain knowledge of best practices will require a review of the international
school literature and interviews with other similar organizations to create new training for
administrators and teachers.
Western and Thai management styles. TIS is an international school with foreign
employees that function in the country of Thailand. Although the teachers and administrators of
an organization may be of foreign nationalities, the home country’s culture and management
style influences organizational policies and procedures. To illustrate, Petison's (2008) study on
local Thai employees that worked at international subsidiary company found that in order for
expatriate employees to work well in the organization they needed to adapt to the behaviors and
customs the local employees. Similarly, Selvarajah et al. (2012) explains that foreign teachers
and administrators must be able to let go of their western thoughts of leadership adapt to the
management style of the home country.
To explore this influence of management styles, a declarative conceptual understanding of
the foreigner’s expectations and misconception the organizations management style is essential.
Interviews provide an adequate method to identify stakeholder’s thoughts, ideas, and behaviors
regarding school management style. Through exploration of individual perspectives,
stakeholders will gain a deeper understanding of their culture, expectations, and thought
processes which allows them to critically analyze and change how they behave and communicate
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 35

(Gelfand, Erez, & Aycan, 2007). The exploration will also allow stakeholders to identify the
characteristics of the host country culture, promote empathy, and acceptance. It will also inform
the study of the programming school employees need to feel supported, empowered with
intercultural and cross-cultural communication skills, and satisfied with their job thereby
promoting teacher retention and organizational performance.
Knowledge of school employee expectations. A common misconception of a school
organization is that all stakeholders understand what each other is doing. However, the literature
reveals that teachers and administrators lack knowledge of each other’s duties and experiences
(Brock & Grady, 2009). In this study, the lack of knowledge is a factual declarative knowledge
type.
As explained previously, an individual’s prior experiences have a significant effect on
their beliefs, behaviors, and ability to learn new information (Schraw & McCrudden, 2006).
According to the literature, both experienced and new teachers and administrators appear to
automatically have conceptions of what each other do and act accordingly. However, every
unique organization may require an individual to operate and behave in different ways. For
example, some private schools require their teachers to be a part of the school team and commit
to serving the mission of the school and not complain or risk jeopardizing their merit pay
(Ballou, 2001). Knowing the roles and responsibilities of other stakeholders allows for greater
understanding of each other, garners trust, and allows individuals to work effectively within the
organization (Rust & Freidus, 2001, p. 11). In addition, understanding what each other does will
promote mutual understanding and cooperation between stakeholders to address retention and
foster organizational performance (Goette, Huffman, Meier, & Sutter, 2012).
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 36

Knowledge of teacher retention promotion. Attrition is a problem for all organization
stakeholders, especially teachers. Teachers are essential to the retention of fellow faculty
members. For example, several articles suggest that that teacher to teacher mentorship programs
are essential in promoting faculty retention (Bullough Jr., 2012; Ingersoll & Strong, 2011a;
Serpell & Bozeman, 1999; Weibke & Bardin, 2009). In addition to mentorships, teachers can
also contribute to school retention efforts because they knowledge of the unique needs of
teachers at a the school (Mancuso et al., 2010). Teachers knowledge of retention practices, a
declarative knowledge influence, is essential because experienced teachers are a resource for
novice teachers in regards to training and recruitment (Ingersoll & Strong, 2011). In addition,
veteran teachers may also receive support from other veteran and newer teachers during retention
efforts (Bullough, 2012). Therefore, teachers’ knowledge of retention programs are likely reduce
turnover for both new and older teachers.
Table 1
Teacher Retention Knowledge Areas
Assumed Knowledge
influence
Knowledge Type Knowledge Influence Assessment
Teachers need knowledge of
the common teacher work
condition concerns
(administrative support,
compensation, workload,
and contracts) to minimize
non-productive thought and
behavioral reactions.
Declarative (conceptual)

Interviews
Teachers need knowledge of
the best practices for
organizational and cultural
adjustment that will support
the completion of their
teaching contract.
Declarative (conceptual) Interviews
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 37

Motivation
Motivation is a multifaceted concept that involves expectancy value, self-efficacy, and
interest. Pintrich (2003) suggests that while knowledge is necessary, motivation plays a stronger
role in individual and organizational goal achievement and performance. Eccles (2006) explains
that Motivation in the expectancy-value theory is a process in which individuals believe they can
accomplish a particular task to produce a particular outcome. The value of the outcome
determines if the person wants to engage in the task. If the person values and is interested in a
related task, they are likely to accomplish it. To accomplish a task, the person must believe that it
has utility (e.g. working at a job to get money to buy things) or attainment value (e.g. being a
better person). The last motivational factor includes interest. When one develops personal
interest, it is something that they enjoy, are curious, or have a perceived notion of usefulness that
leads to long-term sustained behaviors.
Teachers need knowledge of
the differences between
western and Thai
management styles to
minimize personal
frustration and foster
productive organizational
communication and
performance.
Declarative (conceptual) Interview
Teachers need knowledge of
the school employee
expectations to encourage
retention, cooperation, and
performance.
Declarative (conceptual)

Interviews
Teachers need knowledge of
how they can encourage
faculty retention through
mentorship to promote a
support system for old and
new teachers.
Declarative (conceptual)

Interviews

THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 38

In addition to value, one must also consider the perceived costs of accomplishing the
task. According to Wigfield and Eccles (2000), there are three types of costs. First, one considers
how engaging in the activity reduces the ability to do other activities. Second, one determines
how much effort one must exert to accomplish the task. Last, the one must think through
emotional cost of perusing the activity. All of these motivational factors play a significant role
in the behaviors or lack thereof at TIS. As such, the organization must attempt to motivate
teachers to fostering teacher retention (Minarik, Thornton, & Perreault, 2003).
Expectancy-value theory. This section will focus specifically on the motivational
influence on teachers at TIS. Motivational influences are a key factor in exploring how the
organization can increase teacher retention. This paper uses the expectancy-value theory to
explore the administrator and teacher utility values and perceived costs.
Teacher utility values. According to Wigfeild and Eccles (2000), “utility value refers to
how a task fits into an individual’s future plans” (p.74). One way to school can reduce turnover,
is by developing programs that focus on teacher retention which thereby promotes the stability
and educational quality of the school (Smith & Ingersoll, 2004). However, some teachers may
have different future aspirations regarding their professional careers that do not correspond to
teaching. As explained previously, Watt & Richardson's (2008) study suggests that in regards to
future career aspirations there are three different types of teachers, “highly engaged persisters,”
“highly engaged switchers,” and “lower engaged desisters.” All three types provide insight
regarding teacher’s motivation for working at a school. It is necessary for this paper to
investigate the needs of each teacher type in the hope of communicating their work condition
perceptions to design a retention program that provides the career and teaching support the
teachers need to promote retention.
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 39

In addition to meeting the motivational needs of teachers, it is also important to identify
the faculty utility beliefs around teacher retention efforts. If teachers express the value and need
for retention efforts, organization administrators are likely focus resources to such programs.
Knowing what teachers believe may provide an indication of the urgency and necessity of a
teacher retention program. Should teachers not feel motivated to communicate the need for
teacher retention efforts or believe that it is a lower priority for the organization; the reason may
lie in the perceived costs which is explored in the following section.
Teacher perceived costs. Administrators and educators have numerous duties and
responsibilities that require time and energy to complete. The daily task list of faculty members
may hurt their motivation to contribute or express a need for a teacher retention program (see
Table 2). Buchanan, Prescott, Schuck, Aubusson, and Burke (2013) suggest that large faculty
workload reduces their job satisfaction and desire to do additional programs. Teachers may see
additional responsibilities, such as engaging in a retention program, as a waste of their time
because of their already heavy workload (Collinson & Cook, 2001). Forcing faculty to
participate in extra activities, such as a teacher retention program, may increase perceived cost
and reduce motivation to engage in school related tasks. Therefore, providing teachers the ability
to manage their time could address the large workload problems that may reduce motivation.
Teachers need to be able self-regulate their tasks to promote retention. According to
Kyriacou and Kunc (2007), teacher turnover is due to imbalance between intrinsic job
satisfaction and extrinsic dissatisfaction with school workload, bureaucracy, working hours, and
lack of work-life balance. This suggests that increasing intrinsic teacher motivation will increase
retention. According to Hanfstigl, Andreitz, Mueller, and Thomas (2010) study on 140 Austrian
secondary school teachers, the more a teacher felt they could self-regulate their duties, the more
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 40

likely they engaged in intrinsically motivated tasks. However, self-regulation does not mean that
teachers will always choose the tasks that are important to the school. The teachers need to see
the intrinsic value in retention programs. Minarik et al. (2003), suggest that schools can
intrinsically motivate teachers to adopt school priorities by addressing teachers’ unique needs. In
other words, in order for teachers to see the value of a retention program, the school must explain
how the program meets teacher needs.
Table 2
Assumed Motivation Influences of Teacher Retention.
Assumed Motivation Influences
(Choose 2)
Motivational Influence Assessment

Utility Value – Teachers need to see the value in
providing programs to support teachers to
promote retention.
Why did you become a teacher? What are the
things you most enjoy about teaching? What
are thing things you least enjoy about
teaching? How did TIS support you to do the
things you enjoy most about teaching?

If it were possible to go back in time and
change anything at the study school, what
would have needed to happen in order for
you to stay? (Interview Question)
Perceived Cost – Teachers need to be more
intrinsically motivated than extrinsically
dissatisfied to promote retention.
Walk me through your decision to leave the
school. When did you start to consider
leaving the school? How long did it take you
to decide to leave? What was encouraging
you to stay? What were the key factors that
made you finally leave? (Interview Question)

Organization
The purpose of this section is to investigate the organizational factors that apply to
retention and turnover. The organization component of the gap analysis is vital for improving
performance. Clark and Estes (2008) explains that organizational barriers filter attempts to
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 41

improve the knowledge and motivational gaps. In other words, school administrators must
understand and address organizational gaps to design effective programs of improvement.
However, organizations are complex social phenomena comprised of people that initiate, adopt,
and implement multifaceted activities (Pierce & Delbecq, 1977). Considering the intricacies of
TIS, this paper will look specifically at the organizational influences that apply directly to
teacher stakeholder group. As summary of the organizational factors can be found on Table 3.
Next, this study will explore organizational influences through cultural models and settings.
Cultural models. Cultural models refer to the currently established frame of thought
generally accepted and followed by a stakeholder group in the organization (Clark & Estes,
2008). Such models can help explain how individuals feel and what they may think in a given
situation. Two assumed cultural models influences will be explored which include how faculty
members distrust and have lack of confidence in school administration as well as their
miscommunication and lack of cultural understanding between Thai and non-Thai school
employees.
Distrust and lack of confidence. Trustworthy organizational leaders are a crucial
component for job satisfaction. Tickle, Chang, and Kim's (2011) path analysis of full-time public
school teachers found that administrative support was the most significant predictor of faculty
job satisfaction. The more teachers feel the school administration supports them, the higher the
school’s retention rate. However, lack supportive and transparent administrators could lead to a
culture of distrust. For example, Roskell's (2013) study of international teachers’ experience of
culture shock found that teacher participants had significant trust issues because of their
perceptions of administration actions. Teachers in the study believed that the school principal
engaged in favoritism and ignored issues they felt were important. The participants cited that
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 42

their principal was one of the reasons why they resigned. Similarly, Gonzalez, Brown, and Slate
(2008) noted that their teacher participants left their positions because they felt that they were
disrespected by administrators who were perceived to be corrupt and lacked sound moral
judgment. Issues of distrust may be so significant that teachers may be hesitant to have faith in
organizational efforts of improvement. For example, in Roskell’s study, researchers had to
demonize the principals in order to for the participants to trust them enough to disclose
information. Such reports suggest the need for ways to establish trust between faculty and
administrators.
The review of the literature reveals several suggestions to establish trust between
employee and administration. In Thailand, for example, school administrators have establish
trust by developing good personal relationships with faculty (Wei & Perez-Amurao, 2013). Other
research, such as Roskell’s (2013) study, suggests that effective induction programs may help
establish teacher confidence with administrators. Regardless of the method of establishing trust,
each organization must take into account its own distinctive issues and culture and develop their
own unique way to ways to establish trust between employees.
Miscommunication and lack of cultural misunderstanding. International school
teachers anticipate cultural adjustment when moving to foreign country. However, they may not
anticipate issues with adjusting to their new work environment. For example, Roskell (2013)
research on twelve international school teachers found that teachers who left their abroad
institutions had more issues adjusting to their work environment than cultural adjustment to the
country. She explained that this could be partially due to the influence of the host countries
culture on the organizational work environment. International organizations in Thailand that
employ domestic citizens usually adopt an organizational operation style that incorporates the
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 43

host country’s managerial and leadership style (Stage, 1999). TIS recruited most of its expatriate
teachers from the United States leading to a unique cultural combination of AmDavidan and Thai
cultures. However, Thai and AmDavidan cultures differ in leadership and managerial styles
creating conflict and confusion between domestic and expatriate employees. For example, Thai
leadership values relationships between individuals, avoids confrontation, and defers decision
making (Selvarajah et al., 2012). The AmDavidan leadership style values efficiency and
directness (Croucher et al., 2012). These leadership and communication styles are somewhat
contradictory to each other and can create conflict between Thai and expatriate stakeholders
(Stage, 1999).
Cultural settings. Organizational settings focus on specific elements within the
organizational environment that contribute to the creation of a cultural model (Gallimore,
Goldenberg, & Gallimore, 2010). The setting affects people’s experiences and influences how
they perceive the organization. This paper will be exploring two assumed cultural settings, which
include examining the dynamic between foreigner and Thai interactions and the inconsistent
organizational policies and procedures.
Foreigner and Thai interactions. TIS is an international school where foreign
employees must collaborate with one another. Considering that the Thai staff control most
administrative functions at TIS, effective interactions between faculties is important to
accomplish organizational goals. However, interactions between Thai and foreign employees can
be somewhat limited due to the cultural practices and understandings of each group. For
example, Stage's (1999) study of Thai employees working for a subsidiary of an AmDavidan
parent company found that Thai and expatriate employee groups interacted independently from
one another. Thai employees considered the expatriate employees to be on a higher employment
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 44

level and thus Thais interacted with them as if they were supervisors. They felt that they could
not be close to expatriate workers because of their perception that they must be polite and proper
at all times. In addition, from the Thai perspective, it is somewhat pointless to develop
friendships with expatriates because they will eventually leave the organization. The lack of
relationships with between foreign and Thai employee could potentially lead to tension between
each party.
Other types of Intergroup tensions can affect the level of collaboration between the
cultural groups. One type of tension is the inequality between the Thai and Foreign employees.
Thai employees report inequitable differences between themselves and expatriate employees.
According to particpants in Stage's (1999) research, expatriate employees appear to get
everything better than the Thai employees such as higher compensation and benefits. In addition,
Thais also felt that the expatriate employees looked down on them. Stage further notes that the
culture within Americanan affiliated organizations in Thailand has contradictory values and
behaviors. As explained before, the Thai management style emphasizes relationships with
employees; yet, they keep personal distance between expatriate employees. It is clear that
conflict and struggle is likely to be present in organizations that try to combine the organizational
styles of different cultures. Stage finally concludes that international organizations, depending on
the context of the situation, are constantly negotiating day-to-day operations and redefining
themselves. Therefore, expatriate employees should accept the Thai leadership and business
norms in order to encourage school improvement and teacher retention.
Lack of opportunities to influence school policy. Teacher influence refers to classroom
autonomy and their ability to affect the policies and practices of the school (Boyd et al., 2011).
As such, teachers are often intrinsically motivated, desire to influence, and contribute to the
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 45

organization. There is significant evidence that suggests that teachers who have the ability to
contribute to schoolwide planning and development are more likely to stay at their school than
those who do not (Allensworth, Ponisciak, & Mazzeo, 2009; Boyd et al., 2011; Mancuso et al.,
2010). Furthermore, teachers who do have the ability to influence organizational policies have
higher motivation and commitment (Ingersoll, 2001). At the same time, teacher influence is
dependent on how much control administrators provide to the teachers. The amount of control
administrators provide to teacher could be consider a form of administrative support
(Allensworth et al., 2009). Therefore, school policies that allow for teacher influence on
decision-making is likely to support teacher retention.

THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 46

Table 3
Assumed Organizational Influences of Teacher Retention
Assumed Organizational Influences

Organizational Influence Assessment
Cultural Model Influence 1: There is a
culture of distrust and lack of confidence in
the school administration that causes
teachers to lose motivation and disengage in
school improvement.

Interviews
Survey
Cultural Model Influence 2: Cultural
misunderstandings between teachers and
administration as well as Thai and foreigner
employees, inhibits well working
relationships reducing organizational
performance.

Interviews
Cultural Setting Influence 1:
Thai and foreign employees only interact
when necessary.

Interviews
Survey
Cultural Setting Influence 2:
Teachers do not have opportunities to
influence school policies and procedures,
which causes faculty frustration and
demotivation.

Interviews
Survey

THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 47

Table 4

Summary of Assumed Needs for Knowledge, Motivation, and Organizational Issues
Assumed Needs
Sources Knowledge Motivation Organization
Learning
and
Motivation
Theory
• Need knowledge of
teachers past
school experiences,
current
expectations, and
how they will
apply what they
know to their
current school.
• Need knowledge of
the common work
conditions and
concerns of
teachers.
• Need knowledge of
retention best
practices and
behaviors to
support the
completion of
teaching contracts.
• Need to increase
intrinsic teacher
motivation to
increase teacher
retention.
• Need to
communicate
perception of
teacher work
conditions to
improve job
satisfaction.
• Need to have self-
regulation over
work workload.
• Need for clearly defined
transparent
communication policies
and procedures.
• Need for the
development cultural
programs between
foreign and domestic
faculty and staff to
promote collaboration.
• Need for policies to
provide specific
opportunities for
teachers to contribute to
organizational
development.
Assumed Needs
Sources Knowledge Motivation Organization
Related
Literature
• Need knowledge of
the school
employee
expectations to
encourage
retention,
cooperation, and
performance.
• Need knowledge of
the differences
between western
and Thai
management styles.
• Need to express the
value of teacher
support programs.
• Need to see the
intrinsic value of a
retention program.
• Need for cultural
mentors between
foreign and domestic
faculty.
• Need for effective
induction and support
programing for teachers.
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 48

Conceptual Framework: The Interaction of Stakeholders’ Knowledge, Motivation,
Organizational Context
The conceptual framework is the underlying structure that consists of the concepts and
theories that inform a study (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). The conceptual framework allows
readers to identify the theoretical explanation and justification of why phenomena is occurring
and how it should be explored. The current study seeks to explore teacher turnover at TIS with
the PL stakeholder group as its focal point. In order to address retention issues at the current
international schools, this study needs to ask what were the KMO gaps at TIS that lead teacher to
decide to break their contracts. Identifying the reasons PLs left will provide specific retention
related information that will direct retention and attrition solutions and help schools avoid
replacing teachers altogether (Gonzalez et al., 2008). The following section provides the
theoretical foundation of this studies conceptual framework as it pertains to the selected
stakeholder group.
The Clark and Estes’ (2008) gap analysis provides the foundation of the conceptual
framework used in this study. The gap analysis framework is an analytical method that aims to
“support the selection of effective performance improvement programs” (p. 41). The framework
looks at organizational stakeholder’s knowledge and skills, their motivation, and the
organizational barriers that hinder their performance. However, it is important to point out that
the gap analysis is only the lens in which this study seeks to investigate teacher turnover. This
study utilizes the gap analysis as a way to organize the organizational influences that promoted
the stakeholder group to leave the current organization. Organizing the stakeholder influences in
this fashion provided this study an inquire road map with the hope of providing valuable
organizational implications for each of the KMO area. The gap analysis methodology uses
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 49

qualitative case studies with descriptive statistics. In addition, this paper will use personal
experience and relevant literature to draw information on the knowledge, skills, and motivation
of stakeholders and the organization’s barriers. Then, the interviews, literature review, and
content analysis will verify the information. Finally, the paper will then present research-
implications evaluated in a comprehensive manner and provide information to develop programs
of improvement. The next section describes the first conceptual framework diagram that was
used to explore the teacher retention with the chosen stakeholder group.
There are two conceptual framework diagrams used in this study. Each framework
provides a visual representation of the KMO elements and the literature based assumed
influences for each of the areas. As you may notice, the figures provides all of the influencers
identified in the KMO Influencer Summary (Table 4.). The influencers all relate to the
interactions between the chosen study stakeholder and organization. The hope is that this study
can confirm and potentially imply the effect of each assumed influence. In addition, the study
may also identify new influencers that this study did not identify during the literature review.
The next section walks though the first conceptual framework diagram and explains each
influencer and where they are situated with in the KMO framework.
The conceptual framework diagram presented in figure 1 focuses on the motivation of
leaving the international school. As identified by the purple rectangle, motivation involves the
value and cost of an individual engaging in a task or goal. This study theorizes that if teachers
perceived utility and attainment value (top orange square) of teaching at the study school is
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 50

higher than the level perceived costs (bottom orange square), they will choose to stay at the their
teaching contract, identified by the red diamond.
The level of utility and attainment and perceived costs are associated to different squares
which denote the KMO influencers revealed by the literature and summarized on Table 4. Each
influencer is divided in to one of there KMOs which includes magenta for knowledge, green for
motivation, and blue for organization. Each square contributes to either the level of utility and
attainment, perceived costs, or both. To help identify the interaction between the different
influencers, a second conceptual framework is provided and described in the following sections.
Figure 1
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 51

Figure 2

The second conceptual framework diagram (Figure 2) contains three overlapping
organizational gap areas: knowledge, motivation, and organization. The primary investegator
placed the assumed organizational influences in the diagram in their corresponding gap areas.
Note that there are thee dual overlaps in the diagram, which include knowledge-motivation,
knowledge-organization, and motivation-organization. The tri overlap area, knowledge-
motivation-organization, is located in the center. The center of the chart is the focal point of this
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 52

research as each of the other areas together influences teacher retention or attrition, or more
specifically, if teachers complete or break their teaching contract. To explore the components,
this study provide explanation of the knowledge gap area of the diagram.
The knowledge area, the left yellow circle, focuses on the information teachers have or
need to promote them to complete their teaching contracts. The first influence centers on
teachers’ past knowledge and experiences and describes what teachers knew before employment
at the current school. As explained in the literature review, individuals’ experiences influence
their expectations and behaviors in present situations (Schraw & McCrudden, 2006). Next,
teacher expectations, located in an overlap between knowledge and motivation, is the knowledge
of what teachers presume would be their responsibilities and rewards when they started at the
school. Their expectations connect to how they are satisfied they are with their work at school
impacting their motivation (Buchanan et al., 2013).
The rest of the knowledge influences are located only in the knowledge gap area. This
means that the dissemination of information through professional development trainings or
individual self-study are knowledge and skill based influencers. The diagram notes an overlap
between knowledge and organizational gaps that contain influencers that are affected by both
knowledge and organizational area. This overlap resents the absence essential organizational
professional development trainings that effect both areas (Smith & Ingersoll, 2004). For
example, school policies of the school, which is an organization area, inform the school
employee expectation, which is a knowledge area. This leads in to the organization part of the
conceptual framework.
The organization area is located at the bottom of the diagram because it is the foundation
for all school functions. Clark and Estes (2008) explains that the organization filters all programs
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 53

of improvement regardless of being a motivation and knowledge area. To support this point, note
that most of the organizational influences in the diagram are located in overlaps. These overlaps
highlights the filtration of the organization gap in most aspects of the school. The only influence
that is not in an overlap is the transparent policies and procedures. This is due to how the school
dictates policies and procedures to school stakeholders. While stakeholders understand and
comply with policies and procedures, the assumed influence notes the need for transparent
information to be provided to employees (Roskell, 2013). In addition, the cultural development
program influence located between the overlap of knowledge-organization, indicates a need for
cultural knowledge for faculty members. However, the organization’s professional development
planning must include cultural development in its policies and procedures. The other overlap
area between organization and motivation highlights the assumed influences of self-regulating
workloads, cooperation, and opportunities to contribute to the school. These overlaps lead in to
the motivation area.
The final gap area is motivation. The motivation area determines how much effort a
stakeholder will put forth to accomplish a task or in this study’s case, decide to complete their
teaching contract. The assumed influences in this area include teacher’s intrinsic motivation,
expressing the value of teacher support programs, and seeing the value of retention programs.
Intrinsic motivation assumed influences gets at the core of “why stakeholders teach?” “What is it
that drives them to be teachers?,” and “how do we foster intrinsic motivation through support
programs?” This study assumes that most stakeholders enjoy teaching and working with students
and key factor to why they want to stay at the school. However, cooperation, opportunities to
contribute, their ability self-regulate their workload, and their value of non-teaching duties may
increase their level of extrinsic dissatisfaction. If teachers do not feel the school is encouraging
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 54

the factors that motivate them intrinsically they may become disengaged from the school and its
activities (Eccles, 2006; Wigfeild & Eccles, 2000). Thus, new retention programs may not be
effective unless teachers feel it adds to their intrinsic motivation. As such, the less the teacher
feel that the school feeds their intrinsic interest, the higher their extrinsic dissatisfaction which
leads to attrition (Kyriacou & Kunc, 2007).
This study assumes that combination of knowledge, motivation, and organizational gap
areas either entices a teacher to stay or pushes them out the door. The current study seeks to
explore how these three areas lead to the premature leaver stakeholders to resign from the school.
Through the eyes of the stakeholder, this study seeks to examine their experiences and identify
specific areas that influenced their decision. The conceptual frame has been used to investigate
the research questions and identify the organizational needs necessary to promote teacher
retention and instruct professional programs.
Chapter 2 - Conclusion
This chapter provided a general overview of the research literature as pertained to
international schools, teacher turnover, and the knowledge, motivation, and organizational
influencers of teacher retention and concluded with the conceptual framework of the study. The
first section of the literature review provided working definitions, function, and common issues
found at international schools. Some of the common issues explored include teacher identity and
culture shock. The following section of the literature review provided an overview of the
common issues that affect teacher retention in general, as there were only few studies which
investigate international school turnover specifically. The review then described the knowledge,
motivation, and organizational influencers that may have affected teachers attitudes and
behaviors that lead attrition and turnover. Finally, the literature review ends with the explanation
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 55

of the two conceptual framework which combines the KMO influencers with the problem of
practice and study research questions. Using the conceptual framework, the next chapter focuses
the methods which were used to collect data, analyze, and provide implications of practice.
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 56

Chapter 3 - Methods
The investigating teacher retention through the voices of the PL required a method that
explores experiences. In qualitative research “the focus is on understanding the meaning of
experience, the researcher is the primary instrument in data collection and analysis, the process is
inductive, and rich description characterizes the end product” (Hill, Thompson, & Williams,
1997, p. 19). Considering that this study aimed to explore the experiences of teachers, a
predominately qualitative research design with a survey component to triangulate findings was
found to be the most appropriate way to explore retention in the eyes of the chosen stakeholder.
The next section describes the specific qualitative research designed used to explore teacher
retention at TIS.
Hill's (2012) consensual qualitative research (CQR) model provided the methodological
guide for the sampling, data collection and analysis of the study. CQR emphasizes a rigorous
qualitative consensus of a team of researchers who gather and analyze data from qualitative
means such as interviews, focus groups, and questionnaires’. Hill, Thompson, and Williams
(1997) explain that CQR has eight key characteristics:
1. Data are gathered using open-ended questions in order not to constrain the responses of
the participants.
2. The method relies on words to describe phenomena rather than using numbers.
3. A small number of cases are studied intensively.
4. The context of the whole case is used to understand the specific parts of the
experience.
5. The process is inductive, with conclusions being built from the data rather than
imposing and testing a priori structure or theory.
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 57

6. All judgments are made by a primary team of three to five researchers so that a variety
of opinions are available about each decision. Consensus is used so that the best
possible construction is developed for all of the data.
7. One or two auditors are used to check the consensus judgments to ensure that the
primary team does not overlook important data.
8. The primary team continually goes back to the raw data to make sure that their results
and conclusions are accurate and based on the data. (p. 522-523).
These eight characteristics of the CQR method fits the needs of this study because of its
emphasis on consensus, which reduced the effects of research bias and promoted the
trustworthiness of the study results.
Although CQR touches upon many aspects of this study’s method, it is important that this
study clearly explains each aspect of the methdology. The following sections will explore the
specific parts the study method. The first section is participant stakeholder section, which
provides an explanation of the chosen stakeholder group and the interview sampling criterion
and rationale. The second section focuses on the data collection and instrumentation of the study.
The third section provides an explanation how data was analyzed focusing specifically on CQR
guidelines. The fourth section explains the strategies used to promote trustworthiness. The fifth
section reviews how the study maintained validity and reliability. The sixth section is the ethics
section, which explains the precautions used to ensure ethical standards. The final part of the
methodology provides the limitations and limitations of the study.
Participating Stakeholders
The primary stakeholder chosen for this study was the teachers who have left prematurely
(PL) group. At the time of this study, TIS did not perform exit interviews with departing faculty
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 58

members regarding the specific reasons why a teacher left. As such, the PL stakeholder group
was chosen because they could provide valuable insight to identify the KMO organizational gaps
that contributed to their premature departure from TIS as well as ideas on how to address the
issues at the school. .
Interview Sampling Criterion and Rationale
The PL group encompasses a variety of different people. To allow the study to identify a
subject pool to relates directly to the current study, specific criteria were created.
Criterion 1. Participants of the study must have been teaching at TIS for at least one
month. The goal of this criterion was that the participants had enough time at the organization to
provide an in-depth account of their experiences. Teachers who had taught less than a month
may not have enough familiarity of the institution’s policies and procedures, administration, and
cultural practices to provide in-depth examples and critiques related to teacher retention.
Criterion 2. Participants of the study had chosen to terminate their contract prematurely.
The current organization required all new faculty members to sign three-year contract. Breaking
a contract at an international school had considerable risks. International school contracts are
binding documents that determine the reputation of the signing teacher. Teachers who broke a
teaching contract may not have a favorable employee reputation among the international school
community nor would they have been able to request a positive reference letter from the
contracted school. Therefore, breaking a contract suggested that the teacher had significant issues
with the school. This criterion ensures that participants had problems during TIS that led to their
resignation. Participants must not have been fired from the study school.
Criterion 3. The participants must have been able to speak English fluently. The current
organization, with the exception of the Thai culture and language courses, teaches students in
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 59

English. Although most of the participants in the study were native or native level English
speakers, individuals with Thai nationality were also considered as long as they could effectively
communicate in English which would be confirmed after explaining the informed consent
document. This ensured there were no misinterpretations of a Thai to English transcription
translation. Considering that most international school employees were required to speak
English, no difficulties were encountered while recruiting Thai nationals for the study.
Sampling rational. The sample size recommended by the Consensual Qualitative
Research (CQR) (Hill et al., 2005, 1997) method suggests a recruitment of 8 to 15 participants to
engage in in-depth interviews. This participant number range is suggested because samples with
less than eight subjects lack data consistency and studies with samples above 15 were found not
able to fully utilize the voices of the interviewees during data analysis (Hill et al., 2005, p. 199).
The investigator recruited participants utilizing the snowball recruitment method. This
method was chosen due to the study organizations policy not to release confidential contact
information on current and previous employees. Two initial lists of participants, Thai and
expatriate TLs, were created by the investigator based upon their personal contact with TL
individuals through social correspondence via social media or email. Then, based upon Hill et
al.'s (1997) recommendation, participants were randomly selected from each group. Individuals
were sent an invitation to participate in the study and given a week to respond. After a week,
another individual was randomly invited until the nine participants were agreed to participate.
Once agreeing to participate, informed consent document was sent to the participants and an
appointment to interview was arranged.

THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 60

Participants
A total of nine (n=9), six male and three female, participants were recruited for the study.
The participants included 5 American (56%), 1 Chinese (11%), and 3 Thai (33%) nationalities.
The study intentionally recruited 2/3 expatriate and 1/3 Thai national because of two reasons.
First, the study sought to determine if there were any similarities or differences between the Thai
nationals and Non-Thai teachers. Second, the estimated population of potential participants was
comprised a majority of non-Thai teachers. The reason for the large proportion of non-Thai
teachers is because of the study school’s preference to hire expatriate teachers. The school’s
preference reduced the pool of possible Thai teacher participants for this study.
Fifty-six percent (5) of the participants were between the ages of 25 and 34,
approximately 22% (2) from the ages between 45 and 64, and 22% (2) were from the ages of 65
and above. A majority of the participant’s native language was English (56%) (5), with the next
largest language category being Thai (33%) (3). Over 89% (8) of the participants had at least
their Master’s degree or above. Most participants did not have a teaching license or credential
(67%) (6). A majority of the participants had at least six years of experience with 22% (2) having
over 20 years of experience. A little less than half (4) of the participants had between 1 to 5 years
of teaching experience. For 67% (7) of the participants, the study school was their first
international school position. A summary of the participant data can be found on Table 5.

THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 61

Data Collection and Instrumentation
Prior to data collection, the previously sent informed consent document was reviewed by
the researchers with the participants prior to data collection to ensure they understood the extent
of their involvement in the study. Once the informed consent was signed, a basic demographic
questionnaire (Appendix A), the Spector (1985) Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS) (Appendix B) was
administered to the participant followed by a 1 to 1.5 hour semi-structured interview (Appendix
C). The short demographic questionnaire (Appendix A) provided the study basic background
information on participants. The following will explain each instrument used in the study.
First instrument administered was the demographic questionnaire which included items
that ask about education, teaching experience, age, and other information useful for demographic
purposes. The demographic questionnaire was provided to the participants through paper or
online survey software Qualtrix. Each participant was provided a confidential participant
identification code, that allowed the investigators to connect the questionnaire to the JSS survey
Table 5

Summary of Job Satisfaction Survey Results for All Participants
Participant Sex
Age
Range Nationality
Native
Language
Teaching
Range
Level of
Education
Teaching
License
Dylan Male 25 - 34 Thai Thai 1 - 5 Master's degree No
Gina Female 25 - 34 Chinese Chinese 6 - 10 Master's degree No
Jace Male 55 - 64 American English 1 - 5 Master's degree No
Kat Female 45 - 54 American English 6 - 10 Master's degree No
Owen Male 25 - 34 Thai Thai 1 - 5 Master's degree No
Paul Male 25 - 34 American English 1 - 5 4 Year degree No
Ray Male 25 - 34 American English 6 - 10 Master's degree Yes
Todd Male 65 - 74 American English 20 - 25 Professional degree Yes
Violet Female 65 - 74 Thai Thai 40 + Master's degree Yes
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 62

and interview for cross reference purposes. The demographic questionnaire no longer than 10
minutes to complete.
Second, the JSS survey (Appendix B) was administered to the participants by the primary
investigator shortly after they agreed to participate in the study or prior to the interview by the
primary investigator or teacher researchers. The JSS survey instrument determined participants
level job satisfaction at the study school. The JSS survey was designed to determine the job
satisfaction of human service staff. It is a 36-item survey measures 9 sub-scales of satisfaction,
which include, pay, promotion, supervision, benefits, contingent rewards, operating procedures,
co-workers, nature of work, and communication. The 9 sub-scales and the survey as a whole was
suggested be reliable and have discriminant and convergent validity (Spector, 1985, p. 705). The
JSS was administered by paper or online survey software. The JSS was cross referenced with the
interview analysis to provide another form of data triangulation. The survey took no longer than
10 minutes to complete.
The final instrument used was the semi-structured interview (Appendix C). Interviews
allowed for the development of a relationship of trust and openness (Hill et al., 1997). It also
allowed participants to think about their responses to questions. More specifically, semi-
structured interviews allowed for the researchers to respond to the situation at hand and ask
follow up questions that were pertinent to the interview questions (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016).
The interview questions we develop methodically and matched to each of the influence
documented in Table 4. Through the exploration of the literature and review with international
educators, the primary investigator created a list of 18 interview questions with follow up
questions (Appendix C). Appendix F provides a table that explains the connection between the
research questions, KMO influencers, and interview questions. An expert educator, who served
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 63

as principal at a Thai international school and was aware of organizational and cultural issues
that affect international schools in Thailand reviewed the interview questions. The expert
educator provided feedback and the questions were adjusted to insure that appropriate language
which international school teachers in this school’s population will understand and be open to
answering. The interview questions were sent to participants ahead of time to allowing time to
prepare and think critically about their responses.
Three researchers, the primary investigator and two research assistants who received IRB
and 10 hours of training on interview procedures, conducted the interviews. Each interviewer
kept a record how they thought the participants would respond to questions asked in the
interview process. They kept a journal of their expectations, behaviors, and experiences before
and after the each of the interviews. By responding to questions and keeping journals, the
individual interviewers biases will be clear and can be discussed during data analysis (Hill et al.,
2005, 1997). The journals kept by the researchers were discussed and noted during training and
team meetings for data analysis and trustworthiness purposes.
The investigators conducted and voice recorded face-to-face and internet video (Skype,
etc.) interviews. The following provides specific details regarding the interview protocol for the
face-to-face, telephone, and internet video interviews.
Face-to-face and internet interviews using Skype were conducted in a location with
minimal distractions, with a table and desk unless otherwise requested by the participant. All
interviewers followed the steps below:
1. (Internet Video Only) Set up internet video platform skype. The researcher tested the
audio and recorders a head of time.
2. (Internet Video Only) The participant was contacted via internet video platform.
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 64

3. The participant was greed.
4. (Face-to-face only) Offered quiet refreshments to participant.
5. Provided an overview of the informed consent document; explained the purpose of
the study, and checked to see if the participant has any questions.
6. If the participant agreed, they signed the informed consent form if they had not done
so already (Appendix D).
7. The participant was asked to fill out the demographic questionnaire (Appendix A) and
JSS survey if they had not done so already. (Appendix B)
8. The participant was asked permission to record the interview.
9. Once receiving permission, two or more recording devices were set up.
10. When the participant was ready, the researcher commenced the interview.
11. The interviewer started by asking first question on the set list (Appendix C)
12. Interviewer was allowed to take notes while listening to participant.
13. Interviewer clarified any additional questions.
14. After final question was answered the participant was thanked.
15. The participant was given a copy of the informed consent, if they did not have an
electronic copy, which included contact if they had any questions.
After interviewing, digital audio files were removed from the recorders and password
protected before being uploaded to dedicated and secured Microsoft one drive account that was
used only for purposes of this study. Only the researchers had access to the password protected
audio files and drobox account. The primary investigator had the interviews transcribed using the
confidential transcription service Rev.com. After the company completed the transcriptions, the
primary investigator reviewed transcripts for accuracy anonymize all identifying information,
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 65

converted files to MS Excel for analysis purposes, password protected, and upload files to the
OneDrive account. The primary investigator then sent a password protected transcript by email
the each of the interviewees to ensure accurate information. Each participant was requested to
send feedback within two weeks, delete and purge their transcript after they were finished
reviewing to ensure their identity protection. No participants sent feedback and the researchers
assumed the transcripts were acceptable.
Data Analysis
Consensual Qualitative Research informed data analysis procedure of the study. CQR is
a rigorous qualitative method that emphasizes the systematic examination through consensus.
Hill et al. (1997) explains that the CQR process is inductive in which conclusions are built upon
data versus imposing and testing a theory. In this study, a primary research team of three
investigators analyzed data and inferred conclusions. To do this, the primary team analyzed the
data independently then discussed the individual findings as a team and then agreed on the team
findings. The team then sent their findings to an external auditor, a position explained in the
following sections, who checked the data to ensure that the consensus fit the raw data and that
the team did not miss any important points. The team then reviewed the auditor’s report and
finalized the data analysis. Last, the primary investigator created a narrative write up of the
analysis that the primary team and auditor double checked, and then the write up was finalized.
CQR Team
The first step of the CQR process was to recruit primary and auditor team members. Hill
et. al. (2005, 1997) explains that primary team members should be individuals who can work
well with one another, are open-minded, and are able to discuss their prospective. Members
should have similar backgrounds but not so similar as to not have extremely different ideas of the
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 66

data. Further, members should be committed to their project. Similar to the primary team, the
auditors should be committed to the project but not be involved in all of the primary team
activities to ensure objectivity. The auditor member is generally someone who is well versed in
editing as they must double check between the team analysis and raw data (Hill et al., 1997).
The number of primary members recruited for this study include three individuals, the
primary investigator and two additional teacher members. All team members had previously
worked for the current study organization. All team members were not evaluated nor under the
supervision of the primary investigator. In order to increase the confidentiality and protection of
the organization the participants, pseudonyms names were used to describe the research team.
The first teacher team member recruited was Mr. David Thompson . Mr. Thompson has a
Bachelor’s of Arts in History with an emphasis in Asian History and a Master’s of Arts in China
International Relations. He had worked at the study organization for 3 years. He was a social
studies teacher an served as a junior administrator. He was instrumental in the development of
the organization and held many leadership and student activity roles. The primary investigator
choose Mr. Thompson as a team member because of his experience analyzing qualitative data
during his master thesis and work on the accreditation committee at the current school. In
addition, he was one of the three faculty members at the current organization who completed the
school’s three-year teaching contract and played a key role in the organizational development of
the school. Although no longer employed at the school, Mr. Thompson’s motivation to be a part
of this research study was rooted in being a part of beginning development of the school and
intrinsic desire to contribute to its improvement.
The second recruited member of the school was Mr. Ryan Reyes. Mr. Reyes has a
Bachelor’s of Science in Engineering and a Master’s of Science in Computer Technology. He
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 67

was he was also a science teacher and a junior administrator at the school. He was also
instrumental in the development of the school’s long range plan. The primary investigator choose
Mr. Reyes as a team member because of his scientific inquiry experience in science and
familiarity analyzing large amounts of data. Similar to Mr. Thompson , Mr. Reyes also
contributed to the beginning development of the current school and would like to contribute to its
continuing development.
The primary investigator, Mr. Thompson , Mr. Reyes have collaborated school
development project together demonstrating their ability to communicate with one another and
share their perspectives. This fulfills Hill et al. (1997) recommendation that team members
should be able to work well with one another while sharing different perspectives allowing the
analysis to get closer to the truth. However, to ensure the most objective analysis, the primary
investigator recruited an auditor for the study, Ms. Faye Hammond. Ms. Hammond, has her
Bachelor’s Degree in English language, authored six novels, and worked 3 years as a manuscript
editor. At the time of the study, she worked works with the primary investigator as English
lecture at a public Thai Uniersity. Ms. Hammond and the primary investigator occasionally
consult one another regarding the classes that they teach and do not have any supervisory
relationships. Her experience as an editor and published author, demonstrates her ability to
double check between the team’s data analysis and raw data fulfilling Hill et al. (1997)
recommendation for auditors to be detailed oriented and versed in editing
Team member time commitment and training. The primary investigator explained to
the primary team members and auditor the time commitment and training required for the
project. The primary investigator had estimated that time commitment for primary team
members to be approximately 122 hours. The time commitment included 10.5 hours of
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 68

conceptual framework, Clark and Estes’gap analysis, interview, and data analysis training. The
primary investigator had estimated the time commitment including training for the auditor to be
approximately 71 hours. An itemized time commitment table for each position can be found in
Appendix G.

THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 69

Creation of Domains and Core Ideas
As suggested by the CQR method, the analysis of data began with a meeting with the
primary team members who discussed possible literature based domain categories for Clark and
Estes’ (2008) KMO areas. After the creation of domain categories, each primary team member
independently divided the interview data into one or more of the KMO domains. After the team
members independently fit the data into each domain, the team met and discussed each interview
and how each member divided the data. The domains were flexible at this point allowing the
team to change them in order to provide a better fit for the data. The team then came to a
consensus and finalize the domains and the assignment of each piece of data.
Once the team placed the data into each domain, they then individually came up with
core ideas of each domain. A core idea is a concise way to describe the phenomena revealed in
the data (Hill et al., 2005, 1997). Once team members were finished developing their core ideas,
they met and discussed the ideas and came up with a group consensus of the core ideas and
wording. The group then created an abstract of the core ideas. Then the primary investigator sent
the finalized core ideas to the auditor who analyzed and compared the domains and core ideas to
the raw data. The auditor then provided feedback which the team member discussed and adjusted
domains and core ideas as necessary.
Cross Analysis
After the core ideas were finalized, a cross analysis took place to determine the
similarities within core ideas across cases which was then placed into clusters of similar ideas.
The cross analysis was done independently and then discussed as a team. The team then created
and assigned category names to the clusters. After the cluster were categorized, the team
members determined the frequency (general – for all cases, dominant – for most cases, and
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 70

variant – for few cases; Hill et al., 2005, p. 63) of each category. Next the team sent the cross
analysis to the auditor who will reviewed the categories and frequencies and provided her
comments and feedback. The team reviewed the auditor’s feedback then adjusted and finalizeed
the cross analysis.
Demographic Questionnaire, JSS and Cross Reference
Upon the ending of the interview data analysis, the demographic questionnaire and
descriptive statistical analysis of the JSS survey was used to triangulate data. First, the
demographic questionnaire was used to group participants and identify any data trends from the
cross analysis. Any group findings were reported in the narrative write up. Second, the
descriptive statistics results from the JSS survey were compared with the result of the cross
analysis. Any consistencies or inconsistencies between the JSS and cross analysis were noted.
The cross reference between the instruments allowed an increased creditability and
trustworthiness of the data.
Narrative Write Up
The primary investigator created a narrative write up that summarized the data analysis. It
included information regarding the domains, core ideas, categories, cross analysis, group trends
based upon demographics, and comparison with the JSS. The primary team members and
auditors reviewed the report before it was sent to participants for their feedback. The participants
were given a week to respond. Three participants responded after being sent the data stating that
the data analysis and narrative were appropriate. The completion of this step indicated the end of
the study.

THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 71

Credibility and Trustworthiness
The study implemented several methods to maintain creditability and trustworthiness.
First, the study implemented multiple instruments to increase triangulation. The demographic
questionnaire allowed for the investigators to categorize data revealed in other instruments to
determine any data trends. The JSS survey allowed the investigators to compare and contrast
descriptive statistic information with results from the interview analysis. The comparison
allowed the study to confirm or note inconsistencies from multiple angles.
In addition to looking at the data from multiple angles, the CQR method required that
researchers independently review all raw data and do data analysis individually before discussing
and finalizing the analysis as a group (Hill, 2012; Hill et al., 2005, 1997). The primary team
member was provided training, which included practice, during each step of the analysis.
Independent analysis assured that the influence of the team is minimized allowing for their
individual perspectives of the data to come through. After the team came to agreement, the
team’s analysis was sent to the external auditor who compared the team’s analysis to the raw
data. This was done to ensure that multiple perspectives from the study which allowed for an
increased approximation of the truth (Marshall & Rossman, 2011).
Additionally, to increase credibility and trustworthiness, the study incorporated several
methods to ensure reflexivity and researcher bias. Findlay (2002), identified five types of
reflexivity that researchers are required to engage in in order to reduce researcher bias and
promote the study results to be closer to the truth. This study incorporated reflexivity methods
based upon each of Findlay’s types. The following explains reflexivity and strategies that were
implemented.
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 72

The first reflexivity type is introspective. Introspective requires researchers to examine
and observe their emotional, behavioral, and cognitive processes that may affect the research
process. To address introspective, each research team member was required to answer keep a log
of their emotions, behavior, and thoughts during the interviewing, individual and group analysis
phases of the study. Researchers discussed their thoughts at the beginning of each researcher
team meeting, which took place approximately twice a month, and utilized the information to
ensure biases did not affect the analysis. These strategies ensured that researchers were aware of
their emotions, behaviors, and thoughts and enhance rather than influence the research process.
The second type was intersubjective reflection, which is when researchers examine their
individual experiences throughout the research process. This includes exploring their thoughts,
feelings, and behaviors during interviews, individual data analysis, and group analysis sessions.
In this study, the primary investigator facilitated the examination of team member’s experiences
at each study step (interviewing, analysis, etc.). The team provided a description of what they
did, and how they felt in their notes. Team members discussed their experiences and their effects
on the research process during team meetings.
Third, is mutual collaboration, which involved participants, sharing their thoughts with
researchers on the data that is collected and analyzed. This study implemented several methods
to ensure collaboration. First, this study utilized a semi-structured interview method that allowed
for researchers to ask follow up or clarifying questions. Second, after interviews are completed,
the primary investigator sent transcriptions to interviewees to ensure that their thoughts and
perspectives were accurately noted. Last, the primary investigator provided the narrative write to
the participants for their review, which was used to adjust the study results and implications.
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 73

Fourth, is social critique which explores the power imbalance between researcher and
participants. Researchers are often seen in a position of power which influences the responses of
participants (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). To minimize this, Moje (2000) suggested that
researchers focus on adjusting their body language, clothing, and language to promote rapport
between the interviewer and participant. In this study, interviewers were required change their
demeanor when talking with participants. However, the interviewer and interviewee had already
worked with one another on a professional level establishing common ground with one another.
Common ground promotes positive rapport in a research relationship (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016).
In addition, none of the research team members were working for the current study institution,
which suggested similar positionality in terms of the researcher and participant’s relationship
with the school. Researchers with similar positionalities allow for the development of trust
relationships and for interviewers to speak openly (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016).
Finally, discursive deconstruction focuses on the ambiguity of language and how both the
researcher and participant present themselves in a research setting. Similar to social critique, this
reflexivity method acknowledges that researchers and participants act and speak differently in a
research setting. As both participant and researchers knew each other prior to the study, the prior
relationship reduced the behavior and language differences. Nonetheless, the researchers were
required to share their experiences after each interview in a journal and take note of the
interactions that may be noteworthy. The research team discussed these experience notes during
the research team meetings to determine any significant issues with the results. Nothing was
found that could have significantly affected the result results in this study.
In addition to Findlay’s list of items, other approaches provided by Merriam and Tisdell
(2016), were incorporated into the study. First, the study utilized triangulation as a method to
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 74

compare the qualitative findings with quantitative results. The instrument utilized was the
Spector’s (1985) JSS survey that measures nine subcategories of job satisfaction. The level of
satisfaction for the nine areas confirmed the analysis provided by the research team in the study.
The second approach included member checks. The participants of the study were sent both
their transcripts and the findings of the research team. The participants were given a week to
provide feedback. No concerns or issues were reported regarding the data in the study. The third
approach focused on increasing reliability. Merriam and Tisdell (2016) stated that in qualitative
research reliability is concerned with “whether the results are consistent with the data collected”
(p. 251). In this study, primary investigators went back and forth between the analyses and the
raw data to ensure consistent and accurate assertions. In addition, the auditor of the study also
went between the team’s analysis and raw data and provided feedback for the primary team to
consider and adjust as necessary. All three of these approaches added to the credibility and
trustworthiness of the study findings.
Validity and Reliability
This study utilized the Spector’s JSS survey (1985) to measure the satisfaction of
participants regarding the current study organization. The JSS was designed for human service
staff including trainers which suggests its applicability to international school teachers who
provide similar service to students and parents. The JSS survey was reported to have internal
consistency and reliability (p. 705). Furthermore, the JSS survey study also concluded that the
JSS has discriminant and convergent validity (p.705). For the current study, the JSS was used to
provide frequency statistics which were compared with the qualitative data analysis. Validity and
reliability analysis in this study were not attempted because the results would not be meaningful
because of the low number of participants.
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 75

Ethics
This study was qualitative in nature with an aim to provide rich descriptions of social
phenomena through the means of interviews. The in-depth nature of collecting data through
qualitative means often leads to participants to disclosing sensitive and highly personal
information about themselves (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). Due to the sensitive nature of this
research, ethical standards require this study to take every precaution to minimize potential harm
to participants and the organization. Please note that information is provided vaguely to protect
the identity of the organization and the participants. The primary investigator incorporated
precautions to ensure an ethical study.
To begin to explore the ethics applied in this study, I must first describe my relationship
to the organization. In November 2012, the study organization recruited me to be a faculty
administrator for the school. I was the one of the first foreign employees at the school and
worked closely with the then with the school administrator. I assisted her with all aspects of the
school including recruitment of teachers, policy creation, and admissions. As the school recruited
more teachers, my duties focused specifically on providing administrative service to students. I
completed my employment contract of three years and planned to find other opportunities.
However, I was asked me to stay on a part time capacity to assist the accreditation committee
and remain an administrator. Six months later, I resigned from my position once I finished my
accreditation duties. At the time of this study, I did not have any professional ties to the study
school.
The research team of is also an ethical consideration for this study. Both primary team
members are individuals who have worked closely with me at the study organization. They were
two of the original faculty members who help to open the school. None of the primary team
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 76

members report or evaluate each other in as a supervisor on in a position of power. Together we
have sat on school planning, student, and accreditation committees. One of the potential issues
with working closely with other another is that we may have similar ideas that could influence
the data analysis process. In order to minimize this potential basis, the research team was
required to write in research journals and discuss thoughts about the study and the analysis
throughout the study. In addition, the study required all of the analysis to be reviewed by an
external auditor. The auditor recruited for this study was a fellow lecture at my place of work in
the English Department at a local Thai university. The auditor and I were of the same position
rank and sometimes consult with each other regarding teaching activities. We did not supervise
or evaluate one other. The auditor was not familiar with the study school and did not know the
other research team members. Her lack of familiarity of the school and other team members
minimized the potential influences of her audit of the data analysis. To further minimize the
potential biases, auditor biases of data analysis she is also required to keep a research journal that
was reviewed during meetings with the primary investigator. Not significant issues regarding
bias were noted during the meetings.
Although I was longer a paid employee of the study school, I helped build it and felt
vested its success. However, my position may have influenced the teachers who choose to
participate in the study. It is important to note that none of the participants at the subject pool had
ever been under my direct supervision. Nonetheless, my position was organizationally higher
than that of the faculty members, which suggests the potential for unintentional participant
coercion and influence. This study took several steps to minimize unintentional coercion and
influence over participants. First, the study implemented strategies to maximize the
confidentiality of the participants. As explained in the data collection section, I digitally secured,
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 77

password protected, and anonymize identifying information obtained through interviews and
interview transcription. Second, I emphasized the voluntary nature of the study. I made clear to
the participants that they could have discontinued their participation at any time without any
penalty or retaliation. The participant signed the legally binding inform consent document (ICD)
(Appendix D) which explicitly explained the voluntary nature of the study protecting them from
possible coercion and influence. Finally, I provided the contact of my faculty advisor, Dr. Jenifer
Crawford, and the USC Institutional Review Board (IRB) to the participants if they had any
questions or concerns that they would have felt uncomfortable discussing with me. These three
precautions minimized the potential for unintentional coercion and influence because of my
previous position. The next sections of the ethics section further describe the study’s ethical
strategies that minimized risk and maximized participant protection.
Introduced in the previous paragraph, one precaution placed in this study was the
informed consent document (ICD) (Appendix D). The ICD provided participants information
regarding the purpose of the study, study procedures, potential risks and discomforts, potential
benefit to participants, confidentiality, participation and withdraw, and investigator contact
information. The investigators reviewed the ICD with the participants to ensure that they
understood their role in the research, their level of commitment, risks and benefits, identity
protection, and whom they could have contacted if they had any questions.
Another precaution strategy was to keep the information and identities of participants
confidential. This was particularly important as the participants work in the international school
community would could potentially tarnish their reputation. Identifying information was present
on the informed consent form, demographic questionnaire, audio recording, and transcription. In
order to ensure confidently, the primary investigator kept all printed forms such as the informed
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 78

consent and demographic questionnaire in a locked cabinet and digital files in the password
protected Onedrive folder. In addition, audio files were password protected and held on one
computer and backup through Onedrive. Only the primary investigator and research team
members had access to the Onedrive account used only for the purpose of this study.
Furthermore, the primary investigator was the only person who had access to the raw data files
of transcriptions that were coded with pseudonyms and password protected restricting access.
The third precaution was to minimize potential investigator biases. Based upon Hill et al.,
(1997) recommendation to minimize potential biases, the investigators created journal entries
and drafted their potential biases and thoughts regarding the research. As the research proceeded
to the data analysis stage, team members created journal entries to record any other biases after
the interviews. Some of the biases may include researcher’s feelings about organizational
policies, importance of assumed influences over others based on their personal experiences, and
opinions on employees of the organization. The team reviewed journal entries during and after
the analysis, which ensured the integrity of the study.
The final ethical precaution was the USC Intuitional Review Board’s (IRB) review of the
research proposal. The IRB ensured that researchers conducted studies in an ethical manner,
minimized any risks to participants including identity protection and discomfort. The board
determined if the precautions in this study were sufficient to protect participants from any harm
during the study. No potential issues were identified by the IRB.
The precautions presented establish the ethical foundation of this study. The ethical
strategies in this study minimized the potential for participant harm. The biggest precaution was
the IRB review, which approved the precautions set by the primary investigator to ensure the
safety of all participants in this study. Ensuring the high ethical standards of this study not only
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 79

protected participants but also made certain that the study and its results maintained a high level
of integrity.
Chapter 3 - Conclusion
The third chapter explained the approach to data collection, analysis, creditability and
trustworthiness. The overall analysis approach was highly influenced by the Consensual
Qualitative Research model that emphasizes a rigorous independent review of the data and team
consensus. As such, nine participants of the PL stakeholder group were recruited through the
means of social media and personal contacts. The individuals were required to take the Job
Satisfaction Survey and participate in an interview. The analysis strategy based on CQR, was
implemented by a team three researchers and one auditor. The analysis was then compared, as a
method of triangulation, to the respondents results from the job satisfaction survey. Finally, the
methodology section provides an overview of the measure put in place to reduce bias and ensure
accuracy and trustworthiness of the study results. The chapter, presents the results and findings
of the study analysis.

THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 80

Chapter 4 - Results and Findings
To begin chapter 4, this study will first review chapters 1 through 3 which provided the
guidelines that allowed the results and findings chapter. Chapter one began with presenting the
problem of practice, international school teacher turnover and retention issues, and provided four
research questions which included 1. What recommendations can be drawn to improve teacher
retention through faculty professional development? 2. How did teachers’ lack of knowledge
impact their decision to leave the school? 3. How did teachers’ motivational values and
perceived costs influence their decision to leave? 4. What were the organizational factors that
influenced teachers’ decisions to leave? From these research questions, chapter 2 was created to
provide a review of the literature as it pertained to international schools, teacher retention, and
the knowledge, motivation, and organizational influencers. Chapter 2 concluded with the
guiding conceptual framework that instructed chapter 3, methodology. This study utilized the
Consensual Qualitative Research methodology which focused on rigorous independent and team
analysis of the participant transcript data. In addition, the job satisfaction survey, the quantitative
aspect of the study, was added in order compare the qualitative aspect of the study. The analysis
of the quantitative and qualitative aspects is presented in the current chapter.
The results and findings chapter is divided into two sections. The first section presents
the results of the quantitative aspect, or the Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS), of the dissertation. The
first section provides an overview of the job satisfaction survey subcategories. The second
section, or the qualitative results, presents the underlining KMO themes identified through the
CQR data analysis method. Quantitative and qualitative sections will be presented in the results
chapter and then discussed and elaborated with the research questions in chapter 5.

THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 81

Quantitative Results
The quantitative section focuses specifically on Spector’s (1985) Job Satisfaction Survey
(JSS) results from the 9 participants. This section first provides the overall frequency summary
of the results is presented in Table 5 followed by details of the 9 subcategories of the survey.
Due to the low number of participants in the study, the JSS survey is discussed in terms of
frequency and percentage. The frequencies and percentages of the JSS survey present a clear
method to determine a general idea of participant satisfaction at the study school. Each of the
subsections contained 4 questions to which participants were required to answer one of the
following “agree slightly,” “agree moderately,” “agree very much,” “disagree slightly,”
“disagree moderately,” and “disagree very much.” All of the “agree” responses If the
participants responded with a higher number or percentage of “agree” responses in a particular
subcategory, it would suggest that the participants were satisfied with the that aspect of the
position. On the other hand, a higher number and percentage of “disagree” responses would
indicate dissatisfaction. The number and percentage of responses were also disaggregated
between Thai and foreign employees for comparison purposes. A summary of the participants’
frequencies and percentages can be found on Table 6. A Summary of JSS results between Thai
and foreign participants can be found on Table 7. The following paragraph presents the general
summary of the JSS survey results.
General Summary. The results of the JSS survey revealed that overall participants were
dissatisfied with their job at TISR with 65% of all responses. Foreign participants were slightly
less satisfied (65%) than the Thai respondents (63%). Participants were most satisfied with
Nature of Work at the school at 83%. They were least satisfied with Communication at the
school at 97%, 92%, and 100% for the overall, Thai, and foreign groups, respectively.
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 82

Table 6

Summary of Job Satisfaction Survey Results for All Participants
Sub Categories
Count of Dissatisfied Count of Satisfied Dissatisfied Satisfied
Disagree
Very
Much
Disagree
Moderately
Disagree
Slightly
Agree
Slightly
Agree
Moderately
Agree
Very
Much # (%) # (%)
Benefits 11 2 13 2 8 0 26 (72%) 10 (28%)
Co-workers 8 5 3 3 6 11 16 (44%) 20 (56%)
Communication 16 13 6 1 0 0 35 (97%) 1 (3%)
Contingent rewards 4 14 10 2 3 3 28 (78%) 8 (22%)
Nature of work 1 3 2 7 11 12 6 (17%) 30 (83%)
Operating procedures 9 9 11 4 3 0 29 (81%) 7 (19%)
Pay 6 6 8 5 10 1 20 (56%) 16 (44%)
Promotion 3 4 13 8 7 1 20 (56%) 16 (44%)
Supervision 12 12 5 4 1 2 29 (81%) 7 (19%)
Grand Total 70 68 71 36 49 30 209 (65%)

115 (35%)
# = The count of participant responses

Table 7

Summary of Job Satisfaction Survey Results Between Thai and Foreign Participants
Subcategories
Overall Thai Foreign
Dissatisfied Satisfied Dissatisfied Satisfied Dissatisfied Satisfied
# (%) (%) # (%) (%) # (%) (%)
Nature of work 6 17% 30 83% 2 17% 10 83% 4 17% 20 83%
Co-workers 16 44% 20 56% 4 33% 8 67% 12 50% 12 50%
Pay 20 56% 16 44% 8 67% 4 33% 12 50% 12 50%
Promotion 20 56% 16 44% 8 67% 4 33% 12 50% 12 50%
Benefits 26 72% 10 28% 8 67% 4 33% 18 75% 6 25%
Contingent rewards 28 78% 8 22% 7 58% 5 42% 21 88% 3 13%
Operating procedures 29 81% 7 19% 10 83% 2 17% 19 79% 5 21%
Supervision 29 81% 7 19% 10 83% 2 17% 19 79% 5 21%
Communication 35 97% 1 3% 11 92% 1 8% 24 100% 0 0%
Grand Total 209 65% 115 35% 68 63% 40 37% 141 65% 75 35%
# = The count of participant responses

THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 83

Benefits. In this subcategory, a majority of participants were dissatisfied (72%) with
Foreign being slightly more dissatisfied than Thai employees at 75% and 67%, respectively. This
category was ranked five out of nine in terms of the highest job satisfaction categories. The
highest number of dissatisfied responses was noted to be on item 29 that asks, “There are
benefits we do not have which we should have.” The responses suggest that participants
believed that the fringe benefits provided by the school were not at an adequate level.
Co-workers. With a slight majority of satisfactory responses (56%), the co-worker
category was the second most satisfying aspect of the school. This indicates that participants
were slightly satisfied with colleague interactions at the school. Thai participant responses were
had a 17% slightly higher number of satisfaction responses (67%) than foreign respondents
(50%). This suggests that foreign responders were neither satisfied or dissatisfied with co-
workers. In terms of items analysis, the respondents were more likely to note satisfaction with
the JSS items 7 and 25 that indicated that they “like the people” they worked with. On the other
hand, the dissatisfaction responses were indicated in items 16 and 34 when the questions were
geared towards “working harder… because of the incompetence of people,” and “too much
bickering and fighting.”
Communication. Participants ranked communication as the least satisfying aspect of the
school with nearly all responses indicating dissatisfaction at 97%. All foreign employees (100%)
indicated that they had issues with communication at the school with Thais employees at 92%.
Item analysis revealed that all participants felt that the communication of the “goals of the
organization” (item 18), “what is going on with the organization” (item 26), and the explanation
of “work assignments” (item 36) was not adequate.
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 84

Contingent rewards. Seventy-eight percent of participant responses indicated
dissatisfaction with contingent rewards at the school which ranking forth least satisfying
subcategory. Foreign employees appeared to be much more dissatisfied at 88% versus Thai at
58%. Two of the three Thai respondents appeared to indicate satisfaction regarding the item 5,
that they “receive recognition,” and item 15, that the work they do “is appreciated,” whereas
most of foreign employees reported the opposite.
Nature of work. Participants in the study were most satisfied with the nature of work at
the school at 83%. Both Thai and foreign respondents had the same satisfaction percentage at
83%. All respondents reported satisfaction on item 17, or that they “like doing the things [they]
do at work.” The lowest level of satisfaction was found on item 8, “I sometimes feel my job is
meaningless.” Thirty percent of respondents noted some dissatisfaction with item 8 and 35, the
personal meaning of their job.
Operating procedures. Eighty-one percent of the participants’ responses noted
dissatisfaction with operating procedures at the school. Thai participants were more slightly
more dissatisfied than foreign participants at 83% and 79%, respectively. All of the participants
indicated dissatisfaction with item 6, that the “rules and procedures make doing a good job
difficult.” The next highest level of dissatisfaction stems from item 24, that indicates that the
participants had “too much to do at work,” at 89%.
Pay. A slight majority (56%) of participants were dissatisfied with the pay at the study
school which was the sixth highest dissatisfaction sub-category. The Thai participants appeared
to be slightly more dissatisfied with pay with 67% of their responses compared to foreign
participants at 50%. More specifically, in item 1, 67% of all participants’ responses identified
that they felt they were not being “paid a fair amount for their work.”
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 85

Supervision. A large majority of the survey responses (81%) indicated that participants
were dissatisfied with the supervision at the school. Thai employees were slightly more
dissatisfied at 83% when compared to the Foreign employees at 79%. The item analysis reveals
89% of participant indicated supervisor dissatisfaction because their “supervisor” was not “quite
competent in doing his/her job,” in item 3, and that their supervisor shows “little interest in the
feeling of subordinates,” in item 21.
The next section will present the qualitative results based upon the interviews with the
nine participants in the study.
Qualitative Findings
In the qualitative section, the findings have been divided into the knowledge, motivation,
and organization areas of Clark and Estes (2008) gap analysis. Each area has several themes that
were revealed by the CQR team analysis. Each Theme has been named, provided with a
frequency label, and briefly described. Please note that there are three different types of
frequency labels as prescribed by Hill (2012). In this analysis, number of “cases” indicates the
number of participants who alluded to the theme. The number of cases informed the type of
frequency label used in the analysis. The first frequency type is “general” and means that seven
or eight of the participants experienced or spoke about the theme. The “typical” frequency type
means that more than half of the participants (5-6) spoke about experiences with a particular
theme. Finally, if two or more participants spoke about a particular theme would be considered a
“variant” frequency type. Following the description and frequency type, evidence, in the form of
participant transcriptions, will be presented and elaborated. Table 5 provides a summary of the
participants pseudonyms and demographic information used in the analysis. Last, a general
summary of the evidence will be provided for each area.
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 86

Knowledge
A total of nine themes surrounding knowledge were found from the team’s data analysis
which includes two general, three typical, and three variant frequency types. The next section
will discuss the general frequency type themes that were found during the data analysis. A
summary of the themes and frequencies can be found on Table 8.
Table 8

Knowledge Themes

Theme Category Frequency Cases
Relevancy of professional development General 9
Lack of language knowledge and cultural fluency General 9
Lack of cultural fluency Typical 7
Lack of language knowledge Typical 5
Lack of basic organizational knowledge Typical 4
Need for professional development for administrators Typical 4
Misconceptions about the nature of the school as an international
institution
Variant 2
Need for classroom focused professional development Variant 4
Need for outsourcing professional development Variant 2

General themes. The two themes that were found across all participants includes the
relevancy of professional development and the lack of language knowledge and cultural fluency.
Two additional subcategories, lack of cultural fluency and lack of language knowledge, were
found under the lack of language knowledge and cultural fluency. The following explores each
of these themes and includes a brief description, evidence, and elaboration.
Relevancy of professional development. All of the participants explained that in one way
or another the professional development provided by the school did not address or were not
applicable to the needs of the teachers at the school. For example, Jace explained the situation
where he and other teachers needed basic day to day skills such as using the student information
system, training which were not provided. He explained that “[the administration] could have
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 87

picked a topic that was actually relevant, for instance, how to use [student information system].”
Later, he explains that a potential reason why this training was not implemented was because the
people planning the professional development did not have information technology experience as
explained in the following:
because you need somebody who is trained to do that like an IT person… that
can't be done by [the professional development coordinator]… so they don't do it.
It's a last minute thing for them, so they try to teach something that they know
which is what everybody else knows already.
In this quote, Jace suggests that what is covered in the school’s professional development plan is
based upon the person in charge of development. Therefore, teacher professional development is
deeply influenced by the professional development leader. In this case, he believes that since the
leader did not have training in the student information system, the professional development was
done as an afterthought. Other basic needs for teachers such as understanding the organizational
structure, payroll, and visa process was not adequately explained and thought to be “the
important things for keeping me there as a teacher,” according to Ray.
Other interviewees explained that the professional development that was provided could
have been more applicable to various subject areas. For example, science teacher Dylan
“couldn’t see how [the professional development] was applicable to…science.’ Similarly, Ray, a
teacher with over five years of experience, stated that the professional development “curriculum
delivered was more in line with teaching for people that have never been in the classroom
before,” and that “most of the teachers that were hired already had classroom experience for a
few years at least.” Ray is one of most recent participants to resign from the school, whereas
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 88

Dylan is one of the first teachers suggesting that the professional development provided at the
school has been not seen as applicable or relevant for several years.
The relevancy of professional development appears to have two types. The first type is
professional development necessary to accomplish basic task such as daily duties of a teacher,
administrative knowledge of basic human resource processes, and trainings relevant to the
academic coursework taught by the teachers. According to Maslow (1943), the basic hierarchy
of needs suggests that or the “physical” foundation needs must be provided for self-fulfillment.
If people do not feel physically secure, then they will take actions, such as resigning from the
current position, to ensure that those needs are met. However, even if these basic needs are
fulfilled, the level of esteem, requires experinces being applicable to the person’s development
and contribution to the world. For example, providing professional development programs that
allow teacher to fulfill their “desire for achievement.. adequacy… reputation or prestige” (p.
381) is important professional and personal fulfillment promotion the development of the level
of esteem. This suggests that the lack of applicable professional development diminishes the
ability of receiving emotional need to contribute to the school and the students. Therefore,
providing relevant professional development that address the physical and emotional needs of
the teachers is essential for teacher retention.
Lack of language knowledge and cultural fluency. This category is a general theme
found in all cases. The research team was able to identify two subcategories within the parent
theme, lack of cultural fluency and lack of language knowledge. Both subcategories focus on the
knowledge that faculty members and school staff have or do not have regarding the
communication and behaviors between employees’ cultural backgrounds and the ability to
perform effectively at the current study school.
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 89

Subcategory - Lack of cultural fluency. This subcategory is a typical theme which was
spoken about in nearly all participants. Cultural fluency is considered to be “the acquisition of
cultural sensitive communication tools that allow an individual to function much like a native of
another culture” (Scott, 1999, p. 140–141). In the current study, most teachers felt they had a
lack of cultural fluency training. This lack of training appeared to cause a divide between Thai
and foreign employees which some foreign faculty members felt was a lack of respect for
foreigners. For example, Ray explained in his interview that the human resources officer refused
to list him as married on his tax papers. When he confronted the officer, the officer responded,
“all foreigners get divorced so it doesn’t matter.” This participant saw that as an example of the
negative attitude of the human resources office to the foreign faculty and even noted saying that
this could be “racism towards outsiders.” One of the Thai faculty members interviewed, Owen,
noted that many Thai office staff did not have international experience and being confronted
could be perceived as “public shame.” These two examples highlight how the lack of cultural
understanding between foreign and Thai employees could result in conflict and decreased
organizational efficiency.
Subcategory - Lack of language knowledge. Similar to the lack of cultural fluency, the
lack of language knowledge, a typical theme, was also a barrier for effective communication and
understanding at the school. Paul shared, “communication is not possible when it’s not
necessarily clear what the lingua franca of the institution is... many of us cannot speak Thai...
Many of the staff could not or were not really willing to speak English.” In his words, Paul
suggests that without a “lingua franca,” or common and agreed-upon language at the school,
communication was difficult or impossible. Other participants also noted that language barriers
pose serious problems and left faculty members feeling vulnerable. Kat reflecting back said “I
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 90

remember thinking, what if I get a flat tire? I don’t know who to call, I don’t know what to do.”
Her “inability to speak Thai fluently” made her feel “very vulnerable.” This corresponds to
language difficulties outside of school. Connecting vulnerability to the school life, Dylan stated
that “not many of the ex-pats were able to speak Thai,” which became a “major barrier for
collaboration.” In this case, the inability to speak English or Thai caused work relationship
problems at the organization. All three examples highlight the barriers caused by the lack of
language knowledge of both Thai for foreign faculty members, and English for Thai staff, which
appeared to decreased efficiency in and outside of work and collaboration between the Thai and
foreign employees.
In addition to the lack of cultural fluency and language, several of the participants noted
possible solutions. Ray explained that professional development programs where teachers and
Thai staff engage in informal experiences, such as playing football or teambuilding activities,
assisted with the development of friendships and helped the interviewee survive the year. He
stated:
One of the most valuable things we did as a staff was when we were playing
football together and futsal, because everybody likes playing sports and you don't
need a language, you don't need a common language or a common heritage to
have a beer with somebody else or to play a quick game of something.
Ray suggests that language is not essential to develop relationships for school collaboration. His
words suggests that it is more important to have common experiences through things that each
group enjoys such as sports focusing professional development on such activities could improve
cultural fluency.
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 91

Similar to Ray, Violet, a Thai faculty member with 40 years of experience, also supports
Ray’s suggestion stating that faculty and staff should have “unofficial” meetings and activities
on a regular basis such as every month. She also notes that the experiences should be “well
plan[ned]” by gathering information to create a “serious program” with a “long-term plan.” This
is in line with what Gina states as that the “cultural program training… should be more
continuous instead of just in the orientation.” Sharing the other two participant’s thoughts on the
importance of cultural training, Gina also suggests that such a program should also focus on
“how to behave in the academic fence” and learn how to work with Thai colleagues and elder
faculty members. Together, the solutions presented by the participants share what they think are
the needs for cultural fluency professional development.
Typical themes. The categories presented in knowledge area represents themes from at
least half of the participants that were interviewed for the study. Two themes were created based
upon the consensus team’s discussion of the participants’ core ideas.
Lack of basic organizational knowledge. This theme covers the lack of basic knowledge
regarding the schools vision, mission, and general information regarding the schools ideology.
Owen, Paul, and Violet stated that there was a lack of clear vision and understanding to guide
faculty members. Owen, who is a part of the first teachers to work at the school, explained that
once his cohort of teachers “heard the vision and mission, [they] came up with all these plans to
make sure [they] get [the vision].” However, his statement about the new incoming teachers, “I
don’t think they understand the school,” may not have been as committed as “the first year
teachers,” who were “really committed.” Owen’s statements are supported by Paul, a second
year teacher, who shared “a clear vision and understanding of what we were trying to do as a
school,” when asked what would have made him stay at the school. Paul further explains that the
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 92

teachers appear to need training that “focus on the… same ideology” and given “example
activities… not just lectures,” during the training programs. As such, it appears that there was a
lack of follow through in terms of providing training on the basic ideology of the school between
the original and the teachers who were hired after the first year.
Need for professional development for administrators. This theme focuses on the lack of
basic administration knowledge from the school leadership and or classified Thai staff regarding
operations at international school. Although this is a focus on administrators and supporting
staff, the lack of collaboration and communication with the faculty appears to be an underlining
theme in the knowledge area revealed in the preceding themes. This suggests that any additional
training provided to administration and support staff is likely to also support the retention of
teachers. To support this statement, Todd, veteran teacher and administrator in Thailand and the
United States, explained that the administration and supporting staff lack knowledge and
experience for their jobs at the international school.
Of course nobody knew what I knew and nobody knew what I was doing. I
had to explain every step of the way to… people why things should be the
way they should be based upon experience working with a large volume of
schools…
His words suggest that an experienced administration team would understand the
reasoning behind his actions to support students. Similarly, Ray, an experience US state licensed
teacher, stated, “I sincerely think that the entire administrative team would've benefited from
actual training in administration. It seems like it was a lot of people who had been put into a
situation without ever being trained.” The thought of administration training is also supported by
Kat who stated that some “basic management skills” such as “how to run meetings and how to
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 93

organize people’s time… weren’t necessarily implemented.” In addition to the basic
management skills, Owen further explains that the Thai administrative staff had “very little
understanding about international teacher recruitment…”and that the plans the “academic
services side try to implement… [is] not the right way to do it.” Owen provides an example of
the push back from the office staff because of their lack of knowledge which was likely to cause
friction between them and foreign administrators and teachers. Together, the four participants
highlight a need to provide training for administrative and supporting staff members regarding
basic management and recruitment procedures at international school.
Variant themes. The variant categories covered in the knowledge area presented in the
table mean that two or three participants spoke about a particular theme of importance. The first
theme, misconceptions about the nature of the school as an international institution, was talked
about by the most experienced teachers interviewed in the study, Todd and Violet. Both
participants explained that there was a lack of understanding among faculty members regarding
the way in international school is supposed to be managed and the types of experiences and
knowledge students are supposed to receive.
The second theme identifies the need for classroom focused professional development.
Dylan explained that the professional development plan assisted with bonding with colleagues
but was not useful with student learning in his discipline. Furthermore, Violet suggested that the
training should focus on how to make the classroom interesting for students and provide
examples on how to implement such strategies in the classroom.
The third theme identifies the need for outsourcing professional development. Jace, who
has been a manager in the engineering industry, noted that the professional development program
at the school was “a meaningless experience for the teachers… creat[ing] animosity” because
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 94

administrators were often “wasting [teacher’s] time.” Outsourcing professional development
allows teachers to choose based upon their own needs versus “boring them to death” if they
already have the training being taught.
Knowledge themes summary. The general, typical, and variant themes identified in this
section focused specifically on the lack or need for knowledge at the current school. One area of
knowledge faculty need is cultural fluency. Basic organizational knowledge and professional
development for administrators is also an area of knowledge needed at the school. The final
knowledge area is the lack of professional development relevancy to the faculty. The next
section will explore the themes and categories regarding the motivation KMO area.
Motivation
A total of 10 themes were developed from the consensus teams cross analysis. Two
general themes and eight typical themes were derived from the data. Similar to the knowledge
area, the motivation themes will be explored through the frequency types. A summary of the
motivation themes can be found on Table 9.
General themes. The two general themes derived from the data include teacher
motivation generated through student contact and lack of collaboration between Thai and foreign
employees. These themes were found in nearly all of the participants’ interview.

THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 95

Table 9

Motivation Themes
Category Frequency Cases
Teacher motivation generated through student contact
General 8
Lack of collaboration between Thai and foreign employees
General 8
Need for guided professional growth and recognition rather than pay
Typical 5
Need for appropriate financial compensation
Typical 4
Presence of needless bureaucracy reduced teacher motivation
Typical 6
Administrations lack of management induced attrition
Typical 5
Teacher to teacher collaboration increased motivation
Typical 4
Teacher freedom in classroom increased motivation
Typical 4
High workload decreased motivation and involvement outside of the
classroom
Typical 4
Administrative bias, disregard, and mistreatment decreased motivation
Typical 4

Teacher motivation generated through student contact. Working with students appeared
to be a motivating factor for most teachers who were interviewed. For example, Paul and Dylan
stated that they enjoyed seeing their students develop skills and understanding of the subject
matter they taught. When talking about the things he enjoyed most about teaching, Paul
explained, “I enjoy teaching writing and getting them to see ways in which they can improve
writing themselves in terms of English skills.” Similarly, Dylan stated, “I like speaking to
students in class… whenever I try to convey a message to students… The most enjoyable part
would be when students actually grasp the concept.” Furthermore, Gina stated that she feels
“really encouraged to see the growth of their knowledge.” Based on the transcripts, the teachers
in this study appeared to feel good that they are able to pass on knowledge to students. As such,
all three examples suggest that teachers receive intrinsic motivation when their students learn the
concepts that they are trying to teach.

THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 96

In addition to passing academic knowledge, some faculty members stated that the
extracurricular activities made the school a positive place. For example, Ray explained “the
sports days, the interactions with students… were what made the school a very good place with
student culture.” Ray at the time of the interview was comparing the student extracurricular
activities to the “worthless” school meetings which “were completely the opposite of [student
activities].” Others stated that they would have loved to participate in more student activities if it
were not for the time constraints. For example, Owen explained that he “would’ve loved to
participate in more…” but “having so much on my plate… it was never… enough time.” His
experience suggests that the duties assigned to him as a teacher which included administrative
duties, did not provide time for him to participate or enjoy student activities. Together, the
participants noted that they enjoy and are motivated by working with students. However, some
felt they needed to choose their administrative duties instead of focusing on student development
through activities.
Lack of collaboration between Thai and foreign employees. Nearly all the teachers who
were interviewed noted that there was a lack of collaboration between Thai and foreign staff.
Gina noticed when talking about the interaction between the faculty and Thai administrators and
supporting staff that, “we don’t know what each other… are doing.” This suggests a lack of
communication between both parties which could potentially be because of language issues
previously discussed in the knowledge analysis. In support of this thought, Violet explains “some
[Thai] supporting staff cannot understand English language… they feel afraid.” Similar to the
Thai office staff, the language issue can also be felt for foreigners as Kat noted a “feeling of
vulnerability” because she could not speak the Thai language. As such, language barriers appears
to be a potential reason for the lack of collaboration at the school.
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 97

In addition to language, the perspectives of the ownership of the school were also quite
different between the parties as well and may have hindered collaboration. For example, Todd
noted that the Thai staff believe they “did all the work and they had more ownership” over the
school. Similarly, Paul stated that there was “a great deal of fighting” for programming and
budgets. When speaking about of foreign faculty members who initiated a student activity
program, Paul further stated “Thai administrators would often be trying to stop [teacher initiated
activities], to change that, to modify that, to take it out of [foreign faculty member’s] hands.” In
essence, school ownership issues could be the cause and reason for continual collaboration
difficulties at the school.
In addition to ownership issues, some participants suggested that the lack of collaboration
could be due to the Thai staff getting paid less than the foreign faculty. For example, Kat
believes that the “main problem is that foreigners get paid so much more than Thai staff… and
there is always an underlying animosity because of that.” The inequality of pay between the two
parties may cause Thai’s to have feelings of resentment and reducing their desire to work with
foreigners.
The lack of collaboration between employees, many of the foreign employees became
demotivated. For example, Todd, when asked the reason he left the school, he responded “I got
to a situation where the [Thai office staff] were a lot of drama, a lot of hostile behavior… I work
50 years I don’t need no bullshit basically.” Considering Todd extensive experience in Thailand
and ability to work at a variety of schools, his leaving came down to the difficulties due of the
lack of collaboration between Thai and Foreign employees at the school. As such, employee
collaboration appears to be a contributing factor to turnover and retention.
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 98

Typical themes. There were eight typical themes reveled during the analysis of the
study interviews. All the categories identified had at least five participants who spoke about a
motivation theme pertaining to teacher retention.
Need for guided professional growth and recognition rather than pay. A good majority
of the teachers interviewed noted that professional growth, such as being provided a career path
for promotion and recognition, was more important than being paid well. For example, Ray
stated that he “would much rather be happy at a job to worry about [his] paycheck.” This
signifies that as long as teachers were happy with their position, they were more likely to be okay
with the level of pay. Similar to Ray, Kat thought the pay at the school was “fair” and “never the
issue.” She was “was extremely looking forward” to working at the school because of the
promise of professional growth such as being a department head and that the school
“support[ed]” her getting a PhD. Ray and Kat’s words suggest that if teachers are happy with the
job and the opportunities it provides for growth, they are less concerned with money.
In addition to growth, recognition also appeared to be important for some interviewees.
For example, Owen explained when asked what would need to be changed at the school in order
for him to have stayed, he said that the school would have needed to “create an environment
where people who are working really hard are recognized from their hard work. They are giving
credit not financially, but in terms of [recognition].” Along with Ray and Kat, Owen’s words
suggest that a clear career path, professional growth, and recognition are more important to
keeping employees than higher pay. However, should these opportunities not be provided,
monetary compensation could also be a factor to reduce turnover.
Need for appropriate financial compensation. Although the previous theme indicates
that professional growth and recognition are more important than teacher pay, several
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 99

participants did note that the compensation package at the school was insufficient when
compared to other international schools. Todd, who had over seven years of experience working
in international schools in Thailand, explained that the school doesn’t “have a package” so the
school is “not going to get the best teachers.” One particular teacher, Dylan, “didn’t see the
income satisfying the needs of [him] and [his] family,” stating that “there were no bonuses”
which is “rare in the educational realm.” For Dylan, compensation was a key factor for leaving
the school. Others whose priority was professional growth, recognition, or being happy at the
job, felt that they were not being paid enough to deal with the problems at the school. Paul, for
example, stated that his “compensation was fine under a normal environment but given all these
extra problems, it was not enough.” Based on the participants words, compensation is important
to some faculty members. However, while most believe that school provided an adequate salary,
the school’s teacher compensation package was not as competitive when compared to other
international schools. Additionally, the pay was also enough to deal with problems at the school.
Presence of needless bureaucracy reduced teacher motivation. Most participants noted
that the school bureaucracy, which was often disorganized, reduced their motivation for school
improvement. Some of the bureaucracy shared by the participants dealt with teaching paperwork,
grading, and initiatives. For example, Ray stated that he “really dislikes… the needless
bureaucracy… where it’s become more inundated and what [he] considers to be outside of what
actually helps the classroom.” Similarly, Paul stated that “the more bureaucratic nonsense you
have to deal with, the less freedom you have to prioritize what you really need to [do].” Both
participants appeared to state that requiring teachers to do an excess amount of paperwork
reduced their ability to teach freely.
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 100

In addition to the bureaucracy, some participants also noted the school was quite
disorganized. Because of the “messiness and disorganization,” Paul stated that he had to be
“pragmatic” in his approach to work causing him to focus more on his classroom and “less on
the well-being of the entire institution.” Similarly, Jace when attempting to contribute to the
school encountered bureaucratic roadblocks, explaining that the school had “the kind of
culture… that says don’t take any initiatives because it’s a waste of time.” He explained that he
is a “professional… not looking for a tip,” and as such not being able to contribute was very
demotivating. In summary, needless bureaucracy wasted teachers time, reduced the ability to
teach freely, and demotivated faculty members who wanted to contribute to school improvement.
Administrations lack of management induced attrition. Most of the participants noted
that the school lacked consistent management which led to many teachers leaving the school. In
following passage, Paul explains how the management at the school led to his eventual
resignation:
There was so much disorganization and everything was getting worse and
worse…it became clear that I was losing patience with the mess and I didn't really
want to deal with it anymore. I didn't want to always be cleaning up the messes of
administration or trying to defend the school's decisions to the students... it was a
mess and it was getting worse every day and it just seemed like a good time to
jump ship.
Paul felt that the lack of management required him to clean up the schools problems that were
not his responsibility on many occasions. When no longer could take solving the school
problems, he resigned. Similarly, Kat stated that there was “a complete lack of any kind of
administrative guidance,” which affected her health because she thought “was going to get an
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 101

ulcer.” According to Jace, the lack of management included the lack of scheduling, school focus,
and decisions being made without any direction. Others, including Ray and Owen, stated that the
administration did not follow through on their agreements with teachers. For example, Ray
explained that the school promised to assist with finding a position for his spouse and never did.
In Owen’s case, the school did not honor his workload limit agreement. As such, the issues
stemming from the lack of management led to the resignations of the participants’ experience
and qualified colleagues until they finally left themselves.
Teacher to teacher collaboration increased motivation. Approximately half the
participants noted that well working collaborative relationships with colleagues assisted with
self-motivation. For example, Dylan during orientation looked for individuals that would work
the “extra mile” with him. He found that working with like-minded coworkers who “gather[ed]
afterschool” would have “conversations… about the school and how it could… improve.. having
that bonding with faculty members outside… helped you to push [to] help school even more.”
Similarly, Ray stated that teachers at the school were hard-working, professional, and
collaborative regardless of “how bad the situation got.” The participant’s words suggest that
collaboration between teachers buffered bad situation and increased motivation to continue
working at the school.
Teacher freedom and resources increased motivation. More than half of the
participants noted the autonomy in the classroom and receiving adequate resources increased
their motivation. Owen stated that he had “all the freedom” to create things for his department.
He felt that during the beginning stages of the school was “some of the best times working”
because of the autonomy received from the school director. Similarly, Paul explains that his
freedom to develop curriculum allowed him to focus on the things that he enjoys about teaching.
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 102

In addition to freedom, Dylan explained that when the administration provided funding support it
made the work more enjoyable as they had opportunities to provide hands-on learning
experiences for students. For example, Dylan stated that when he was in “high school we never
had the opportunity to handle lab equipment.” School resources and freedom regarding the lab
allowed him to do “one of the things [he] really enjoyed… lab work.” As such, when faculty
members were provided opportunities to collaborate and given the resources to do the things they
enjoy, they become motivated contributors to the school.
High workload decreased motivation and involvement outside of the classroom. Half of
the participants noted that teachers were overburdened with their course load and had extra
responsibilities assigned by the administration. For example, Paul stated, “teachers felt that there
were overburdened by their workload,” and noted that they “became frustrated… because
administration would have demands that were seen as unreasonable given the workload.” This
also applies to participating in student activities as Paul further explained that “some teachers do
not like participating in them… justifiably,” because, “their teaching load was too large.” In
addition to workload, social harmony between teachers was diminished as some teachers felt
they were doing more than others. For example, Kat stated that having “certain people
completely over worked and others not contributing… creates a really bad environment.” In
Kat’s case, she felt overwhelmed with work as she had to take over a larger proportion of
assignments at the school because others refused or were unable to do them. As such, teachers
who feel that they were overworked were either less likely to contribute to additional efforts
necessary to help build the school. Being overworked also appeared to promote the feeling
animosity towards colleagues who did less than them.
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 103

Administrative bias, disregard, and mistreatment decreased motivation. A good
majority of participant interviews noted that many teachers were demotivated when they felt the
school administration was biased, engaged in mistreatment of teachers, and disregarded their
thoughts and ideas. In terms of bias, Kat stated that one of the woman administrators stated she
“was to forward and not warm enough as a woman” and that she “would do a lot better being
able to move into leadership positions if [she] learned how to be softer.” Kat stated it was the
first time she experienced “gender bias” from a woman and that her “experience was not great.”
Other instances expressed from faculty members noted that the administration would often
disregard their thoughts and ideas. For example, Jace presented a possible credit recovery course
for students in science after collaboration with several other science faculty to which he received
response of “well, I don’t know if I like that” because the administrator thought that he was
teaching according to the exam. Further, the administrator did not provide a suitable alternative.
At that time, Jace was already teaching students according to his plan and said, “type of response
to me was just completely demotivating.” He did not even submit a timesheet for extra money
which he was entitled to because “it just felt bad, tainted, dirty.”
Other faculty members also felt that they were mistreated and exposed to an unsafe
environment at the school. In Kat’s case, in an effort to help the school, she explained to the
assistant director “there is a problem going on and I think if you come down and talk to people,
you can stop it… I was told flat-out, no.” In addition to ideas being rejected, she saw the
unfairness between teachers who “worked really hard” and “were reprimanded for ridiculous
things” versus those who did nothing and were “never spoken to.” Similarly, when Ray brought
an idea to the administrators of how to support “seniors who were failing” he “was told that [he]
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 104

was a troublemaker for questioning what they were doing.” Later, Ray explained when deciding
to resign that:
the final blow for me realizing that I should just leave was when I was
brought in about a week later for a private meeting with [the
administrator]... I didn't quite understand her but she threatened my job if I
didn't just agree with her on everything. That's when I realized I'm too
qualified to put up with that.
It appears in this case, Ray, from his point of view, he was seen as a problem because he openly
communicated with the administration. All of the participants perspectives indicate bias,
disregarding of teachers’ thoughts, and mistreatment of teachers by administrators. This lack of
support appeared to demotivate the participant in the study and promoted teacher attrition.
Summary of the motivation area. The categories derive from the team’s analysis found
that student contact and teacher collaboration between other faculty members and the
administration is an important motivator for teachers. Further, professional growth and
recognition are important motivators while financial compensation was found to be a factor for a
few teachers. Additionally, administrator’s management and working relationships appear to
greatly influence teacher’s motivation. Finally, freedom in the classroom increased motivation
while high workload decreased teachers desire to contribute to the growth of the school. The
next section will cover the final KMO area, organization.
Organization
The organization area covers the themes surrounding organizational culture, policy, and
leadership. There thirteen categories derived from the data, three general, nine typical, and four
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 105

variant. Similar to the knowledge and motivation areas, each theme is explored by frequency
type. A summary of the organization categories can be found on Table 10
General themes. The consensus team identified three general categories in the
organization area. The first category focuses on the culture conflicts between employees. The
second focuses on the lack of meeting norms and standards. The final category focuses on the
lack of effective communication.
Cultural Conflicts Between Thai and Foreign Employees Led to ineffective working
relationships. Nearly all participants stated that the cultural conflicts between the faculty and the
administration caused the school to function ineffectively. For example, Owen stated that “there
was a lot of misunderstanding between the [Thai office staff and foreign faculty] that sometimes
created a conflict.” Additionally, Todd further describes how both Thai and foreign employees
would “give missed truths to [the school director] on each other.” He suggested that Thai office
staff had “turf issues” with foreign faculty members over who was in charge of different aspects
of the school. As such, the misunderstanding and miscommunication between parties of both
cultures resulted in distress, incorrect information being distributed and an even more stressed
workforce.

THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 106

Table 10

Organization Themes

Category Frequenc
y
Cases
Cultural conflicts between Thai and foreign employees led to
ineffective working relationships
General 8
Meetings lacked norms and standards General 9
Meeting involving administration were ineffective and seen as
worthless
Typical 5
Small group meetings are more effective than large gathering Variant 3
Lack of an effective communication system between and teachers
and administrators
General 8
Politics at the organization hindered diverse solutions to school
issues
Typical 6
Teachers had a lot of autonomy for lesson planning but lack
consistent curriculum structure
Typical 6
Lack of leadership, vision, and policy structure caused
disorganization and lack of support
Typical 5
Lack of balanced education leadership Typical 5
Issues regarding chain of command Typical 5
Lack of clear recruiting philosophy and goals Typical 4
Teacher led collaboration activities were preferred and effective Typical 4
Administrators assigned an unreasonably high teacher workload Typical 4
Teacher led collaboration activities were preferred and effective Variant 3
Evaluations were not collaborative, competent, and lacked goals of
improvement
Variant 3
Support from staff was needed for teachers in the school Variant 3

To explain the reasons behind the cultural conflicts at the school, some participants
suggested that teachers had problems with the Thai staff because they did not understand Thai
culture. To illustrate, Jace stated, “western teachers had problems with the Thai staff,” noting
that “you have to understand the culture…” and that “a lot of teachers don’t understand that they
are no longer in the US. We’re in somebody else’s house.” Others, like Kat, suggested that the
cultural issues were perpetual problems stemming from the “entitled” foreigners being paid
much more than the Thais who work “really hard for way less money.” In light of the problems
between Thai and foreign employees, Violet suggested that more planned “activities” between
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 107

both groups could avoid or resolve cultural “misunderstandings.” Similarly, Gina believed that
time must be spent with Thai staff to build relationships. At the same time, she also stated that
that there was no time to work or socialize together because “we are all very busy.” The words of
the participants suggest that unnecessary conflicts may have been reduced should cultural
understanding have been placed as a priority at the school and that all employees were given
time to develop trust relationships with one another.
Meetings lacked norms and standards. All participants noted problems with faculty
meetings stating that meetings were inefficient and ineffective. To illustrate, Todd, a veteran
teacher and administrator, asked the assistant administrator during a meeting with the school
director “do you have meeting norms?” which he explained included things like “put away your
cell phone. Pay attention. Be present.” The assistant administrator stated that “she didn’t know
what [meeting norms] were.” He further explained that meetings were burdensome,
inappropriate, and seen as negative to the faculty as demonstrated in the following transcript:
So, your one meeting per week, arbitrarily because of [administration], turned
into two meetings per week… So everybody was totally burnt because the…
meeting never ended after only one hour. So we're doing something that we
probably don't have to do at the time... And it's keeping people later. So [faculty
are] not sharp. They're tired. They're pissed off. And when they have to do
another [meeting], and end up leaving at six-thirty or seven o'clock. It's
unconscionable.
Todd’s opinion was shared by over half of the participants who felt that the meetings were
“worthless” which leads into the following subcategory.
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 108

Subcategory - Meetings involving Administration were ineffective and seen as worthless.
Over half of the participants stated either the meetings that involved the administration were
ineffective or worthless. For example, Dylan stated that no more than “forty percent of the issues
get resolved and the other sixty percent was just left open” in regards to school meetings.
Another participant, Ray, shared similar thoughts stating:
I would say personally that meetings were completely worthless at MUIDS
because it was things that should've sent in an email. Nothing was ever conveyed.
Any decision that was sent out at a meeting was immediately counteracted by a
different decision. It would have been nice to see the meetings were staff
members were treated more as professionals…[and] someone was actually taking
notes and keeping track of things.
Ray’s words suggests that the meetings had no value to teachers as general information shared at
the meeting could have been sent by other more effective means. More importantly, he shared
that records were not kept because many of the decisions made during the meetings were
reversed soon after. The inconsistency of decisions making was one of the key reasons for the
confusion and miscommunication between administration and faculty members. As such large
meetings with the administration and faculty were not effective due to the lack of rules,
organization, and follow through of decisions. However, unlike large meetings, small ones
appeared to be the preferred meeting method for some faculty members in the study.
Sub Category - Small group meetings are more effective than large gatherings. A few
participants noted that smaller meetings were better than the larger faculty meetings. Paul stated,
“I often met alone with the department chair… [the meetings] were smaller and ... quite
effective. I felt… meetings with small groups of people were essentially effective.” In addition,
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 109

Dylan explained that in a smaller faculty meeting without administration, the gathering was
“professional… it felt good… because whenever we had the admin with us, they were not very
receptive.” Dylan’s statement suggests that the smaller meetings allowed teachers to be more
open to discussing ideas with each other because administrators were not considerate to the
thoughts of faculty. While the works of these participants focused specifically on meetings, it
also highlights the issues surrounding communication between teachers and administrators.
Lack of an effective communication system between and Teachers and administrators.
All participants in the study spoke about a lack of communication between the administration
and the teachers. Todd, in his interview, provides an explanation for one particular administrator
at the school.
“the trust level between the teachers and the deputies that supervise them was
not hundred percent… One of the [administrators]… her communication style is
via emails and directives. Not by support, observation, guidance, anything like
that. It’s just like the Army… she just sits in her office all day… and sends out
emails. And everyone hates it. All her teachers, when they see her name pop up
in the address, they feel anxiety because there’s another directive.
Todd brings up issues with emails and directives that could be considered a disconnected style of
communication. According to him, the communication style was not supportive but more of a
dictatorial style which invokes feelings of nervousness for teachers.
In addition to making the teachers feel anxious, some participants explained that
communication from the administration became a problem when teachers concerns about the
school were ignored. For example, Kat explained that in the beginning of the school
communication was good but “things just went downhill really quickly. It is almost like the
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 110

administration checked out.” She further explained that at a certain point “[administrative
announcements] became a joke, like with the assistant director come in in the morning with a
new problem that we had pointed out weeks before that could have been completely avoided.”
Here the participant explains that the faculty appeared to share their thoughts about potential
problems but the issue would only receive administrative attention when it became a “crisis.”
Other than issues with communication, some participants stated that the administration
should have had somebody who could have communicated clearly with everyone. Paul, for
example stated, “our director of the second year was not a clear communicator so when she was
giving instructions or relaying information to a room full of 50 teachers, there was often
misconstrues and miscommunication because you have 50 ears hearing something different.”
Others, like Violet, explained that there needs to be a common email announcement from a
“central administrator” and someone who can respond if there are questions. All in all, there
appears to be a lack of an effective communication system that could provide consistent and
reliable information to faculty members.
Typical themes. There was a total of nine typical themes found in the organizational area
of the study. The first typical them focused on politics at the organization.
Politics at the Organization hindered diverse solutions to school issues. A good majority
of the participants in the study indicated that there was a high level of politics at the school.
According to Violet, if you do not have “some personal contact… It’s difficult to find all the
information.” In her case, because she knew somebody personally in the administration
department it was “really easy to find” information. However, she also stated, “it should not be
like that.” Additionally, Ray explained that things were very much “us versus them” in terms of
foreign teachers and Thai staff. He explained that situations turned into “people with
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 111

connections to the administration and the people that were just working.” People who had
connections to the administration were more likely to be given information, leadership roles, an
easier time receiving approval according to Kat. Similarly, Paul shared that “department chairs
often got frustrated… it was seen that [the Thai office staff] caused a lot of problems and were
often indirectly but intentionally working against the projects that the teachers were trying to
accomplish.” According to the participants’ words, whether the administration was working
against teachers is unclear, however, it appears that if faculty did not engage in politics at the
school, they were not effective getting information or new initiatives accomplished.
Lack of leadership, vision, and policy structure caused disorganization and lack of
support. A little over half of the participants noted that there was a lack of leadership which
cause a majority of the issues at the school. To illustrate, Dylan provided an analogy for
leadership at the school:
The leaders are the parents, the teachers and the faculty members they are siblings
with the faculty head being the older siblings. When a child in a family has a
problem, he addresses the problems to the parents. If the parents don’t respond or
they brush off the problems… of course the child is going to find another way to
rectify the problem.
Dylan words demonstrate that in many situations teachers appeared to have to solve many of
their problems without the support of the administration. He further explained that “the majority
of teachers” had “so much fire… willing to go the extra step,” but, “they need to have a great
leader, because a great leader is often looked upon.” Later he shared that after his director fell ill
“there wasn’t anybody strong enough to lead the team,” Dylan shared that if there could have
been a change at the school to make him stay that the leadership team would have needed to be
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 112

“stronger, not just compose a 3 to 4 people sitting in one office dealing with the academic side
and seven or eight other personnel sitting in the adjacent office dealing with the financial side…
There needs to be full collaboration between the two offices….” His words eludes that there was
a clear divide of leadership, collaboration, and vision between those who dealt with academics
and the administrative affairs side. Similarly, Paul, who was a teacher hired after Dylan, stated
that he had expected “there’d be a clearer organizational structure,” and that in his “two years
[he] was never in a place where [he] could say the school was organized.” This lead to Paul’s
resignation because “there was no leadership… vision within the school.” Ultimately, many of
the issues he and others experienced were unresolved. Kat sumed up the lack of leadership at the
school noting that the school’s culture and tone was not set due to the lack of “willingness to
manage” and the faculty who “needed the support and guidance” from the leaders. As such, the
issues with leadership could be a root of many other problems with the school.
Lack of balanced education leadership. A little over half of the participants noted that
the leadership team at the school was inexperienced and often unbalanced. To illustrate, Owen
explained that most of the decision-making board of the school were “not sure what has to
happen,” for a “secondary level… International school.” Similarly, Todd stated that the “lack of
leadership and sort of unbalanced structure” let him do whatever he wanted to. Although this
could be seen as a positive thing, Todd further explained that the imbalance of having an
inexperienced leader and administration staff meant, “nobody knew what he was doing…”that
“had to explain every step” to those in power who had no experience. Similarly, Paul shared the
administrative leadership was not usually on the same page. For example, some administrators
would “disregard” teacher’s thoughts while others would listen but not necessarily “agree” or
“take action.” In conclusion, Kat shared that the unbalanced leadership atmosphere could have
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 113

been the cause for many school issues including the lack of collaboration or “distinct separation
of teachers and administration.”
Issues regarding chain of command. A little over half of the participants noted issues
regarding the chain of command at the institution. It appears that the lack of command structure
allowed people to do whatever they wanted but also caused collaboration issues and role
confusion. For example, Todd stated that the “head of department” was required to answer
questions to the students and their parents about the school operations, something he has never
seen at other schools he has worked at. Furthermore, there where many leadership roles that
were born “out of necessity.” Similar to Todd, Gina explained that because of the “absence of
communication,” department chairs acted as the “buffer between the administrators [and] the
faculty.” Other significant communication issues regarding the chain of command according to
Owen is that sometimes the school board is only provided information from the administration to
which he said were “getting the wrong information.”
The last issue in this category focused on the succession of the chain of command. Kat
stated several leaders at the school caused problems for the faculty members and that school
board should have asked these incompetent or ill leaders to resign because they were “no longer
competent to run the school.” One of the potential reason that people were not asked to resign is
because there was no leadership succession plan. Jace stated that he was “surprised” that the
school didn’t “appoint or at least have a chain of succession” for the director position. As such,
many of the issues could have stem from an unclear chain of command and may have been a
contributing factor to the school’s disarray.
Lack of clear school processes and policies. A little more than half of the participants
stated that there was a lack of operation policies and procedures. For example, Todd shared that
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 114

simple procedures, such as using “student slips,” were unknown to most employees at the school.
Todd explained, “they didn’t have any call slips. As a matter of fact, the two [clerks] didn’t know
what a call slip was. I said, ‘that’s when you need a kid, you go give him a pass to come next
block. That’s called a slip.” In this situation, Todd was surprised to find that the administration
clerk staff did not understand what a call slip was since it is something common at all schools.
Other procedures, like minutes, were not institutionalized at the school. For example, Violet
stated there was no culture of keeping records for the administration and faculty. She explained
when requesting help from the support staff, she had “to tell them… the same thing many times.”
Violet also explained that “updates” on the school policy were not “consistent,” happened
quickly, and that administrators could not “explain the change” because the changes were not
“well-planned.” These quick changes caused her departure from the school. She explained that
after one curriculum policy change meeting, the school adjusted the academic curriculum
eliminating the classes she taught in her academic knowledge area. After one meeting, the school
had no use for her, and the administration was unable to explain the change to her which lead to
her resignation.
In addition to the lack of policies and procedures, several the participants stated that the
inconsistent and lack of knowledge stems from the lack of school vision. To illustrate. Jace
explained that “decisions [were] being made… without a lot of direction.” For example, “the
people doing the scheduling… [did] not have someone who is actually setting an academic
vision for the school.” In this case, students were placed in classes because “you can’t fit [them]
someplace else” and not because of guiding vision of the school. The participant’s words suggest
that the lack of clear policies and procedures caused many improvised actions without intention
that affected teachers and students at the school.
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 115

Lack of clear recruiting philosophy and goals. Participants explained that the school had
issues with hiring and keeping quality candidates which stemmed from unclear recruiting and
retention goals from the school. One participant, Ray, stated that “the worst thing that happened
to the school was a hiring of the very inept administrator,” to which the participant stated that the
board “needed to actually vet administrators and checks the references to find out how they done
at previous job and set of hiring based upon a whim.” It is clear from this participant statement
that he was not pleased with the selection of an administrator and that it appears that the board
who selected the administrator did not double check their credentials. He further stated that
having an “administration” that is familiar with international schools would have helped the
school because they would “understand how to work” with Thai and foreign employees.” In
terms of faculty members, Kat stated that the current school “does not pay enough to be deemed
a true international school… which mean going to attract” less qualified candidates. She also
stated that “it makes sense that people who are certified or have a certain number of years of
teaching experience” be hired at the school. However, due to the pay, the school was unable to
get highly qualified instructors. As such, Kat suggested that the school may need to increase
their pay to attract qualified candidates.
Other participants focused on the recruitment process of the school. For example, Owen
explained that the recruitment process was difficult because the Thai and academic offices have
different strategies for faculty recruitment. He further explained, “the Thai office… they have
very little understanding about international teacher recruitment. What compensation has to be
made. What are the steps… The appropriate orders they have to go through.” This made it quite
difficult when the “academic services side…implement certain plans, [the Thai office] thinks…
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 116

is not the right way.” Owen’s words suggest that the school had difficulty in implementing
practices that are common at other international schools for faculty recruitment.
Other than recruitment, some participants noted that the school was not doing enough to
to keep qualified candidates at the school. For example, Jace stated when talking about losing
very well qualified teachers “this entire thing was avoidable… MIT PhD’s in physics do not
grow on trees. You got to do everything you can to keep one of those… These are people who
actually cause a take on your revenue stream.” In this case, Jace explained that the school lost
well-qualified candidates that make the school reputable and popular because of their education.
He also clearly states that the school should have done more to keep teachers and further
suggesting that the decision to hire certain leaders cost the school “two PhD’s in physics.” As
such, all of the participant’s statements stem from the lack of clear recruiting philosophy and
goals that, according to Jace, is created by the administrator of the school.
Administrators assigned an unreasonably high teacher workload. A little more than
half the participants stated that they were assigned a very high workload. For example, Dylan
noted that he “had to fill in for subjects that did not actually have assigned teachers… We were
at the maximum number of blocks according our contracts, but we still had to go further than
that.” In this instance, Dylan talks about how teachers like himself were assigned to do extra
work because there were not enough teachers at the school. Similarly, Paul stated that the issue
was all ways that “teachers felt like they were overburdened by their workload.” He further
explained that “often administration first of all did not understand what they were asking of the
teachers and second of all did not understand the amount of time teachers were working… this
created some bad faith.” In terms of contacts with the students, Paul stated “the high workload
also did not allow teachers to participate in student activities because the workload “was already
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 117

quite heavy.” The participants’ words suggest that the administrators appear to not be aware of
how much work teachers had to do in terms of teaching in this created a bad atmosphere and
limited the ability to “collaborate with each other.”
Variant themes. Three variant themes, or categories in which at least two people had
similar ideas, were found in this data set regarding the organization area. The first variant theme
focused on how Teacher led collaboration activities were preferred and effective. Faculty
members appear to generally work well with one another, as Ray states that faculty members did
not “let their ego get in the way” of their work. He also stated that collaboration occurred
between departments but that it was stronger if teachers had a common area. For example, Paul
stated “within the department… collaboration was quite good.” However, some participants did
note that there were differences between different yearly cohorts of faculty members. According
to Dylan, it appeared that “newcomers… were not willing to step out of their comfort zone or
even sacrifice something for the good of the majority.” Together, it appears that while working
with faculty members appears to be better than compared with administration. Additionally,
faculty members generally worked better if they, arrived at the same time, worked in the same
departments, and or had common areas of interest.
The second variant theme focused on how evaluations were not collaborative, competent,
and lacked goals of improvement. One participant, Ray, stated that evaluations were one-way
explaining that “being evaluated by the [administrator]…It was very much talk down.” He
suggested that evaluation should be done “by a more competent method in a more collaborative
method. It is always a mixture of evaluations by administration, fellow teachers, yourself, and
then your students.” In addition, Owen states that workers must be recognized for their work,
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 118

given credit, and shown a career path. The participant’s words together suggest that evaluations
need to be more collaborative and should be focused on the employees’ development.
The final variant theme focuses on how faculty felt that they needed Support from staff.
One particular type of support that two participants noted was having a staff member whose job
is to provide guidance on how to approach certain situations. For example, Jace explained that at
his previous position, “we had a lady whose sole job was to be the into intermediary between the
English program and the Thai program… relaying information back to us… She would provide
us guidance on how to approach specific Thai administrators.” In this case, Jace explains that the
“Thai coordinator” help them to be effective at the organization and that if the study school had
someone like that, “it would remove a lot of the grumpiness and some of the teachers.” If
teachers are provided adequate support, according to Gina, it helps teachers “find ways… To
give the students the best experience.”
Summary of the organization themes. The organization analysis section explored the
organizational gap area themes present according to the participants in the study. The two
general themes presented focused on ineffective relationships between the foreign and Thai
employees, ineffectiveness of school meetings, and lack of effective communication. The typical
themes found in the study center around organizational politics, lack of effective operational and
instructional policies, and lack of leadership vision and guidance. The variant themes focused on
issues with evaluations and support from school staff. Together, the analysis of the organization
themes provides the highest number of themes and a key organizational gap area.
Chapter 4 - Conclusion
Chapter 4 presents the quantitative results and qualitative findings of the study. The
quantitative results used descriptive statistics to determine the means of the participant scores for
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 119

the job satisfaction survey. The results revealed that communication, supervision, and operating
procedures to have the lowest levels of satisfaction with the nature of work being the highest.
Next, the qualitative findings were explored through the knowledge, motivation, and
organizational themes. Each theme was described according to how many participants spoke
about a category with the general label applying to nearly all, typical for over half, and variant
applying to a few participants. The more general the theme was, the more likely the theme was
to have influenced participants attitudes and behaviors. The next chapter discusses the results and
findings presented in this chapter and provides implications for practice.

THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 120

Chapter 5 - Discussion
Chapter 5 will discuss the implications of the results in terms of the research questions.
To do this, the discussion has been divided into five different parts, one for each research
question. As explained in chapter 1, the research questions address one or more of the
knowledge, motivation, and organization gap areas. Each section provides implications
pertaining each of the questions synthesizing the issues that occurred at the study school
according to the participants and possible solutions for improvement. The first section will
discuss the knowledge areas and followed by the motivation and organization areas.
Discussion and Implications of Research Questions
How Did Teachers’ Lack of Knowledge Impact Their Decision to Leave the School?
The focus of this question stems from the need to understand if the professional
development programs or the information provided by the school in general contributed to
teacher turnover. The knowledge themes revealed in the results section suggest that the lack of
relevant professional development, basic guidance for teachers from supervisors, and the lack of
cultural fluency and language training influenced teacher turnover and attrition. To begin, the
following section will first explore the relationship between relevant professional development,
turnover, and attrition.
Relevancy of professional development. Most teachers indicated that the professional
development provided at the school focused on seemingly irrelevant and redundant trainings.
Most participants indicated that professional development was irrelevant to the varying needs of
the faculty. For example, many participants inferred that either the trainings were too advanced
for novice teachers or redundant and boring for experienced instructors. Their opinion of the
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 121

professional development programs being irrelevant could also stem from the school’s inability
to support teachers need to feel secure.
According to Maslow’s (1943) Hierarchy of Needs, if individuals do not feel secure in
terms of their physical needs, which in this case could be thought of as basic information from
the school, it can be difficult for them to focus on higher-level needs, or trainings that focus on
the curriculum or classroom. As such, it is not surprising when most of the participants indicated
that their foundational need of basic information, like knowledge organizational and human
resource policies and procedures, were not provided, there was an increase in teacher stress. The
stress is likely to stem from respondents worrying whether their basic needs, such as salary pay
and benefits, will be met if the school cannot provide basic school policy information. The
knowledge and guarantee of these basic information needs is essential to ensure that regardless
of whatever is happening at the school, teachers will feel that they will get paid on time and they
do not have to worry about their visa or other important human resource related paperwork that
may impact them living their lives. The stress over not knowing policies and procedures over
basic physical needs, like pay and taxes, appeared to be one of the many factors, including a lack
of guidance from supervisors, that influenced teacher attrition in the knowledge area.
Basic guidance for teachers from supervisors. In the knowledge themes, the relevancy
of professional development, the lack of basic organizational knowledge, the need for
professional development for administrators, and the misconceptions about the nature of the
school as an international institution all indicate that the professional development provided at
the school did not address the basic organization information needs of teachers or the institution
itself. First, basic organizational knowledge, such as information regarding tax documents,
organizational procedures, and the roles and responsibilities of individuals at the institution were
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 122

not explicitly stated for most of the respondents in the survey. This led to many of the
participants being distressed because the protocols and procedures of the school were unknown
or vague. Similar to Roskell, (2013) who’s research indicated that foreign teachers at
international school often face a second form of culture shock with organizational procedures,
teachers at the current study explained that they could not rely on their previous experiences
from their home country to navigate the bureaucracy of the study school. The inability to use
previous experiences suggests the need for the organization to provide new teachers instructions
on adjusting to the international school’s organizational procedures. “Work adjustment” (p. 168)
is a key factor in teachers decisions to stay or leave at an international school. Work adjustment
refers to faculty members’ adjustment to the organizations policies and procedures. If the
organizational policies and procedures are unfriendly for faculty, the they typical adjustment for
teachers is to become disconnected and unmotivated for the job. This suggests that that teacher
who adjusted to the current study had reduction in performance. It may even suggest that the
particpants in the study were high performers and were unable to adequately adjust because that
would require them to reduce their performance, something they couldn’t do because it would go
against their personal ethics. However, the literature also reveals that many of the issues with the
inability to adjust likely to have stem from problems with the administration or school leadership
(Odland & Ruzicka, 2009). Regardless of adjustment leading to poor performance or turnover,
the need to provide appropriate information and training to assist teachers adjustment to the work
organization is necessary to promote retention.
To assist teacher adjustment, there two possible ways to support teacher retention. The
first possibility stems from the teacher’s personal adjustment in which they must be able to
reduce their personal expectations and level of effort from the institution (Roskell, 2013, p. 168).
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 123

In support of this method of adjustment, several of the interviewees implied that they lasted
because they focused specifically on what they were doing in the classroom and nothing else
associated with the school. However, the downside of adjusting personal expectations is reduced
performance and motivation. It appears that reducing performance and motivation was
something all of the teachers interviewed in this study were unable to do. If there were able to
reduce their motivation perhaps they would have been still working at the school. The other
option is for the administrative leadership to adjust their approach to the teachers in order to
reduce administration-faculty problems. For example, the administration could avoid being
unforthcoming when approached for support, defensive, spiteful, and having favorites (p. 161).
Avoiding such behaviors may promote good working and personal relationship and thereby
promote teacher retention. Together, these two options provide suggestions on how the school
can help promote teacher retention by assisting with developing ways to that will assist with the
work cultural adjustment of new and current faculty members.
Cultural fluency and language training. The participant responses suggest that foreign
teachers may have difficulty understanding and adapting to the culture at the organization which
is greatly influenced by Thai culture. Some of the issues brought up by the participants included
conflicts between teachers and Thai administration and office staff. The foreign teachers felt that
their simple questions regarding paperwork were often left unanswered and that they had to
battle to get projects accomplished. Such conflicts appear to be stemmed from not knowing or
understanding the cultural intricacies and unwritten protocols of the school. Some the unwritten
protocols dictated by the host country culture may include how to approach the Thai office staff,
who must process paperwork and order things for faculty use.
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 124

The lack of cultural understanding could have been negated through a cultural
understanding programming. To illustrate, some participants reported that they were not
provided cultural training during orientation. We can infer that some form of cultural
understanding program may have helped foreign faculty member be more effective at the present
international school. Teachers who have not been taught the foundational knowledge of how
social spheres operate in a cultural organization are likely to become frustrated. The frustration
and stress is likely to be connected to teachers’ behaviors and expectations that are still based on
their home country and not the host country. If teachers do not receive adequate cultural training,
they may never change their home country influenced behaviors and expectations which is likely
to result in ineffectiveness, frustration, and attrition. Thus, the absence of cultural training and
guidance on how to navigate and change their expectations and behaviors was likely to have
hindered adequate adjustment and influenced foreign teacher attrition.
In addition to the lack of cultural understanding, not being able to speak the language of
the host country was also seen as a key issue at the school. Several the foreign participants noted
that their inability to speak Thai, especially to help understand the Thai office staff, caused
difficulties working at the school. The results of the JSS survey supports that knowing the
language of the host country does provide some benefits as the Thai teachers frequency in
communication dissatisfaction was at a lower level when compared to the Foreigners who were
completely dissatisfied. Although the findings reveal that both groups were highly dissatisfied
with communication, perhaps the difference between the levels of communication dissatisfaction
is due to the knowledge of Thai language. According to Brown and Holloway (2007),
nervousness and lack of understanding at a host organization could be due in part to language
difficulties in their study. Similarly, in this study, a few foreign participants eluded to some of
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 125

their own difficulties at the school being attributed to their inability to speak Thai. This suggests
that school programs that provide foreign teachers language support may to increase effective
communication at the school and may decrease teacher dissatisfaction, stress, and attrition.
Beside language knowledge, one other type of language support that has been found to be
effective was providing foreigners translators, translation software, or linguistically competent
employees (Welch & Piekkari, 2006). One participant even stated at his previous position, that
all of the foreign staff could refer to translator who would help them understand the inner
workings at the school. Besides translators, another type of support includes providing language
training. Deveney (2007), in her study of teacher cultural preparation in the classroom, found
that teachers found it helpful to learn the host country language as it helps to understand cultural
problems better and address them more effectively. As such, learning the host countries
language will help alleviate foreigner-administration issues communication issues. At the same
time, learning a new language can be time consuming, tiring, making it one of the professional
development options. Regardless, both solutions present ways to potentially increase
communication and understanding between the teachers and Thai administration.
What Recommendations Can We Draw to Improve Professional Development at TIS?
The second research question in the study focuses how the participant’s words can be
used to improve professional development at the study school. The results of the study suggest
three main points of professional development that could be added or adjusted at the school
which include: providing basic organizational information; cultural and language training; and
applicable professional development.
Basic organizational information. Navigating through an organization’s bureaucracy
can be an understandably distressful situation at any new foreign institution. It appears distress
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 126

may have been alleviated at the study school should there have been clear basic information for
the school itself. This basic information could include how taxes and teachers’ paperwork is
processed and a timeline of the process. The explanation of how and when paperwork, especially
pertaining to pay and contracts, is essential to alleviate some of the anxiety that many of the
teachers in the study experienced.
Ongoing language and cultural training. It is crucial that basic language and cultural
training is provided to employees at the institution. As the international school organization may
function significantly different than schools in most foreign participants’ home country,
providing specific cultural training to teach faculty how to navigate and be effective at their
international school organization will likely reduce stress and increase productivity. However, in
terms of cultural training, participants indicated that a one-time language and cultural training is
not enough. Additional formal, such school meetings between Thai and foreign employees, and
informal activities, such as having dinners or playing sports, could also build relationships
amongst expatriate and host country employees. As Thai organizations are patriarchal and focus
on social harmony, social events promote positive feelings between Thai and foreigner’s,
promotes good relationships, and thereby increasing the chance of effective work relationships.
Building relationships at an organization supported by Furnham and Bochner (1982) who
suggest that cultural friendships or mentorships with host country members can help guide
cultural difficulties. Still, when implementing such a program, cultural conceptualization of the
division of power must be kept in mind. For example, although it is ideal to have social
activities between the faculty members and the Thai office staff, it is important that the
phenomena of social distance is kept in mind during planning. For example, foreigners may be
considered of a higher social status, independent from the Thai social hierarchy, which may
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 127

make it difficult to engage in social activities because Thai employees may be uncomfortable
socializing with someone with a higher status (Stage, 1999). As foreigners are considered
different culturally and power wise, constructing activities to strengthen relationships between
the two parties must be planned carefully to avoid discomfort and further group separation.
Applicable Professional Development. It was common thought among the participants
that faculty members have different needs. Therefore, providing the same type of professional
development to all faculty members was found to be ineffective. This is in line with Mertler's
(2013) research who suggests that a one-size-fits-all approach to professional develompent does
not fit the needs for a majority of educators toady. Futhermore, other research suggests that
professional development can be seen to teachers as "positive recognition associated with the job
of being a professional educator" (Mertler, 2016, p. 44). Therefore, providing adequate
development programs not only fits the faculty members' needs for the improvement of
education but can also be seen as a type of job reward.
There are many ways to provide adequate professional development programs.
For example, one participant suggested that the study school should have outsourced
professional development. Outsourced programs would require the school to allocate funding for
faculty members to attend workshops or conferences that fit their needs. Although outsourcing
may be more expensive than in-house professional development, it is likely to address the
individualized needs of the faculty. If resources are not available to provide outsourced
professional development, the needs of the faculty members should be assessed to provide
applicable trainings together according to their needs and not a one-size-fits all approach
(Mertler, 2013). Assessing the needs of the faculty will also avoid the redundancy and/or
irrelevancy of professional development.
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 128

How Did Motivational Values and Costs Influence Teachers’ Decision to Leave?
The results of the study revealed several motivational values that increased the likelihood
of retention which included: student interactions, teacher to teacher collaboration, and freedom in
classroom planning. Most participants noted the that these values promoted them to stay at the
current school. On the other hand, the perceived costs, which included the lack of collaboration
between foreign and Thai employees, high workload, lack of professional growth and
compensation, and lack of management, promoted teacher attrition and turnover. The following
sections will first discuss the motivational values and later the perceived costs shared by the
participants in the study.
Motivational values - student interactions. All of the participants in the study talked
about how they enjoyed working with the students. Some even specifically said that the students
at the current school were the primary reason they had a difficult time deciding to leave. As such,
it appears that most of the participants’ intrinsic motivation is fueled by the joy of teaching and
seeing students grow. Therefore, providing opportunities for teachers to increase student
interactions is likely to promote retention because it energizes their intrinsic motivation. These
opportunities could include co and extra-curricular activities like sports or clubs. School should
also provide adequate resources, especially assigned time, can help encourage student
engagement. Such student engagement can even further encourage retention should teacher
collaborate with each other on such activities.
Motivational values - teacher to teacher collaboration. It is clear from all the
participants that collaborating and having positive interactions with fellow teachers promoted
their work ethic and continuation at the school. Although it appears that teacher to teacher
collaboration is not the central motivation for teachers, being able to discuss new ideas and
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 129

methods for teaching or further student and school development stimulated teachers interest and
desire help students grow while at the same time promoting their own professional and personal
development. According to research, being able to discuss new ideas has been found to be help
support teacher retention, specifically when it is in the form of a mentorship type of relationship
(Ingersoll & Strong, 2011; Smith & Ingersoll, 2004). However, it is also notable that a few
participants felt that not all teacher to teacher working relationships were optimal. Difficulties in
co-worker relationships could be due to the combination of the lack of cultural adjustment and
training between host and expatriate workers which resulted in high stress and discomfort in the
host country work environment (Jassawalla, Truglia, & Garvey, 2004). In other words, the lack
of adjustment could have affected both collaborative relationships between foreign to foreign and
foreign to host employee interactions. Regardless, good working relationships that did exist at
the school had a positive effect on participants attitude and desire to work at the school.
Therefore, increasing opportunities to establish effective teacher to teacher collaborations can
help promote teacher retention, especially if the collaborations are in the form of mentor/mentee
relationships (Ingersoll & Strong, 2011a). Having strong collaborations such as mentorships hit
core motivation of student interaction and development and personal growth especially for early
career teachers (Buchanan et al., 2013). These collaborative interactions can even increase
productive classroom planning further discussed in the next paragraph.
Motivational values - freedom in classroom planning. A good portion of the teachers
explained that they had the freedom to plan and execute things within their own classroom. Such
freedom appeared to be something they valued. Although the teachers had freedom in their
classroom, they were still required to do bureaucratic paperwork. The paperwork included
lesson plans and additional form-filling which they perceive to be cumbersome. Regardless of
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 130

such bureaucracy, they appreciated the ability to choose what they wanted to do within the
classroom with little or no intrusion from the academic administration outweighed the
bureaucratic costs. Therefore, having the freedom at the school appeared entice teachers to stay
at the school which gives teachers the ability to activate their personal interest and choice which
generally increases motivation (Wigfeild & Eccles, 2000).
This section covered the motivational aspects the participants had at the current school
that encouraged them to stay. However, as the participants all resigned from the current school,
it is clear that interactions with students, collaboration, and freedom, albeit important, could only
help retain teachers so far. As such, the study can conclude that the costs of teaching at the
school outweighed the intrinsic motivating factors. Therefore, additional support to alleviate the
cost of teaching, discussed in the following section, is also key in promoting retention.
Perceived costs. Perceived costs focus specifically on the single or repeated situations
that decreased motivation for teachers in this study. Some of the demotivating situations in this
study included the perception of being punished, overwhelmed, disrespected, and the lack of
compensation. If such situations are repeated and teachers are unable to cope effectively, faculty
members are likely to see the cost of working to be greater than the intrinsic motivation to stay at
the school. In other words, when the cost to work at the school is greater than the motivation
value to stay at the school, teacher attrition and turnover is likely to occur. Although a few
perceived costs may not be great enough to promote attrition, the multiple repeated costs found
in this study were found to cause the participants in the study to resign from the study school. As
such, the following paragraphs provide the most significant perceived costs reported by the
participants in the study.
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 131

Lack of collaboration between foreign and Thai employees. The ineffective
relationships between the foreign and Thai staff and administration was a common theme among
all the participants in the study. It was often remarked that teachers would have great ideas and
plans for the school but would be stopped or slowed down by the Thai administration with little
or no explanation. This occurred for both Thai and foreign employees. Such ineffective
relationships caused a lot of distress and frustration among foreign faculty members because the
office staff had much control over their legal paperwork such as Visa and salary. Additionally,
the Thai faculty members interviewed in the study also reported difficulties with getting things
done even though they could communicate to the Thai staff through their native language. Thus,
the lack of collaboration was a large cost at the institution that promoted attrition and turnover
and the need for solutions.
To address the lack of coloration, the participants provided solutions that my increase
productive school relationships. For example, providing adequate information and effective
follow-through by all parties was one solution talked about by several of the participants. One
specific solution included having a Thai liaison to communicate the policies and procedures of
the school and the status regarding faculty requests. The liaison could also explain in cultural
terms to the foreign faculty why things are done in a certain way to alleviate confusion and
frustration and build tolerance and understanding. This solution is in line with Glover, Gleeson,
Gough, and Johnson (1998) who explain that the liaisons, or “middle managers” (p. 281), act as
“translators and mediators” (p. 286), for the administration who create the policies and
procedures and become a “conduit” (p. 232) between the administration the faculty. Together
with cultural relationship building program mentioned in the knowledge discussion section,
providing avenues to explain and communicate situations regarding paperwork or other
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 132

important aspects of the school could alleviate perceived costs of working at the institution.
Such cultural programs are also suggested by Deveney (2007) who further suggests that the
faculty and staff at the school can be valuable mentors and provide opportunities to discuss and
provide solutions to day to day classroom and school issues in regards to culture. Programs that
develop intercultural communication is likely to reduce the stress and increase understanding and
thereby contribute to teacher retention.
High workload. Being overwhelmed by work was another common theme among a good
number of participants. According to participants, the high workload reduced the faculty
member’s ability to focus on their intrinsic interest of working with students which motivated
them to become teachers. For example, it was common for the participants in the study to say
that they did not have time to contribute to student activities because they had so much work on
their plate. Several of the participants stated they would have enjoyed participating in student
activities but were unable to because of the pressures put upon them by the administration to do
bureaucratic work. In addition, teacher who were motived to create projects designed with
students in mind often received challenges and setbacks that taxed their motivation. Some
participants ended up not contributing anymore because of challenges and setback. As such, it
appears that reducing the number of extraneous work or increasing more efficient and effective
policies to help teachers accomplish the bureaucratic tasks will allow them to focus more energy
towards their intrinsic motivation of working with the students.
Some of the possible workload solutions could include reducing teaching loads to allow
teachers to develop extra and co-curricular activities for students. These activities could include
academic and personal skills development programs which are likely to increase student growth
and student motivation (Dembo & Eaton, 2000). In other words, students who are more
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 133

motivated are like to have a positive impact teacher enjoyment, and ultimately teacher retention
(Hughes, 2012).
Lack of professional growth and compensation. Inadequate compensation was a
common theme in this study. For example, one participant stated that the salary at the school was
simply not enough to support his family. Others noted that the salary was enough but compared
to other international schools who have a last of a workload they receive much less pay. On the
other hand, for a majority of the participants, compensation, although helpful, was not one of the
primary reasons for resigning at the school. Most participants noted that it was more important to
be recognized for the hard work that they put in at their jobs. In addition to recognition, some
participants noted that compensation could also be in the form of career and professional growth
opportunities. Some of opportunities could include providing adequate guidance in terms of
helping teachers take their next professional step such as becoming a leader at the school.
Although the school may have had some of the programs explained above, it appears that
the school administration was not able provide faculty members adequate compensation,
recognition, or career guidance. As such, having a system in place that provides and prioritizes
adequate monetary and recognition awards is likely to promote faculty appreciation and
retention. In addition, promotion and career guidance could also be seen as a form of non-
monetary compensation. Regardless of the form, faculty appreciation should be provided during
or soon after successful work as it is likely to influence people’s perceptions of their competence
(Borgogni, Dello Russo, & Latham, 2011), and self-efficacy (Pajares, 1996). Thus, increasing
compensation in any of the forms explained above is likely to also increase retention.
Lack of management. Issues with the school administration was a theme found across all
participants and one a core perceived cost for participants. Leadership appears to be a key
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 134

element that not only provides direction to the school but has the ability to promote or demote
motivation in faculty members (Boyd et al., 2011). It was revealed that many participants found
that interacting with the school’s academic or Thai administration was often disappointing,
unprofessional, or lacking of direction. As the demographics showed that this was the first
international school that most of the participants worked, suggests that these first-time teachers
needed additional support and guidance. However, according to participants, the school
leadership was not able to provide adequate guidance. In addition, when teachers did have the
opportunity to work with the administrative team, several participants noted that their comments
and ideas were disregarded and often met with unprofessional remarks. Other than the dismissal
of teacher thoughts, the administration also appeared to not be able to provide adequate
compensation in terms of showing appreciation or professional growth support. Some of the
participants noted that this could have been because of the lack of experience the administration,
both Thai and foreign, had at international schools. It was also noted that most of the school
senior administration and Thai office staff had little or no experience working at an international
school prior to their employment. Such inexperience could also have resulted in the inadequacy
of teacher support. Such lack of management resulted in some participants having physical
symptoms of stress compounded by their impression that that there was no way that the
leadership would ever improve.
The cost of interacting with the chaotic environment without support and appreciation
promoted teacher attrition and turnover. Therefore, establishing a stable and consistent
management structure is likely to decrease the perception of a chaotic work environment and
teacher stress and thereby increase teacher retention. However, in special situations, such as
starting a new school, chaotic situations cannot be avoided. Thus, guidance and support must be
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 135

provided to faculty members during the starting of the school. This ensures that faculty members
feel heard and safe during beginning of the school. Thus, establishing the relationship between
the school leaders and the faculty members ensures trust and confidence in the school. To do
this, programs and polices should focus on guidance, support, transparency, and trust. Should
trust and confidence be established, teachers are likely not to see the chaos as a perceived cost
but as a motivation to help contribute to the school. If teachers are motivated to contribute to the
school, they are less likely to leave because of their feeling of ownership (James & Sheppard,
2014).
What Were the Organizational Factors That Influenced Teachers’ Decisions to Leave?
Organizational gaps are often contributing factors to other knowledge and motivational
gaps at an organization. This was found to be true in the current study. Most of the gaps that
occurred in the knowledge and motivation areas appeared to be caused or influenced by gaps in
the organizational area. The organizational themes that were found to be the most influential in
terms of teacher attrition include ineffective working relationships between Thai and foreign
employees, poor meeting management, lack of an effective communication system, and
leadership issues. The following sections explore each of these themes and elaborate on possible
solutions.
Ineffective working relationships between Thai and foreign employees. Found in both
the knowledge and motivation areas, difficult relationships between Thai and foreign employees
seems to stem from the school’s lack programs to bridge the cultural gaps between the two
parties. Due to cultural misunderstandings influenced by the lack of opportunities to build
relationships with one another, both groups of employees appear to have different ideas of what
each other are supposed to do. As the Thai culture dictates a more passive approach to conflict
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 136

compared to Western cultures (Selvarajah et al., 2012), issues that occurred between Thai and
foreign employees were difficult to manage as behaviors in one culture may be seen as offensive
in the other regardless of intent. Considering Thai employees are required to process paperwork,
which includes visa and salary forms of foreign teachers, ineffective relationships between
parties resulted in teachers’ anxiety about whether or not the paperwork would be processed
properly. This anxiety was reported by a few of the participants in the study. Additionally,
developing program and activities for student learning can also be hindered because ineffective
employee relationships. As such, creating organizational policies and procedures that promote
effective relationships between Thai and foreign employees should a focus area for the
institution.
Some solutions, as explained in the knowledge section, include opportunities to develop
language skills and relationships with Thai and foreign employees will increase the effectiveness
of intercultural relationships and ultimately reduce the stress levels of the all employees.
Furthermore, the school may also benefit from institutionalized systems of cultural induction,
mentorship and relationship bonding (Furnham & Bochner, 1982; Ingersoll & Strong, 2011a).
For example, Deveney (2007) suggests that induction programs with experienced faculty
members presenting effective cultural strategies and scheduled follow up sessions would allow
for useful conversations to develop cultural competency. Furthermore, programs that promote
close collaborations and discussions can also help with cultural responsiveness in at the school.
Programs that incorporate the knowledge of cultural fluency are likely to promote effective
working relationships between foreign and Thai employees and promote retention.
Poor meeting management. Every single participant in the study explained that
meetings were one of the most ineffective aspects of the school. It appears that the school
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 137

leadership lacked basic understanding of running meetings. According to the participants,
meetings should be for discussing ideas and announcing decisions. However, participants
reported that meetings at the school were often waste of time because it contained information
that could have been sent out by an email. Additionally, Considering the high workload, faculty
were often frustrated and felt that the meeting time could have been used for more productive
tasks such as lesson planning. This was consistent with Klein's (2005) research that revealed that
general staff meetings had the most negative teacher opinions as information could have been
distributed by memos. Furthermore, meetings were not taken seriously as agreements made at
the meetings were often contradicted or decided against soon after. This lack of decision follow-
through was the result of poor record-keeping according to some of the participants, also a
finding in Klein’s (2005) research as well. Thus, the lack of basic meeting management seemed
to waste the time of teachers and delegitimize the authority of the school leadership.
However, Participants did note that small group meetings, particularly department
meetings, were more effective than schoolwide faculty meetings. Smaller meetings were noted
by the participants to be easier to discuss meeting items without being distracted by extraneous
discussions. As such, small meeting hold promise to make meetings more effective.
Considering the ineffectiveness of meetings at the study school, the results suggest that
having smaller meetings could address participants concerns. However, large-size meetings are
often unavoidable. As such, the school should consider adopting a system of meeting norms and
procedures to ensure timely effective meetings. Such a cooperative system that incorporates
teacher’s in the creation and execution of procedures, caring out decisions, implementation, and
evaluation could show promise to increase meeting effectiveness (Klein, 2005). For example,
meetings that are organized in part by faculty may be perceived by the teachers as important and
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 138

useful and thereby increase administration legitimacy, reducing teacher distress and frustration
and promoting retention. Furthermore, emphasis on courteous and listening and techniques to
for an accepted decision making process which includes investigating all information, alternative
comparisons, objective selection of alternative, announcement of the decision, and supervision of
the decision implementation is advised (p. 77).
Interestingly, another strategy to make meetings more effective is to provide an
opportunity for a rotating, non-administrative, interested faculty member to serve as a meeting
facilitator (p. 77). This may allow a dynamic meeting atmosphere and the development of
potential school leaders. In addition, teacher may not feel as intimated or emotionally impacted if
the meeting facilitator is of similar faculty rank. Such strategies, may increase the effectiveness
of school meeting, the collaborative activities for faculty members, and ultimately promote
retention (Allensworth et al., 2009; Boyd et al., 2011; Mancuso et al., 2010)
Lack of an effective communication system. Ineffective communication was seen as
the largest problem at the organization. The qualitative data notes that all of the participants had
some issues with communication at the institution. In addition, the quantitative results note that
communication was the least satisfying aspect of the school. As such, the results clearly indicate
that there were issues between faculty members, the Western academic administration, Thai
administration, and Thai office staff in terms of communication.
Some of the primary communication issues revealed include the inconsistency of what is
said and what is done. This is likely due to the informal communication being the primary
method of communication at the school. As noted in the previous sections, notes regarding
meetings were seldom taken causing confusion regarding what actions were to occur at the
school. This could be potentially solved by formalizing a communication system at the
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 139

institution which includes appointing a communication leader. Appointing an individual who
oversees recording decisions and actions at the school and providing the information to school
stakeholders could ensure the consistency of information. Further, the technology could also be
used to make such a communication system user-friendly. For example, a shared document or
online minutes could be an effective way to keep track of decisions and information.
Communication issues can be very difficult and complicated to solve. However,
communication from the school leadership, which includes announcements of decisions, must be
clear. As the leadership of the school sets the tone of school operations, their communication to
the rest of the school must be consistent, transparent, and effectively executed. If the
communication from the top is effective, general issues across the school are likely to be smaller
because of the reliable and trustworthy information being shared. As such, an effective
communication system is likely to reduce faculty stress and positively impact retention.
Leadership issues. A majority of the issues revealed in the organizational area focused
on the chaotic atmosphere at the school due to a lack of leadership. According to participants the
current school did not have consistent leadership which resulted in added teacher stress and
mistreatment. Some off the lack of leadership stems from not having an effective plan of
succession which could have avoided many problems at the study school when the senior school
leader became ill. Without a strong leader to whom the stakeholders respected, the school
appeared to become a visionless which lead to many little problems.
The leader’s job at the institution is to provide guidance and direction and ensure that the
policies and procedures of the school are consistent and followed. As Thailand often defers
decision making to the leader of an organization (Selvarajah et al., 2012), it is not surprising that
when the leader of the organization became ill, problems increased and teachers started
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 140

resigning. However, strong stable leadership supported by a clear system of leader succession is
critical in reducing school issues (Zepeda, Bengtson, Parylo, & Zepeda, 2012). For example,
Zepeda et al. explain that successful school succession often develops and mentors aspiring
school leaders as well as external collaborations for leadership recruitment. As school leadership
has been found to have a strong relationship to turnover (Boyd et al., 2011; Kersaint et al., 2007;
Mancuso et al., 2010), successful and stable leadership succession is likely to promote teacher
retention.
Limitations
Although this study provided rich data and significant recommendations to improve
teacher retention, there are several limitations that must be taken into account. The limitations
include methodological and generalizability issues. The first limitation is centered on the
methodological constraints of qualitative research and potential bias between researcher and
participant. The participants and researchers in the study both work together at the current
organization. This means that researchers and participants already had established relationships
prior to the collection of data. Although having prior relationships could help with developing
rapport between both groups of people, there is a potential that participants’ responses were
influenced by their prior relationship with the researcher (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). For
example, all three of the researchers in the study were some of the first employees at the study
school and had leadership positions that were of a higher rank than the interviewees. As the
researchers may have been seen as previous leaders at the school, there is a chance that
participants’ responses may have been influenced by the power distance between the two groups.
In other words, participants may not have provided the most truthful and accurate information to
maintain a positive relationship with the study investigators.
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 141

In addition to relationship limitations, is important to note that not all the research
participants were equally articulate. For example, a few of the participants had some difficulty
providing specific examples to describe problems at the study school. This caused them to
provide general statements versus specific events. Other problems regarding articulation include
language barrier issues. Although all of the participants were required to be fluent in English,
several the participants were not native English speakers. With that said, some participants
answered questions with incorrect grammar. Together, the issues with articulation may have
distorted the preciseness of their words during the transcription and data analysis process.
Another potential limitation focuses on the generalizability of the study’s results and
implications. The study focused on one unique international school organization. While the study
school is likely to have characteristics similar to other international schools, the organizational
stakeholders, students, and initial environment of the school is unique. Thus, the results and
implications may only be applicable to this one organization. In addition, this study collected
data from a small number of participants. Although the participants provided rich informative
data, there is no guarantee that the experiences they have shared are similar or applicable to the
rest of the population of teachers who left the institution. As such, all of the experiences shared
by the participants in this study may not highlight all of the strengths and areas of improvement
at the school requiring further study.
In addition to the low number of participants, this study only focused on one stakeholder
group, the teachers who left the school. Data from other important stakeholders, such as the
school leadership, Thai administrators and office staff, and school board, were not collected and
analyzed. These other stakeholders could have also provided valuable information to instruct
programs of teacher retention. Furthermore, the teachers who left the school prematurely
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 142

stakeholder group canceled their teaching contract leaving the school on bad terms. Therefore,
some of their responses could have been more negative leading to harsher criticism than teachers
who left the school on good terms.
Although the study instituted methods to increase trustworthiness and reliability,
limitations regarding potential researcher participant influence, inconsistent articulation, and
generalizability were still found. While this study provides useful implications, the limitations
highlight that this study only provides one piece of the picture. Future studies to address
concerns of influence, articulation, and generalizability are needed to describe the full scope of
the organizational gaps and solutions to address these gaps.
Areas for Further Research
Considering the limitations of the study, there are three possible future areas of research
which include studying individuals who completed their contracts at the school, Thai
administrators and office staff, and similar phenomenon from other international schools in the
area. The first future area focuses on hearing the perspectives of teachers at the organization who
successfully completed their teaching contracts. As explained in the dissertation, teachers who
complete their contracts can resign from the school on good terms and have a positive reputation
international school community. These individuals were likely to have been resilient while
experiencing the similar organizational problems as the teachers who resign prematurely.
Understanding how the successful teachers were able be successful may provide valuable
implications regarding how the school can further support teachers. In addition, identifying the
personal characteristics of successful teachers may inform and develop a better vetting process to
hire teachers who have the personality traits to be successful at the school.
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 143

A second area for future research includes studying the Thai administrators and office
staff who work at international schools. In the current study, Thai administrators and office staff
were often criticized by most of the participants. However, this study was unable to provide an
opportunity for the Thai employees to share their words and thoughts about the interactions at
the organization. Having an opportunity to study this stakeholder group, who runs the basic
office operations of the school, could provide some significant implications on how teachers and
staff at the school can work effectively with one another and ultimately promote teacher
retention.
Although studying the successful contract completion teachers and the Thai employees
can bring significant implications for the current school, to generalize the results more
international schools must be studied. The study could be repeated using a primarily qualitative
methodology to research teacher retention and turnover at other international schools around the
area. However, to provide powerful generalizations many international schools must be studied.
This suggests that a quantitative method is needed to reach many different international schools.
As such, the results of this study could be used as a foundation for quantitative inquiry to reach
the appropriate number of teachers in international schools to provide powerful implications for
teacher retention that could be applicable international educational institutions.
The areas of future research suggested in this study include studying teachers who have
successfully completed their contracts, the Thai employees at the institution, and a larger number
of international schools. Each area described may provide valuable implications to reduce
teacher attrition and increase retention at international institutions.

THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 144

Chapter 5 - Conclusion
Chapter 5 discussed and provided implications based on the quantitative results and
qualitative findings. In addition, the chapter also presented the limitations and areas for future
research. First, the discussion and implications section of the chapter was presented by
answering the research questions of the study. In each section, the research question was
explained and followed by an overview of the primary findings and implications for practice.
After the discussion and implications were presented, the limitations of the study were presented.
Last, areas of future research were provided based upon the limitations of the study. The next
section provides the final overall conclusion of the study.

THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 145

Conclusion
The purpose of this study was to understand the reasoning behind teacher turnover at the
current study international school to develop implications for practice and organizational
improvement. Retaining teachers is a big issue for many international schools across the world,
especially the current study school as only 3 out of 20, or 15%, teachers completed their contract
in the first contract cycle. Losing teachers and international schools are very expensive due to
recruitment and replacement cost. Most importantly, teacher turnover has a negative effect on
student performance because of the inconsistency of teaching instruction. In addition to student
and institutional effects, teachers who resign also take significant risk to their professional
reputation as they may not be marketable in the international school field once they choose to
leave. Thus, teacher turnover and negatively impacts both international schools and teacher
stakeholders. Few studies have been done to find out the reasoning behind teacher attrition at
international schools. Thus, this study attempted to contribute to the body of knowledge by
investigating teachers who prematurely left the current study school to provide a greater
understanding of why they left in order to provide implications for teacher retention for the study
school and other similar international institutions.
To explore the issue of teacher turnover, Clark and Estes (2008) gap analysis framework
which focused on knowledge, motivation, and organizational gaps, was used to study and
international school in Thailand. Several assumed knowledge, motivation, and organizational
influencers were determined based upon the review of the literature. In the process of developing
the assumed influencers, five research questions were created to address teacher retention at the
current study school which included: 1. What recommendations can be drawn to improve teacher
retention through faculty professional development? 2. How did teachers’ lack of knowledge
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 146

impact their decision to leave the school? 3. How did teachers’ motivational values and
perceived costs influence their decision to leave? 4. What were the organizational factors that
influenced teachers’ decisions to leave? Using the research questions and the conceptual
framework based on Clark and Estes gap analysis, quantitative and qualitative research
methodologies were developed to systematically answer these research questions.
Nine participants, six expatriate and three Thai nationals, who had left the school prior to
the ending of their teaching contract, were recruited to participate through social media and
personal contacts. They were all required to fill out the job satisfaction survey, the quantitative
method of the study, and participate in interview about their experiences at the study school.
Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the job satisfaction survey which were later compared
to the qualitative interview. The qualitative aspect of the research utilized the consensual
qualitative research method which required a team of researchers to systematically analyze the
interview transcriptions independently and then discuss and finalize findings as a group. All
group findings were further reviewed by a research auditor who provided recommendations to
the primary research team. At the end of the analysis phase of the study, categories were created
for each KMO area and organize by general, typical, and variant levels of occurrence. These
results were later discussed to provide implications for practice.
The first implications for practice focused on the knowledge area. The results suggested
that the organization should focus professional development on teacher adaptation in terms of
language and cultural training. In addition, professional development should be applicable
according to the disciplinary and needs of the organization’s faculty members’ academic
discipline. The second implications in the motivation area suggests that the organization consider
reducing teacher workload so that they can also focus on more on their students which was found
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 147

to be an intrinsic motivator for faculty members. The organization should also consider
providing a system of compensation in the form of money, rewards, and recognition, which
could be in the form of career development. Such programs are likely to increase teacher
motivation to develop the study school. The final area focused on the organizational gap areas.
The first implications suggested that administrators need to develop basic meeting management
skills and provide more opportunities for small group meetings. Most importantly, the
organization should develop a system to promote consistent leadership that provides school
stakeholders vision and direction.
The current study utilized the KMO areas to provide implications for organizational
improvement at the current study international school. While the implications in the study were
designed for the current organization, they could potentially be applied to other international
institutions to promote teacher retention. This study has found that teachers are foundation of any
school. Not only do teachers provide direct learning service to students, but their words are
invaluable to the continual improvement of any school. Efforts must be taken to retain the voice
of hard-working quality educators, especially at international institutions of education in
developing nations. Teachers have a direct impact on the future international leaders of our
world. Efforts to promote effective teacher retention programs will ensure these future leaders
will have a solid educational foundation so that they can make their nation and our world a better
place for everyone.

THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 148

References
Aguinis, H., & Kraiger, K. (2009). Benefits of training and development for individuals and
teams, organizations, and society. Annual Review of Psychology, 60, 451–474.
http://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.60.110707.163505
Allensworth, E., Ponisciak, S., & Mazzeo, C. (2009). The schools teachers leave: Teacher
mobility in Chicago Public Schools. Chicago, IL. Retrieved from
https://consortium.uchicago.edu/sites/default/files/publications/CCSR_Teacher_Mobility.pd
f
Amin, N. (2007). Race and the Identity of the Nonnative ESL Teacher. TESOL Quarterly, 31(3),
580–583. Retrieved from http://www.journals.cambridge.org/abstract_S0261444808005028
Ballou, D. (2001). Pay for performance in public and private schools. Economics of Education
Review, 20, 51–61. http://doi.org/10.1016/S0272-7757(99)00060-6
Bengtsson, S. L., & Penny, W. D. (2013). Self-Associations Influence Task-Performance
through Bayesian Inference. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 7(August), 490.
http://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2013.00490
Billingsley, B. S. (1993). Teacher Retention and Attrition in Special and General Education: A
Critical Review of The Literature. The Journal of Special Education, 27(2), 137–174.
Blaney, J. J. (2013). Long-term planning in international schools. In M. Hayden & J. Thompson
(Eds.), International schools and international education: improving teaching, management
and quality (pp. 158–168). London: Kogan Page.
Borgogni, L., Dello Russo, S., & Latham, G. P. (2011). The Relationship of Employee
Perceptions of the Immediate Supervisor and Top Management With Collective Efficacy.
Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 18, 5–13.
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 149

http://doi.org/10.1177/1548051810379799
Boyd, D., Grossman, P., Ing, M., Lankford, H., Loeb, S., & Wyckoff, J. (2011). The Influence of
School Administrators on Teacher Retention Decisions. American Educational Research
Journal, 48(2), 303–333. http://doi.org/10.3102/0002831210380788
Brock, B. L., & Grady, M. L. (2009). Beginning Teacher Induction Programs: The Role of the
Principal. The Clearing House, 71(November), 179–183.
http://doi.org/10.1080/00098659809599355
Brown, L., & Holloway, I. (2007). The initial stage of the international sojourn: excitement or
culture shock? British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 36(1), 33–49.
Buchanan, J., Prescott, A., Schuck, S., Aubusson, P., & Burke, P. (2013). Teacher retention and
attrition: Views of early career teachers. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 38(3),
112–129. http://doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2013v38n3.9
Bullough Jr., R. V. (2012). Mentoring and New Teacher Induction in the United States: A
Review and Analysis of Current Practices. Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership in Learning,
20(1), 57–74. http://doi.org/10.1080/13611267.2012.645600
Cambridge, J. (1998). Investigating national and organizational cultures in the context of the
international school. In M. Hayden & J. J. Thompson (Eds.), International Education,
Principles and Practice (pp. 197–211). London: Kogan Page.
Canagarajah, A. S. (1999). Interrogating the “native speaker fallacy”: Non-linguistic roots, non-
pedagogical results. Non-Native Educators in English Language Teaching, 7792.
Canagarajah, A. S. (2005). Reclaiming the local in language policy and practice. Mahwa, NJ:
Lawrence Erlbaum.
Churngchow, C., & Sittichai, R. (2014). Factors Related to Retention Behaviour of Teachers in
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 150

Islamic Private Schools in Three Southernmost Provinces in Thailand. Asian Social Science,
10(10), 50–57. http://doi.org/10.5539/ass.v10n10p50
Clark, R. E., & Estes, F. (2008). Turning research into results: A guide to selecting the right
performance solutions (Revised ed). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing Inc.
Collinson, V., & Cook, T. F. (2001). “I don’t have enough time” - Teachers’ interpretations of
time as a key to learning and school change. Journal of Educational Administration, 39(3),
266–281.
Croucher, S. M., Bruno, A., McGrath, P., Adams, C., McGahan, C., Suits, A., & Huckins, A.
(2012). Conflict Styles and High–Low Context Cultures: A Cross-Cultural Extension.
Communication Research Reports, 29(1), 64–73.
http://doi.org/10.1080/08824096.2011.640093
Daly, E. (2009). Respondent and operant conditioning. Retrieved January 1, 2016, from
http://www.education.com/reference/article/behaviorism/
Darvin, R., & Norton, B. (2015). Identity and a model of investment in applied linguistics.
Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 35(2015), 36–56.
http://doi.org/10.1017/S0267190514000191
Dembo, M. H., & Eaton, M. J. (2000). Self-Regulation of Academic Learning in Middle-Level
Schools. The Elementary School Journal, 100(5), 473. http://doi.org/10.1086/499651
Deveney, B. (2007). How well-prepared do international school teachers believe themselves to
be for teaching in culturally diverse classrooms? Journal of Research in International
Education, 6(3), 309–332. http://doi.org/10.1177/1475240907083198
Eccles, J. S. (2006). Expectancy Value Motivational Theory. Retrieved August 3, 2016, from
http://www.education.com/reference/article/expectancy-value-motivational-theory/
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 151

Fink, D. (2001). Learning to change and changing to learn. In S. Blandford & M. Shaw (Eds.),
Managing international schools. London: Routledge.
Finlay, L. (2002). Negotiating the sawmp: the opportunity and challenge of reflexivity in
research practice. Qualitative Research, 2(2), 209–230.
Furnham, A., & Bochner, S. (1982). Social difficulty in a foreign culture: an empirical analysis
of culture shock. (S. Bochner, Ed.)Cultures in Contact: Studies in Cross-Cultural
Interactions. Oxford: Pergamon Press. http://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-025805-8.50016-0
Gallimore, R., Goldenberg, C., & Gallimore, R. (2010). Analyzing Cultural Models and Settings
to Connect Minority Achievement and School Improvement Analyzing Cultural Models and
Settings to Connect Minority Achievement and School Improvement Research,
1520(January 2015), 37–41. http://doi.org/10.1207/S15326985EP3601
Gee, J. (2015). Social linguistics and literacies: Ideology in discourses. Routledge.
Gelfand, M. J., Erez, M., & Aycan, Z. (2007). Cross-cultural organizational behavior. Annual
Review of Psychology, 58, 479–514.
http://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.58.110405.085559
Gillies, W. D. (2001). American international schools: Poised for the twenty-first century.
Education, 122(2), 395.
Glover, D., Gleeson, D., Gough, G., & Johnson, M. (1998). The meaning of management: the
development needs of middle managers in secondary schools. Educational Management
Administration & Leadership, 26(3), 279–292.
Goette, L., Huffman, D., Meier, S., & Sutter, M. (2012). ompetition between organizational
groups: Its impact on altruistic and antisocial motivations. Management Science, 58(5),
948–960. http://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.1110.1466
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 152

Gonzalez, L., Brown, M. S., & Slate, J. R. (2008). Teachers Who Left the Teaching Profession :
A Qualitative Understanding. The Qualitative Report, 13(1), 1–11. Retrieved from
http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/QR13-1/gonzalez.pdf
Hall, E. T. (1976). Beyond Culture. New York, NY: Doubleday.
Hallgarten, J., Tabberer, R., & McCarthy, K. (2015). 3rd Culture Schools: International Schools
as Creative Catalyst for a New Global Education System. London.
Hanfstigl, B., Andreitz, I., Mueller, F. H., & Thomas, A. (2010). Are self-regulation and self-
control mediators between psychological basic needs and intrinsic teacher motivation.
Journal for Educational Research Online, 2(2), 55–71.
Hardman, J. (2001). Improving recruitment and retention of quality overseas teachers. In S.
Blandford & M. Shaw (Eds.), Managing international schools (pp. 123–135). London:
Routledge/Falmer.
Hayden, M., & Thompson, J. J. (1998). International education: Perceptions of teachers in
international schools. International Review of Education, 44(5–6), 549–568.
Hayden, M., & Thompson, J. J. (2008). International schools: Growth and influence. UNESCO:
International Institute for Educational Planning. http://doi.org/ISBN: 978-92-803-1320-8
Hayden, M., & Thompson, J. J. (2013). International schools and international education:
Improving teaching, management and quality. Routledge.
Henke, R. R., Zahn, L., & Carroll, C. D. (2001). Attrition of new teachers among recent college
graduates : comparing occupational stability among 1992-93 graduates who taught and
those who worked in other occupations. Statistical Analysis Report / National Center for
Education Statistics, (March), xvi, 51 p.
Henley, J. (2006). E/CIS Annual Statistical Survey 2006: Data Summary.
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 153

Hill, C. E. (2012). Introduction to Consensual Qualitative Research. In C. E. Hill (Ed.),
Consensual qualitative research : a practical resource for investigating social science
phenomena (1st ed., p. 329). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Hill, C. E., Knox, S., Thompson, B. J., Williams, E. N., Hess, S. A., & Ladany, N. (2005).
Consensual qualitative research: An update. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 52(2), 196–
205. http://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.52.2.196
Hill, C. E., Thompson, B. J., & Williams, E. N. (1997). A guide to conducting consensual
qualitative research. The Counseling Psychologist, 25(4), 517–572.
Hughes, G. D. (2012). Teacher Retention: Teacher Characteristics, School Characteristics,
Organizational Characteristics, and Teacher Efficacy. The Journal of Educational Research,
105(4), 245–255. http://doi.org/10.1080/00220671.2011.584922
Ingersoll, R. M. (2001). Teacher Turnover and Teacher Shortages: An Organizational Analysis.
American Educational Research Journal, 38(3), 499–534.
http://doi.org/10.3102/00028312038003499
Ingersoll, R. M. (2003). Turnover and Shortages among Science and Mathematics Teachers in
the United States. In J. Rhoton & P. Bowers (Eds.), Science teacher retention: Mentoring
and renewal (p. 13). Arlington, VA: National Science Education Leadership Association
and National Science Teachers Association Press. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com/docview/62228754?accountid=12339%5Cnhttp://mcgill.on.worl
dcat.org/atoztitles/link?sid=ProQ:&issn=&volume=&issue=&title=Turnover+and+Shortage
s+among+Science+and+Mathematics+Teachers+in+the+United+States.&spage=13&date=2
003-01-01&at
Ingersoll, R. M., & Strong, M. (2011a). The Impact of Induction and Mentoring Programs for
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 154

Beginning Teachers: A Critical Review of the Research. Review of Educational Research
(Vol. 81). http://doi.org/10.3102/0034654311403323
Ingersoll, R. M., & Strong, M. (2011b). The impact of induction and mentoring programs for
beginning teachers a critical review of the research. Review of Educational Research, 81(2),
201–233.
International School Review Inc. (2016). Article - When is it Okay to Break Your International
Teaching Contract? | International Schools Review. Retrieved November 5, 2016, from
https://www.internationalschoolsreview.com/nonmembers/whentoleave.htm
James, C., & Sheppard, P. (2014). The governing of international schools: the implications of
ownership and profit motive. School Leadership {&} Management, 34(1), 2–20.
http://doi.org/10.1080/13632434.2013.813457
Jassawalla, A., Truglia, C., & Garvey, J. (2004). Cross-cultural conflict and expatriate manager
adjustment: An exploratory study. Management Decision, 42(7), 837–849.
http://doi.org/10.1108/00251740410550916
Kersaint, G., Lewis, J., Potter, R., & Meisels, G. (2007). Why teachers leave: Factors that
influence retention and resignation. Teaching and Teacher Education, 23(6), 775–794.
http://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2005.12.004
Klein, J. (2005). Effectiveness of school staff meetings: Implications for teacher-training and
conduct of meetings. International Journal of Research and Method in Education, 28(1),
67–81. http://doi.org/10.1080/01406720500036778
Kramsch, C. J. (2013). Afterword. In B. Norton (Ed.), Identity and language learning: Extending
the conversation (2nd ed., pp. 192–201). Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters.
Kyriacou, C., & Kunc, R. (2007). Beginning teachers’ expectations of teaching. Teaching and
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 155

Teacher Education, 23(8), 1246–1257. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2006.06.002
Levy, A. J., Joy, L., Ellis, P., Jablonski, E., Karelitz, T. M., Levy, A. J., Jablonski, E. (2015).
Estimating Teacher Turnover Costs :, 38(2), 102–129. http://doi.org/10.1353/jef.2012.0019
Lowe, J. (2000). Assessment and educational quality: implications for international schools. In
M. Hayden & J. J. Thompson (Eds.), International schools and international education:
improving teaching, management and quality (pp. 15–28). London: Kogan Page.
Lynch, J. (2012). Responsibilities of today’s principal: Implications for principal preparation
programs and principal certification policies. Rural Special Education Quarterly, 31(2), 40–
47.
Mancuso, S. V., Roberts, L., & White, G. P. (2010). Teacher retention in international schools:
The key role of school leadership. Journal of Research in International Education, 9(3),
306–323. http://doi.org/10.1177/1475240910388928
Marshall, C., & Rossman, G. R. (2011). Designing Qualitative Research (5th ed.). Thousand
Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370.
Mckillop-Ostrom, A. (2000). Student mobility and the international curriculum. In M. Hayden &
J. Thompson (Eds.), International schools and international education: Improving teaching,
management and quality (pp. 73–84). London: Kogan Page Limited.
Merriam, S. B., & Tisdell, E. J. (2016). Qualitative Research: A Guide to Design and
Implementation (4th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Mertler, C. A. (2013). Classroom-based action research: Revisiting the process as customizable
and meaningful professional development for educators. Journal of Pedagogic
Development, 3(3), 39–43.
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 156

Mertler, C. A. (2016). Should I Stay or Should I Go? Understanding Teacher Motivation, Job
Satisfaction, and Perceptions of Retention among Arizona Teachers. International Research
in Higher Education, 1(2), 34–45. http://doi.org/10.5430/irhe.v1n2p34
Minarik, M. M., Thornton, B., & Perreault, G. (2003). Systems thinking can improve teacher
retention. Clearing House, 76(5), 230–234. http://doi.org/10.1080/00098650309602010
Moje, E. B. (2000). Changing our minds, chaning our bodies: power as embodied in research
relations. Qualitative Studies in Education, 13(1), 25–42.
Moussu, L., & Llurda, E. (2008). Non-native English-speaking English language teachers:
History and research. Language Teaching (Vol. 41).
http://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444808005028
Mumford, D. B. (2000). Culture shock among young British volunteers working abroad:
predictors, risk factors and outcomes. Transcultural Psychiatry, 37(1), 73–87.
Oberg, K. (1960). Cultural Shock: Adjustment to New Cultural Environments. Practical
Anthropology, 7(4), 177–182. http://doi.org/10.1177/009182966000700405
Odland, G., & Ruzicka, M. (2009). An investigation into teacher turnover in international
schools. Journal of Research in International Education, 8(1), 5–29.
http://doi.org/10.1177/1475240908100679
Oto, D. W. (2014). Safe passage: How mobility affects people and what international schools
should do about it. Norwich, UK: Summertime Publishing.
Pajares, F. (1996). Self-Efficacy Beliefs in Academic Settings. Review of Educational Research,
66(4), 543–578. http://doi.org/10.3102/00346543066004543
Petison, P. (2008). Managing local employees : expatriate roles in a subsidiary, 46(5), 743–760.
http://doi.org/10.1108/00251740810873743
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 157

Pierce, J. L., & Delbecq, A. L. (1977). Organization structure, individual attitudes and
innovation. Academy of Management Review, 2(1), 27–37.
Pintrich, P. R. (2003). A Motivational Science Perspective on the Role of Student Motivation in
Learning and Teaching Contexts. Journal of Educational Psychology, 95(4), 667–686.
http://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.95.4.667
Pollock, D. C., Van Reken, R. E., & Pollock, M. V. (2010). Third culture kids: The experience of
growing up among worlds. Hachette UK.
Pressley, M., & Harris, K. R. (2006). Cognitive strategy instruction: From basic research to
classroom instructions. In P. A. Alexander & P. H. Winne (Eds.), Handbook of educational
psychology (2nd ed., pp. 265–287). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Ronfeldt, M., Loeb, S., & Wyckoff, J. (2013). How Teacher Turnover Harms Student
Achievement. American Educational Research Journal, 50(1), 4–36.
http://doi.org/10.3102/0002831212463813
Roskell, D. (2013). Cross-cultural transition: International teachers’ experience of “culture
shock.” Journal of Research in International Education, 12(2), 155–172.
http://doi.org/10.1177/1475240913497297
Runglertkrengkrai, S., & Engkaninan, S. (1987). The pattern of managerial behaviour in Thai
culture. Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 5(1), 8–15.
Rust, F. O., & Freidus, H. (2001). Guiding school change: The role and work of change agents
(Vol. 32). Teachers College Press.
Schraw, G., & McCrudden, M. (2006). Information processing theory. Retrieved January 1,
2016, from http://www.education.com/reference/article/information-processing-theory/
Scott, J. C. (1999). Developing Cultural Fluency: The Goal of International Business
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 158

Communication Instruction in the 21st Century. Journal of Education for Business, 74(3),
140–143. http://doi.org/10.1080/08832329909601676
Selvarajah, C., Meyer, D., & Donovan, J. (2012). Cultural context and its influence on
managerial leadership in Thailand. Asia Pacific Business Review, 19(3), 1–25.
http://doi.org/10.1080/13602381.2012.714630
Serpell, Z., & Bozeman, L. A. (1999). Beginning Teacher Induction: A Report on Beginning
Teacher Effectiveness and Retention. Washington, DC. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com/docview/62313196?accountid=12339
Skinner, K. J. (1998). Navigating the Legal and Ethical World of Overseas Contracts.
International Schools Journal, 17(2), 60–67.
Smith, T. M., & Ingersoll, R. M. (2004). What Are the Effects of Induction and Mentoring on
Beginning Teacher Turnover? Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 26(3), 681–714.
http://doi.org/10.3102/01623737026003681
Spector, P. E. (1985). Spector, Paul E., Measurement of Human Service Staff Satisfaction:
Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey. American Journal of Community Psychology,
13(6), 693.
Stage, C. W. (1999). Negotiating Organizational Communication Cultures in American
Subsidiaries Doing Business in Thailand. Management Communication Quarterly, 13(2),
245–280. http://doi.org/10.1177/0893318999132003
ten Bruggencate, G., Luyten, H., Scheerens, J., & Sleegers, P. (2012). Modeling the Influence of
School Leaders on Student Achievement: How Can School Leaders Make a Difference?
Educational Administration Quarterly, 48(4), 699–732.
http://doi.org/10.1177/0013161X11436272
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 159

Tickle, B. R., Chang, M., & Kim, S. (2011). Administrative support and its mediating effect on
US public school teachers. Teaching and Teacher Education, 27(2), 342–349.
http://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2010.09.002
Walsh, J. (2013). Management of Foreign Teachers in International Educational Institutes in
Thailand. Journal of Education and Vocational Research, 4(8), 230–237. Retrieved from
http://ifrnd.org/Research Papers/V4(8)3.pdf
Watlington, E., Shockley, R., Guglielmino, P., & Felsher, R. (2010). The High Cost of Leaving:
An Analysis of the Cost of Teacher Turnover. Journal of Education Finance, 36(1), 22–37.
http://doi.org/10.1353/jef.0.0028
Watt, H. M. G., & Richardson, P. W. (2008). Motivations, perceptions, and aspirations
concerning teaching as a career for different types of beginning teachers. Learning and
Instruction, 18(5), 408–428. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2008.06.002
Wei, X., & Perez-Amurao, A. (2013). A Study on the Influence of Culture on Foreign
Educational Administrators’ Job Satisfaction in Higher Education in Thailand. International
Proceedings of Economics Development and Research, 60, 90–94.
http://doi.org/10.7763/IPEDR.
Weibke, K., & Bardin, J. (2009). New teacher support. Journal of Staff Development, 30(1), 34–
36, 38, 78.
Welch, C., & Piekkari, R. (2006). Crossing language boundaries: qualitative interviewing in
international business. Management International REview, 46(4), 417–437.
Wigfeild, A., & Eccles, J. S. (2000). Expectancy–Value Theory of Achievement Motivation.
Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25(1), 68–81.
http://doi.org/10.1006/ceps.1999.1015
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 160

Zepeda, S. J., Bengtson, E., Parylo, O., & Zepeda, S. J. (2012). Examining the planning and
management of principal succession. http://doi.org/10.1108/09578231211210512

THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 161

APPENDIX A - Demographic Questionnaire Items
1. What is your sex?

2. What is your ethnicity?

3. What is your age range?
20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60+

4. What is your nationality? _______________

5. What is your native Language?_____________

6. What country are you currently located?

7. How many years have you been teaching? _______________

8. What is your highest level of education? Bachelors Masters Doctorate

9. Do you have a national/state issued teacher license or credential? Yes No

10. Have you worked in any other countries besides Thailand? If so, what countries?

11. Was your first teaching position at the study school?

12. Was working at the study school your first teaching position at an international school?
Yes No
a. If no, how many international schools have you worked for?___________

13. What subject area did you teach? (Circle One or more)
Science and Math, Social Sciences, Humanities (English), Health and PE,
other:__________

THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 162

APPENDIX B - Job Satisfaction Survey

JOB SATISFACTION SURVEY
Spector, P. E. (1985). Spector, Paul E., Measurement of Human Service Staff Satisfaction:
Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey. AmDavidan Journal of Community Psychology,
13(6), 693.

PLEASE CIRCLE THE ONE NUMBER FOR EACH
QUESTION THAT COMES CLOSEST TO
REFLECTING YOUR OPINION
ABOUT WORKING AT YOUR PREVIOUS
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL.
Disagree very much
Disagree moderately
Disagree slightly
Agree slightly
Agree moderately
Agree very much
1 I feel I am being paid a fair amount for the work I do.
1 2 3 4 5 6
2 There is really too little chance for promotion on my job.
1 2 3 4 5 6
3 My supervisor is quite competent in doing his/her job.
1 2 3 4 5 6
4 I am not satisfied with the benefits I receive.
1 2 3 4 5 6
5 When I do a good job, I receive the recognition for it that I should receive.
1 2 3 4 5 6
6 Many of our rules and procedures make doing a good job difficult.
1 2 3 4 5 6
7 I like the people I work with.
1 2 3 4 5 6
8 I sometimes feel my job is meaningless.
1 2 3 4 5 6
9 Communications seem good within this organization.
1 2 3 4 5 6
10 Raises are too few and far between.
1 2 3 4 5 6
11 Those who do well on the job stand a fair chance of being promoted.
1 2 3 4 5 6
12 My supervisor is unfair to me.
1 2 3 4 5 6
13 The benefits we receive are as good as most other organizations offer.
1 2 3 4 5 6
14 I do not feel that the work I do is appreciated.
1 2 3 4 5 6
15 My efforts to do a good job are seldom blocked by red tape.
1 2 3 4 5 6
16 I find I have to work harder at my job because of the incompetence of
people I work with.
1 2 3 4 5 6
17 I like doing the things I do at work.
1 2 3 4 5 6
18 The goals of this organization are not clear to me.
1 2 3 4 5 6
19 I feel unappreciated by the organization when I think about what they pay
me.
1 2 3 4 5 6
20 People get ahead as fast here as they do in other places.
1 2 3 4 5 6
21 My supervisor shows too little interest in the feelings of subordinates.
1 2 3 4 5 6
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 163

22 The benefit package we have is equitable.
1 2 3 4 5 6
23 There are few rewards for those who work here.
1 2 3 4 5 6
24 I have too much to do at work.
1 2 3 4 5 6
25 I enjoy my coworkers.
1 2 3 4 5 6
26 I often feel that I do not know what is going on with the organization.
1 2 3 4 5 6
27 I feel a sense of pride in doing my job.
1 2 3 4 5 6
28 I feel satisfied with my chances for salary increases.
1 2 3 4 5 6
29 There are benefits we do not have which we should have.
1 2 3 4 5 6
30 I like my supervisor.
1 2 3 4 5 6
31 I have too much paperwork.
1 2 3 4 5 6
32 I don't feel my efforts are rewarded the way they should be.
1 2 3 4 5 6
33 I am satisfied with my chances for promotion.
1 2 3 4 5 6
34 There is too much bickering and fighting at work.
1 2 3 4 5 6
35 My job is enjoyable.
1 2 3 4 5 6
36 Work assignments are not fully explained.
1 2 3 4 5 6

THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 164

APPENDIX C - Interview Questions
1. What have you been doing since you left the school?
2. Tell me about what brought you into teaching? (Motivation)
a. What are the things you most enjoy about teaching?
b. What are thing things you least enjoy about teaching?
3. How did TIS support you to do the things you enjoy most about teaching?
(Motivation)
a. How did TIS support you to do the things you least enjoy about teaching?
4. Tell me about what life was like outside of school?
a. What was the living situation like?
b. What was the dynamic with people in the community like?
c. What did you enjoy?
d. What was difficult?
5. Prior to starting, what did you expect working at TIS would be like? (Knowledge)
a. Where did these expectations come from?
b. How were your expectations similar to or different from what you
experienced?
c. How did your expectations affect your attitude and behavior while at TIS?
6. How did you feel about attending meetings? For example, accreditation meetings
or department meetings? (Motivation)
a. How important did you think these activities were to you?
b. Are there ways they could have been managed more effectively?
c. How did you feel about doing student activities? For example, advising a club
or attending sports day.
7. How much say did you have over what you did at work? This may include class
content or non-teaching duties like attending meetings and committees.
8. Please provide me a few examples of TIS sponsored professional development
activities that you attended. I.e. Thai culture teacher training, differentiated
instruction, staff retreat. (Knowledge)
a. Did the programs meet your professional growth needs? Why or why not?
b. In your opinion, did the programs meet the needs of the school? Why or why
not?
9. How did you feel about the school’s new teacher orientation program?
a. What were you biggest take aways from the orientation program?
b. Were there other things that you wished the teacher orientation program
prioritized?
10. How well did employees collaborate with each other? (Organization)
a. How well did faculty members collaborate with each other?
b. How well did faculty members collaborate with school administrators?
(Organization)
11. Describe the relationship between Thai and foreign employees at TIS.
(Organization)
a. Can you describe a situation that demonstrates the relationship?
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 165

12. Cultural development programs are designed to foster cross cultural
communication and collaboration. If we were to develop a program to address
intercultural understanding, what do you think would be the greatest needs?
(Organization)
a. How important would such a program be?
13. What is your opinion about this statement: administration clearly communicates
its decisions and policies with faculty.
a. Describe the areas where communication was effective and why.
b. Describe the areas were communication was ineffective and why.
c. If you had a free hand, what improvements would you make?
14. How do administrators respond to teacher thoughts and concerns? Tell me about
any responses and how they affected you. (Motivation)
a. Can you describe a time where responses were most effective?
b. Can you describe a time where the responses were ineffective?
c. How did the response affect your motivation and behavior at work?
15. What is your opinion of the options provided to you to contribute to the
development of TIS? Some options may include create new programs, design
curriculum, WASC committee meetings. (Organization)
a. If you had an option, please describe what it was.
b. How did you feel about this option?
c. How important were these the options to contribute to the development of
the school to you?
16. Walk me through your decision to leave the school.
a. When did you start to consider leaving the school? (Motivation)
b. How did compensation and benefits package influence your decision?
c. How did the prospect for advancement at the organization influence your
decision?
d. How did the administrator’s capability influence your decision?
e. How did the turnover of teachers and administrators affect how you felt at
the school?
f. How long did it take you to decide to leave?
g. What was encouraging you to stay?
h. What were the key factors that made you finally leave?
17. If you could go back in time and change the school, what changes would have
influenced you to stay? (Motivation)
18. Is there anything else you would like to share that would be important for
improving teacher retention?

THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 166

APPENDIX D - Informed Consent/Information Sheet
University of Southern California
Rossier School of Education - Organizational Change and Leadership
3470 Trousdale Pkwy, Los Angeles, CA 90089, United States

INFORMED CONSENT FOR NON-MEDICAL RESEARCH

Knowledge, Motivation, and Organizational Influences of Teacher Retention at a Thai
International School

You are invited to participate in a research study conducted by Edward M. Johns, M.A. and
Jennifer Crawford, Ph.D. at the University of Southern California, because you 1. You were
teaching at the study organization for a least have a year; 2. Chose to terminate your contract from
the study organization prematurely; 3. Are able to speak English fluently. Your participation is
voluntary. You should read the information below, and ask questions about anything you do not
understand, before deciding whether to participate. Please take as much time as you need to read
the consent form. You may also decide to discuss participation with your family or friends. If you
decide to participate, you will be asked to sign this form. You will be given a copy of this form.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The purpose of this project is to identify the knowledge, motivation, and organizational resources
necessary to increase the retention rate the organization that is being studied. The aim of the study
is to interview the teachers who left the organization in order to identify areas of improvement so
that the school can create programs that will promote teacher retention.

As such, the questions that guide this study are the following:
1. What are the knowledge, motivation, and organizational needs necessary to retain teachers
who have left the school?
2. What recommendations can we draw to improve the faculty professional development and
induction programs that consider the unique challenges of study organization?

STUDY PROCEDURES
If you volunteer to participate in this study, you will be asked to fill out a demographic
questionnaire, job satisfaction survey, and interview with an investigator. The demographic
questionnaire asks 12 questions regarding personal information (i.e. sex, nationality, etc.),
education, and professional experience. The job satisfaction survey is a 36 item questionnaire
that asks for you to reflect experiences at your previous school and determine your level of job
satisfaction. Interview questions will focus on your thoughts, impressions, and experiences
regarding the knowledge, motivation, and organizational areas at the study organization. Data
from the interview will be summarized into broad categories. No personal identifying
information, which includes but is not limited to participant’s name, individuals named during
the interview, and academic department, will be included with the research results. The
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 167

demographic questionnaire should take no more than 10 minutes. The job satisfaction survey
should take no more than 15 minutes. The interview will take approximately 1 to 1.5 hours.
Approximately 8 to 15 people will participate in the study. Participation in this study will require
interviewees to be audio recorded for the purpose of transcription.

POTENTIAL RISKS AND DISCOMFORTS
The investigators believe there is little or no risk to participating in this research project.
However, there may be a small risk that you may experience psychological pain and anxiety
when closely examining your personal experiences. Such distress or anxiety is usually
temporary, and you always have the option of withdrawing from the study if you become
uncomfortable. Additionally, due to the small and mobile community of international schools,
there is a small risk that that participating in this study may affect the participant’s reputation in
the international school community. This risk has been minimized by the removal of any
potentially identifying information in the study.

POTENTIAL BENEFITS TO PARTICIPANTS AND/OR TO SOCIETY
Participating in this research may be of no direct benefit to you. However, the results from this
project will help understand the dynamics at the study organization to help improve the processes
and procedures for current and incoming faculty members. In addition, this study may also
provide boarder implications regarding teacher retention, attrition and turnover that may improve
professional development programs for international schools.

CONFIDENTIALITY
We will keep your records for this study confidential as far as permitted by law. However, if we
are required to do so by law, we will disclose confidential information about you. The members
of the research team, the funding agency and the University of Southern California’s Human
Subjects Protection Program (HSPP) may access the data. The HSPP reviews and monitors
research studies to protect the rights and welfare of research subjects.

The data will be stored on one computer and synced with the Microsoft OneDrive file service. All
computer files including word processing and audio files with sensitive data will be encrypted and
password protected. Access to files via Microsoft OneDrive are restricted to the investigators in
this study. All identities in this study will be coded using a unique pseudonym. Audio files will be
kept on file for three years in after which they will be expunged.

CERTIFICATE OF CONFIDENTIALITY
Any identifiable information obtained in connection with this study will remain confidential,
except if necessary to protect your rights or welfare (for example, if you are injured and need
emergency care). A Certificate of Confidentiality has been obtained from the Federal Government
for this study to help protect your privacy. This certificate means that the researchers can resist the
release of information about your participation to people who are not connected with the study,
including courts. The Certificate of Confidentiality will not be used to prevent disclosure to local
authorities of child abuse and neglect, or harm to self or others.

When the results of the research are published or discussed in conferences, no identifiable
information will be used.
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 168

PARTICIPATION AND WITHDRAWAL
Your participation is voluntary. Your refusal to participate will involve no penalty or loss of
benefits to which you are otherwise entitled. You may withdraw your consent at any time and
discontinue participation without penalty. You are not waiving any legal claims, rights or remedies
because of your participation in this research study.

ALTERNATIVES TO PARTICIPATION
There are no alternate participation methods.
.
INVESTIGATOR’S CONTACT INFORMATION
If you have any questions or concerns about the research, please feel free to contact Edward M.
Johns +66 (0)95-954-6869, edwardmj@usc.edu, Department of English, Faculty of Arts,
Chulalongkorn University, 11th floor, Boromrajakumari Building, Phayathai Rd., Patumwan,
Bangkok 10330, Thailand or Dr. Jennifer Crawford +1 (213) 740-3471, jenifeac@usc.edu,
University of Southern California, Off Campus, ATT 21st Floor, T2100, Los Angeles, California
90089 USA.

RIGHTS OF RESEARCH PARTICIPANT – IRB CONTACT INFORMATION
If you have questions, concerns, or complaints about your rights as a research participant or the
research in general and are unable to contact the research team, or if you want to talk to someone
independent of the research team, please contact the University Park Institutional Review Board
(UPIRB), 3720 South Flower Street #301, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0702, (213) 821-5272 or
upirb@usc.edu

SIGNATURE OF RESEARCH PARTICIPANT

I have read the information provided above. I have been given a chance to ask questions. My
questions have been answered to my satisfaction, and I agree to participate in this study. I have
been given a copy of this form.

SIGNATURE OF INVESTIGATOR

I have explained the research to the participant and answered all of his/her questions. I believe that
he/she understands the information described in this document and freely consents to participate.

Name of Person Obtaining Consent

Signature of Person Obtaining Consent Date
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 169

APPENDIX E - Recruitment Letter

Dear______________,

I am contacting you because I would like to invite you to participate in my study that I
am conducting at the University of Southern California Rossier School of Education. The
purpose of my study is project is to find out from teachers who left TIS what where the problems
that occurred and what they think needs to be done in order to improve teacher retention. You
were selected because you fulfil the three study participant criteria that include: 1. You were
teaching at TIS for a least half a year; 2. You left the school prematurely; 3. You can speak
English fluently. These criteria were selection because these the thoughts and opinions from
people like yourself contain valuable information that can help improve the school.

The study will require that you fill out a simple demographic questionnaire (10 minutes),
a 36-item job satisfaction survey, and a 1- 1.5hour interview in person, over the telephone, or via
Internet video (skype, google hangouts, or facetime) that will be audio recorded and transcribed.
Your identity will be kept confidential and your participation is voluntary meaning that you can
quit at any time.

I sincerely hope that you will consider contributing to this study. If you would like more
details or want to participate, please contact me by email at edwardmj@usc.edu or +66 95-954-
6869.

Best Regards,

Edward Johns.

THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 170

APPENDIX F - KMO Influencer and Interview Question Matrix

THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 171

APPENDIX G - Team Member Hour Requirements

Primary Team Member Commitment Requirements

Duties
As a primary team member, you will be a core research investigator. You facilitate the
development of core ideas and themes. Members must review transcriptions which may be 30 to
50 pages per interview (450 – 800 total pages). As a primary member, you will need to be
committed to the research project. Team members are required to attend research meeting to
discuss ideas. This is a completely volunteer position that can be used for professional
development. No monetary compensation will be provided.

Benefits
Can be used as research experience for CV or Resume
Good for graduate school applications
Gain Experience doing Qualitative Research
Utilizing intensive Consensual Qualitative Research method
Development of interviewing skills
Experience with multicultural population
Possible Authorship

Commitment Required
Time Task
Independent Tasks
10 Independent Interviews and Prep (2 hr. x 5 interviews)
24 Independent Domain Analysis (2 hr. x 12 days)
24 Independent Core Idea Analysis (2 hr. x 12 days)
29.5 Independent Cross Analysis (2.5 hr. x 11 days)
Training
5 KMO Training
3.5 Interview Training
1 Domain and Core Idea Training
1 Cross Analysis Training
Team Meetings
2 Participant Recruitment Meetings
2 Interview Status Meetings
5.5 Domain Analysis Meetings and Check-ins
4.5 Core Idea Analysis Meetings and Check-ins
5 Cross Analysis Meeting and Check-ins
3 Auditor Feedback Meetings
2 Narrative Review
THAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TURNOVER AND RETENTION 172

122 Total Time Commitment

Auditor Commitment Requirements

Duties
As an auditor, you will be required to double-check the analysis of the primary time. You will
need to refer to the raw data to compare and develop suggestions for the primary team member.
The auditor must review transcriptions which may be 30 to 50 pages per interview (450 – 800
total pages). This is a completely volunteer position that can be used for professional
development. No monetary compensation will be provided.

Benefits
Can be used as research experience for CV or Resume
Good for graduate school applications
Gain Experience doing Qualitative Research
Utilizing intensive Consensual Qualitative Research method
Experience with multicultural population
Possible Authorship

Commitment Required
Time Task
Training
5 KMO Training
1 Auditing Training – Domain and Core Ideas
1 Auditing Training – Cross Analysis
Independent Tasks
30 Auditing Domain and Core Ideas (2hr per interview x 15 interviews)
30 Audit cross analysis, category names, and frequency
(2hr per interview x 15 interviews)
Team Meetings
1 Discussion of the Audit with Team Members Domain & Core Ideas
1 Discussion of the Audit with Team Members Cross Analysis
2 Review Narrative Report
71 Approximate Hours Required for Auditor
Is adjustment. This is when the individual becomes familiar with the behaviors and expectations
of the host country and has adjusted themselves to fit in.

Abstract (if available)

Linked assets

University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses

Conceptually similar

PDF

A wellness paradigm to attenuate attrition

PDF

The role of international school teacher leaders in building leadership capacity within their teams

PDF

Influencing teacher retention: an evaluation study

PDF

Teacher perception on positive behavior interventions and supports’ (PBIS) cultivation for positive teacher-student relationships in high schools: an evaluation study

PDF

Answering the call for shared leadership - the missing conditions for successful implementation of English language teacher leadership: an evaluation study

PDF

Examining teacher retention and attrition in novice teachers

PDF

High attrition rate of preschool teachers in Hong Kong: an evaluation study

PDF

Factors influencing special education teacher attrition in a Hawaii school district

PDF

International school director tenure: an evaluation study

PDF

The role of professional development and certification in technology worker turnover: An evaluation study

PDF

Principal leadership influences teacher retention in schools identified for comprehensive and targeted support: an evaluation study

PDF

Beginning teachers’ perceptions of induction program support

PDF

The impact of high turnover and burnout among behavioral health's clinical workforce (clinicians)

PDF

Stop the revolving door: the influence of emotionally intelligent leadership practices on employee retention in non‐profit human service organizations

PDF

Understanding science and math teacher retention in Hawai‘i public schools

PDF

Instructional differentiation and accommodations to support student achievement in SLD and ADHD secondary school populations: an evaluation study

PDF

Civic engagement in American schools: an evaluation study

PDF

Special education teacher attrition in a Hawaii school complex area

PDF

Evaluation study: building teacher efficacy in K8 computer science integration

PDF

Teacher retention influences: an evaluation study

Asset Metadata

Creator Johns, Edward Makoto (author)

Core Title The voices of teacher attrition: Perceptions of retention and turnover at an international school in Thailand

School Rossier School of Education

Degree Doctor of Education

Degree Program Organizational Change and Leadership (On Line)

Publication Date 07/25/2018

Defense Date 03/07/2018

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag Communication,international schools,job satisfaction,leadership,mentorship,OAI-PMH Harvest,teacher retention,teacher turnover

Format application/pdf (imt)

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Crawford, Jenifer (committee chair), Lillo, Sarah (committee member), Min, Emmy (committee member)

Creator Email edward.m.johns@gmail.com,edwardmj@usc.edu

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c89-30924

Unique identifier UC11670530

Identifier etd-JohnsEdwar-6476.pdf (filename),usctheses-c89-30924 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier etd-JohnsEdwar-6476.pdf

Dmrecord 30924

Document Type Dissertation

Format application/pdf (imt)

Rights Johns, Edward Makoto

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the a...

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA