This research study explored the current state of teacher morale in fourth- and fifth-grade classrooms in three low socioeconomic schools. Additional research questions addressed correlational relationships among the variables of teacher morale, student engagement, and student achievement growth as measured by the North Carolina Teacher Working…

Goal orientation theory has been widely investigated and found to affect many motivation and behavior variables in relation to student learning and work performance. However, unlike the motivational construct of self-efficacy, researchers have yet to investigate whether this theory can be applied to the field of teaching and contribute to the…

Two theories of occupational stress are often cited as being most supported by research: the job strain model (JSM) and the effort--reward imbalance model (ERIM). In order to investigate the applicability of mutual theoretical elements of both models to special education in the USA, a sample of 100 special education paraeducators in public and…

This study tested how well Fishbein and Ajzen's Theory of Reasoned Action predicted the attitudes and morale of urban teachers in high poverty schools under the pressures of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). NCLB forced local administrators to target schools that had not made adequately yearly progress (AYP) for two or more consecutive years.…

In this article, part of the Why I Teach essay series, the author shares how he developed his love for teaching and the failures and successes he experienced as a teacher. He used to hate teachers but everything changed when he entered college. He took general education classes and began to notice the difference between the great teachers and the…

This dissertation grows from a concern that the current public school accountability model, designed ostensibly to increase achievement in lower-performing schools, may be creating unidentified negative consequences for teachers and students within those schools. This hermeneutical phenomenological study features the perceptions of seventeen…

Survey data were used to explore the current teaching status and reasons for leaving or considering leaving teaching for 154 career changers who all graduated from a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program over a 9-year time period. Respondents provided information about reasons for leaving teaching, indicating personal/family, career, and school…

This quantitative research study employed a correlational research method. Two survey instruments were used in this study. The Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI), which is a 30-item Likert scale questionnaire which measures 5 areas of leadership behaviors: (1) Model the Way; (2) Inspire a Shared Vision; (3) Challenge the Process; (4) Enable…

This article, written as a reflexive story, describes my journey as a practitioner researcher investigating the implementation of a study-group format in place of a formal meeting arrangement for the teaching team I lead. The inquiry has been initiated to explore the intervention as a way to promote teacher morale. The research site is a large…

The purpose of this descriptive study was to examine teacher morale and leadership practices as perceived within elementary and middle school teachers and between elementary and middle school teachers within one southeast Tennessee system. The literature presents various theories of leadership, and how individuals who practice those theories…

The nation's K-12 schools are faced with critical challenges: elevating academic achievement, recruiting high-caliber teachers, engaging parental involvement and at-risk students. The national and global economic crisis has significantly compounded these challenges (Fullan, 2002; McEwan, 2003; Kowalski, 2008). School leaders are mandated by…

According to best estimates, some 800,000 faculty members, close to two-thirds of the total nationwide, are adjunct, "contingent," or "lecturer." The severity of their plight, rapidly worsening in today's economic crisis, intersects the interrelated domains of human rights, fair employment, and the future of higher education. In those areas where…

Physical education programs throughout the country are feeling the negative effects of what is proving to be the longest and most severe financial crisis in this country since the Great Depression. Potentially negative issues in physical education programs resulting from the current recession include: (a) low workplace morale, (b) the elimination…

All employers, including school districts, enter into a "Value Proposition" with their employees--the complete set of offerings and experiences provided by the employer, compared to other similar opportunities. A successful Value Proposition reflects the needs of both employer and employee, not only attracting and retaining employees with the…

This study examines the relations between school context variables and teachers' feeling of belonging, emotional exhaustion, job satisfaction, and motivation to leave the teaching profession. Six aspects of the school context were measured: value consonance, supervisory support, relations with colleagues, relations with parents, time pressure, and…