Problem Background
The educational problem that will be investigated in this scientific paper is the underpayment of teachers. Hanushek (2020) stressed that this issue is not being adequately addressed. Moreover, the coronavirus pandemic was significant, because most of the teachers continued living below the poverty line.
Purpose of the Study
Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore the problem of insufficient remuneration for valuable teachers in educational institutions. The need for this study is to provide information to stop the decline of motivation of teachers, lower academic performance, and increasing teacher turnover. In addition, carrying out scientific work in this field of activity of the society can have a positive impact not only on the professional side of the teacher’s work but also will allow you to gain an understanding of the value of the work of these specialists.
Research Question
Research question: What are the most effective measures in addressing the problem of teachers’ underpayment?
There will also be three sub-questions that will allow defining the necessary prevention steps:
- What are the key causes of the identified issue?
- Which adverse effects can be considered the outcomes of teachers being severely underpaid?
- What are the teachers’ attitudes, and how can they describe the identified situation?
Significance of the Study
The significance of the study is to provide valuable information for teachers to increase their motivation and desire to continue working in the field of education. Moreover, the work will be useful for local school districts and other stakeholders in this area (Bracic et al., 2020).
Research Design
This work is a case study within the framework of qualitative research since its main strengths are extended experience, the inclusion of existing knowledge, and current real-life situations (Sacred Heart University, n.d.). Nevertheless, the disadvantages are bias in the interpretation of the findings, and the case may fail to be representative of the issue under research.
Population and Sampling
For the sample in this research paper, a non-probability method will be utilized. The population will be formed based on the specific school district. Moreover, for this particular study, interviews will be conducted with former and current teachers of different ages, genders, races, and courses.
Data Collection Methods
The main way to collect information in this work is to conduct interviews. There will be a face-to-face meeting to exchange information with the help of questions and detailed responses (Gill & Baillie, 2018; McGrath et al., 2019). The second method that will be used in the work is document review, implying exploration and evaluation of various external and internal sources. Beta testing showed the effectiveness of interview questions; thus, they did not need changes.
Research Procedure
First of all, it is necessary to obtain approval from the institution where the study is to be conducted. Further, it is also important to get IRB approval consider all possible ethical considerations, and make informed consent. Also, strategies to ensure validity and reliability are important for achieving the highest quality results.
Data Analysis
As part of this work, a thematic analysis will be conducted, implying familiarization with the data, themes search, review, naming, and report production. Further, there will be a search for repetitions, an identification of items of interest, an exploration of whether the topics provide an answer to the research question and a report.
Validity and Reliability
The first strategy to ensure validity and reliability will be triangulation. Thus, this method is one of the most effective as it provides an opportunity to use mixed approaches to study the problem (Flick, 2018). Another strategy useful for this research is researcher reflexivity. The peculiarity of this process is that it pays attention to and analyzes all the study components and their relations with the participants.
Researcher Bias/Researcher Role
Researcher bias during the research can become a serious limitation, which may affect the reliability, objectivity, and effectiveness of the work carried out. The main bias in this study may be the expression of the researchers’ personal opinions in the results of the work. To limit this aspect, it is necessary to train specialists in the research and ensure the greatest objectivity.
Trustworthiness
The importance of trustworthiness lies in providing the most reliable, credible, and qualitative research results and outcomes. To ensure this, it is necessary to carry out a detailed and correct collection and analysis of information and utilization of research methods. In addition, to ensure credibility, it is necessary to correctly formulate the methods of collecting information and provide a method for determining the sample (Amin et al., 2020; Stahl & King, 2020). In addition, it is especially critical to provide an accurate flow of scientific work and evidence of the absence of bias.
Ethical Considerations
Ethical considerations have a great influence on conclusions based on scientific work. To ensure the ethics of the study, participants will be provided with informed consent describing all the procedures, limitations, and subtleties of the work. This concerns the issues of conducting research, gathering and analyzing data, and getting rid of them.
References
Bracic, A., Israel-Trummel, M., Rhinehart, S., & Shortle, A. F. (2020). Gender attitudes, support for teachers’ strikes, and legislative elections. Political Science & Politics, 53(3), 447-452. Web.
Flick, U. (2018). Doing triangulation and mixed methods. Sage.
Gill, P., & Baillie, J. (2018). Interviews and focus groups in qualitative research: An update for the digital age. British Dental Journal, 225(7), 668-672.
Hanushek, E. (2020). It’s Not” for the Children”: Striking for more money serves the needs of teachers, not students. To put pupils’ needs first, boost the salaries of effective teachers. Hoover Digest, (1), 71-75. Web.
McGrath, C., Palmgren, P. J., & Liljedahl, M. (2019). Twelve tips for conducting qualitative research interviews. Medical Teacher, 41(9), 1002-1006.
Sacred Heart University. (n.d.). Organizing academic research papers: Types of research designs. Web.
Stahl, N. A., & King, J. R. (2020). Expanding approaches for research: Understanding and using trustworthiness in qualitative research. Journal of Developmental Education, 44(1), 26-28.