After reading several research reports in dissertations, I have made some interesting learning gains about my topic, which is the influence of workplace spirituality on retention rates in public and private schools. First of all, I found out that teachers in Christian schools were motivated to proceed with their teaching careers by the opportunity to have a spiritual impact on their students (Achuff, 2018). This finding is indirectly related to my topic because a spiritual impact on students, as well as the atmosphere of Christian schools, is likely to contribute to high workplace spirituality. I assume that, if spirituality is important for retention in Christian schools, it may also be the case in private and public schools. Another interesting and informative lesson was that teachers needed designated time to collaborate with colleagues, which was found to be a significant factor for retention (Tolliver, 2018). I had not considered this factor before, so this finding broadened my view of the problem. In addition, I gained a more in-depth insight into the use of various research methods that could be applied for my study.
The most important dissertations relevant to my topic appeared to be those by Achuff (2018) and Tolliver (2018). Achuff (2018) explored the factors that contributed to Christian school teachers’ retention intentions. The results indicated that Christian school teachers were motivated by a spiritual impact they had on students, support from colleagues, communication with students, and loving the act of teaching (Achuff, 2018). Tolliver (2018) aimed at investigating the difference in job satisfaction and turnover rates between teachers in Title I and non-Title I schools. No difference between these types of schools was found since, in both Title I and non-Title I schools, teachers had the same problems: insufficient time for collaboration, a great amount of paperwork, and interruptions during the instructional time (Tolliver, 2018). I found these two dissertations important because they identify factors contributing to teachers’ retention and turnover intentions, and I can refer to them in my research.
The least impressive finding from my readings was that teachers’ turnover intentions were mostly influenced by environmental factors. Achuff (2018) indicated that such factors as positive organizational culture, communication with colleagues, and disseminating knowledge among students play a significant role in increasing teachers’ retention rates. Yet, I did not find it surprising since I had already had this belief prior to my readings. The rest of the information from the reviewed sources was either relevant to my research question or at least interesting to learn for me as a person concerned about the topic of teacher retention.
References
Achuff, R. A. (2018). A phenomenological study on motivational factors toward the longevity of Christian school teachers [Doctoral dissertation]. Liberty University.
Tolliver, J. L. (2018). Factors that contribute to job satisfaction and teacher retention in Title I versus non-Title I elementary schools [Doctoral dissertation]. Liberty University. Web.
