Fifth Year Teacher Retention & Efficacy : What Keeps Teachers in the Field

Abstract

This follow-up study investigates how school factors (e.g., administrative support, workload, etc.) and teachers’ characteristics (e.g., teacher efficacy) influence teachers’ retention through their fifth year in the profession. There is currently a nationwide teacher shortage that has presented challenges for schools and administrators. Eight percent of teachers leave the profession each year, with special education among the disciplines most affected by this attrition rate. Within the field of special education, approximately 40% of teachers leave the field by their fifth year of teaching. While preparing new teachers is one solution, retaining teachers in the field presents a more efficient choice. Participants in this study include fifth-year teachers (n= 6) who previously participated in a study on teacher induction during their first year of teaching. Methods include a survey on teacher efficacy and semi-structured interviews. Preliminary surveys completed by participants have indicated that all participants are working in the field of education, well above the national retention averages. Student and faculty researchers will present the identified themes in participant’s survey and interview responses that pinpoint which factors contributed to their retention and how that information might be used to improve pre-service programs.