Access Type

Open Access Dissertation

Date of Award

January 2023

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ed.D.

Department

Educational Leadership and Policy

First Advisor

Ben Pogodzinski

Abstract

In 2020 a nationwide school closure happened in response to the health concerns associated with the COVID-19 virus. Districts expeditiously approached teachers with an unfamiliar virtual instruction pedagogy while many gave them little support. This unprecedented time in education led to a rise in vacancies in public schools during the pandemic and greatly affected those still in the field. Policymakers and administrators were then frantically attempting to find new incentives to fill a growing number of vacancies as they feared they would lose their most experienced and effective teachers. This research was a mixed-methods case study which followed an explanatory sequential design. Since case studies involve in-depth investigations of one particular group during events, like major changes within an organization, this approach best benefited the analysis of teacher experience involving vacancies during the pandemic. This study built on theoretical connections among teacher burnout and stress, teacher turnover, and administrative support by demonstrating how factors during the pandemic contributed to teacher dissatisfaction and impacted those still in the field. In highlighting teacher experiences, meaningful data on common factors contributing to feelings of underappreciation in teachers and an overall rise in burnout was found. Through the experiences of K-12 educators during the pandemic, important implications were found in managing and supporting the teaching workforce in the wake of teacher shortages during the pandemic.

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