Factors Predicting Teacher Satisfaction and Retention in the Hampton City Schools Teacher Induction Program

This descriptive and correlational study used a mixed methodology of both quantitative and qualitative data collection strategies to identify factors that predict new teacher satisfaction and retention in the Hampton City Schools\u27 teacher induction program. In the first phase of the study, a researcher-developed questionnaire was mailed to 657 Hampton City Schools\u27 elementary, middle, and high school teachers with 0–5 years of experience and was returned by 40 percent (n = 226) of the sample. The first phase of the study utilized a 31-item teacher questionnaire. The first section of this questionnaire requested demographic information, which helped to categorize teachers into 3 groups. Group one consisted of teachers with less than one year, group two consisted of teachers who had been teaching 1–3 years, and the last group consisted of teachers who had been teaching up to 5 years. The next section of the questionnaire gathered information related to the independent variables of mentoring, principal support, professional development and collaboration and the two dependent variables of job satisfaction and retention. In the second phase of the study, 9 teacher participants and 9 of their principals participated in separate qualitative interviews. Quantitative and qualitative results revealed that principal support was significant in predicting job satisfaction and retention in teachers. The analyses also revealed that professional development and collaboration were also significant predictors of job satisfaction but not teacher retention. Differences by years of experience did not exist among variables. When other differences by demographic characteristics were explored, another significant predictor of job satisfaction and teacher retention was school type. A comparison by grade level revealed that elementary school teachers were significantly more satisfied with their job than middle school or high school teachers. Qualitative analyses further revealed that teachers perceived professional development and collaboration, and principal support to be important contributors to their job satisfaction and intentions to remain in the teaching profession. Strong instructional leadership and professional development offered by system instructional leaders were factors that principals perceived as essential to teachers\u27 job satisfaction and retention. Although teachers and principals both saw professional development and collaboration as significant predictors, further research may be needed to determine which type of professional development and collaboration opportunities may influence teachers\u27 impact on instructional quality