Investigating Staff Morale in an Elementary School Setting

The way that employees feel about their workplaces and their jobs has implications not only for each individual but for the success of the workplace as well. In a school setting, investigating how teachers and other staff members feel about their jobs and their workplace and then seeking to improve employee morale may benefit schools. This action research investigated staff morale at Sparkling Springs Elementary School. The investigation examined how efforts to improve staff morale influenced staff members, students, and parents. Through staff surveys and focus groups, the researcher obtained information on staff members‟ feelings and attitudes related to the workplace, their suggestions for improving morale, and their views of changes in staff morale following the implementation of staff member suggestions. Parent surveys provided information on parent perceptions of staff attitudes and actions. Student data on reading achievement and behavior pre and post intervention supplied information on the impact that staff morale changes had on students. Data from the investigation revealed differences, both pre and post intervention, in agreement and disagreement with morale-related survey statements based on job types and years of experience in education. The results also showed an increase in agreement and a decrease in disagreement with morale-related statements following intervention. Comparing staff member absences pre and post intervention did not reveal any consistent trends. While iii a decrease in the number of behavior referrals existed following intervention, reading achievement data did not show any consistent trends following intervention. Parent surveys showed that, both pre and post intervention, parents held a positive view of staff member actions and attitudes. The author suggests that future research should focus on expanding the research setting and on investigating the impact that school administrators have on staff morale. Using the results of the study, the author makes recommendations to schools wishing to assess and improve staff morale