Configuring a Construct Definition of Teacher Working Conditions in the United States: A Systematic Narrative Review of Researcher Concepts

Abstract

Teacher working conditions (TWCs) are, in many ways, student learning conditions. Furthermore, they have also been linked to teacher retention. These connections make TWCs important to understand; yet there is no accepted construct definition delineating and defining what TWCs are. Through a systematic review and narrative synthesis of literature from the United States, I define TWCs and organize the topics that emerged from the literature into a catalog of TWCs. After defining what TWCs are, I employ findings from the narrative synthesis to discuss what TWCs are not. Additionally, I document sources of variation in operationalizing TWCs as well as areas of homogeneity in how researchers study TWCs. I find that researchers agree on the underlying concept of TWCs, vary widely in how they decompose the concept, and overwhelmingly use survey methods to study TWCs. Last, I offer three suggestions to consider in future research.

Flexible or Rigid? Exploring Preservice Teachers’ Classroom Preferences

“…All coding was implemented in Dedoose, and the final coding scheme—shown in Table 1—includes frequencies calculated by the presence of each category within a response out of the total number of participants. This scheme was compared with Merrill’s (2021) teacher working conditions framework in the Discussion section, although two differences were translated. This study focused on a PST sample without full-time experience and utilized data specific to classroom preferences instead of the entire workplace.…”

“…Other studies have since prospected additional characteristics that could be embedded within these features, including collegial climate (Pogodzinski et al, 2013; Weiss, 1999), work pressure, administrative support (Aldridge & Fraser, 2016; Johnson & Birkeland, 2003), classroom autonomy, behavioral climate (Kukla-Acevedo, 2009), academic expectations, and school safety (Kraft et al, 2016). Recently, Merrill (2021) reviewed relevant empirical articles since 2002 and identified 12 unique working conditions. This study not only synthesized recent peer-reviewed evidence but also, different from Johnson (2006), created an accessible framework cataloging each characteristic for which to build a theoretical base.…”

“…This theoretical discrepancy is problematic given that workplace preferences can differ by school level (Keith et al, 1986), teacher efficacy and experience (Chan et al, 2008), and ethnicity (Horng, 2009; Liu & Meyer, 2005; Rots et al, 2007; Su, 1997). Merrill (2021) indeed identified how few studies drew on similar theoretical frameworks throughout her review, preventing direct comparisons of findings, though, thankfully, researchers expressed a consistent underlying concept of teacher working conditions. And for the few studies derived from qualitative methods, these were conducted with relatively small sample sizes and from participants with prior experiences in classrooms, which may have shifted initial workplace preferences (Cannata, 2010; Johnson & Birkeland, 2003).…”

“…Workplace conditions are critically important for the overall health of an educational setting and have been defined as the nonpecuniary elements related to a teacher’s ability to do their job (Merrill, 2021). Teachers’ preferences on these workplace conditions have been positively associated with outcomes such as teacher satisfaction (Ellis et al, 2017), retention (Johnson & Birkeland, 2003; Kraft et al, 2016; Weiss, 1999), and student achievement (Johnson et al, 2012).…”

“…Research has yet to unearth how PSTs apprise workplace conditions, as the preponderance of the evidence has almost exclusively focused on in-service teacher preferences. Although Merrill (2021) established a comprehensive catalog organizing various teacher working conditions, it is solely formulated from empirical studies about in-service teachers. Instead, excavating these preferences from a formative PST population could strengthen the connection between teacher preparation and labor market decisions (Goldhaber, 2019).…”