Running the Treadmill: Explorations of Beginning High School Science Teacher Turnover in Arizona

Abstract

Over the past decade, the high number of teachers leaving the profession has been a growing concern among parents, teacher educators, administrators, and policy-makers. While most argue the problem is due to a burgeoning demand and increased numbers of retirements, some researchers propose that the problem of teacher shortages is far more complex. They argue that the greatest numbers of attrition actually occur among beginning teachers. In addition, teacher migration from school to school within the public education system is also a significant feature of the staffing problem, creating inconsistency and impacting student performance and the general effectiveness of schools. Research also points to the fact that migration is a more frequent occurrence among high school teachers, specifically in high demand subject areas such as science. This paper examines the status of a small sample of beginning high school secondary science teachers in Arizona who have either left the profession or changed positions within the public secondary school system. The authors present the context in which the beginning teachers worked, analyze reasons for their decisions, and compare findings to national data.

Prevalence and predictors of out‐of‐field teaching in the first five years

“…If teachers were more likely to leave the profession due to OOF assignments, one would expect more OOF assignments in the 1st year than the 5th year. Although past studies have indicated that teachers are more likely to leave a position when assigned OOF (Donaldson & Johnson, 2010;Keigher, 2010;Lock et al, 2011;Patterson et al, 2003;Sharplin, 2014), these findings challenge that conclusion. It may be that factors beyond subject area preparation are more influential in determining whether a teacher accepts a specific position.…”

“…While these studies showed that new teachers are assigned OOF more than experienced teachers, the point at which teachers begin to transition to teaching more in field has not been identified. As OOF assignments have been cited as a reason for leaving the profession (Donaldson & Johnson, ; Keigher, ; Patterson et al, ; Sharplin, ; Soares, Lock, & Foster, ) and almost half of new teachers leave within the first 5 years (Ingersoll et al, ; National Academies of Sciences, ), this shift toward more in‐field teaching may begin during the first 5 years.…”

“…Past research has indicated that new science teachers are assigned to teach subjects for which they have not been prepared, commonly referred to as out‐of‐field (OOF) teaching, more frequently than experienced science teachers (Ingersoll, ; Lock, Salt, & Soares, ). Adding the challenges of teaching OOF (Childs & McNicholl, ; du Plessis, Carroll, & Gillies, ; Sanders, Borko, & Lockard, ) to those typically experienced by new teachers can disrupt teachers’ development and may lead them to exit the profession (Donaldson & Johnson, ; European Commission [EC], ; Hobbs, ; Keigher, ; Patterson, Roehrig, & Luft, ; Sharplin, ). There are also concerns about the quality of science instruction by teachers who are both new to teaching and unprepared in the subject area (EC, ; Sharplin, ).…”

School violence and teacher professional disengagement

“…Most attempts to overcome teacher shortage try to increase the number of people who engage in teaching. However a growing body of evidence indicates that the roots of the problem rely on teacher leaving as much as – if not more – in teacher shortage (Ingersoll, 2001; Patterson, Roehrig, & Luft, 2003; Vandenberghe, 2000). Results of the present study suggest that the negative emotional impact of some forms of school violence could be an important factor in teacher intention to leave, and that school support could be even more important for both emotional well‐being and professional disengagement.…”

Supporting newly hired teachers of science: attaining teacher professional standards

“…They reported that the NHTS who stayed in teaching tended to have school and local instructional support as they planned lessons and as they interacted with colleagues about teaching issues. They, along with Patterson, Roehrig, and Luft (2003), also reported that teachers who left the teaching profession often cited unsupportive administrators or colleagues. Similarly, Gilbert (2011) revealed how intellectual isolation, disagreements with administrators, and testing constraints resulted in NHTS consideration of other career opportunities.…”