| dc.description.abstract | Retaining experienced, effective teachers in the classroom is essential. In fact, research shows it is the most significant factor in student achievement and the stability of the learning environment (Carver-Thomas & Darling-Hammond, 2019; Gomba, 2015; Ronfeldt et al., 2013; Sorensen & Ladd, 2020). Especially vulnerable to teacher attrition are novice teachers with 44% of them leaving the classroom in the first five years of teaching (Ingersoll et al., 2018). This phenomenological study used interviews to examine experienced teachers’ reasons for remaining in the classroom. Through the lens of Brownell and Smith’s (1993) conceptual framework, teachers’ decisions to stay in the field were categorized into four levels: micro-, meso-, exo-, and macrosystems. These initial results showed teachers’ decisions for remaining in the classroom fell mostly within the micro- and mesosystems. As a follow-up, an in-depth study of reasons from those two systems was undertaken. Results showed teachers’ rationale for staying could be categorized in three broad categories: passion, lightbulb moments, and personal responsibility. These categories are described, with quotes from teachers provided for illustration. Finally, implications for administrators to aid in retaining highly effective teachers are presented. | en_US |
