Analyses of Selected Specific Variables and Teacher Attrition.

Abstract

Research indicates that factors useful in the prediction of why over 50% of teachers leave the profession during the first five years do exist. The primary purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of teacher attrition to standardized reading proficiency test scores, undergraduate grade point average, gender, and ethnicity (Greiner, Espinoza, & Smith, 2005). Discussion The overall purpose of this investigation was to determine the relationship between teacher attrition and the following variables: standardized reading proficiency test scores, undergraduate grade point average, gender, and ethnicity. The study was conducted during the spring and summer of 2003. From the database at the Institutional Research Office of a single Texas senior-level university, 503 students who had completed the field-based undergraduate teacher education program between September 1,1996 and August 30, 2000 were identified. The data set also included the names, social security numbers, standardized reading proficiency test scores, undergraduate grade point average, gender, and ethnicity for each of the identified participants. The master list was then forwarded electronically to the state board of educator certification where public school teaching assignments for each identified participant for the years covered in the study were added and the list was returned to the Institutional Research Office. All identifying markers were removed from the list before being sent to the researchers. Before final analyses were conducted, 85 identified participants were removed from the database: 1) 29 because they did not teach in a Texas public school during the years covered by the study, and 2) 56 because they were hired to teach in a Texas public school in the year 2001 or 2002 so they did not have an opportunity to complete two consecutive years of teaching when this research was completed. Findings A number of results from previous studies have been confirmed in this study. The selected variables (standardized reading proficiency test scores, undergraduate grade point average, gender, and ethnicity) were not predictors of teacher attrition (Greiner, Espinoza, & Smith, 2005). 1. Standardized reading proficiency test scores were not a significant predictor of teacher attrition. Of the participants who taught in a Texas public school at least two years, standardized reading proficiency test scores ranged from 300 to 224, with an average score of 270. Of the participants who taught less than two consecutive years or who never taught in a Texas public school, standardized reading proficiency test scores ranged from 225 to 300, with an average score of 270. 2. Undergraduate grade point average was not a significant predictor of teacher attrition. Of the participants who taught in a Texas public school at least two years, undergraduate grade point averages ranged from 4.00 to 1.58, with a mean of 3.31. Of the participants who taught less than three consecutive years or who never taught in a Texas public school, undergraduate grade point averages ranged from 1.58 to 4.00, with a mean of 3.29. 3. The gender of the participants was not a significant predictor of teacher attrition. Of the participants who taught in a Texas public school at least two years, 50% were female and 50% were male. Of the participants who taught less than three consecutive years or who never taught in a Texas public school, 49.7% were female and 50.3% were male. 4. The ethnicity of the participants was not a significant predictor of teacher attrition. Of the participants who taught in a Texas public school at least two years, 88% were non-minority, and 12% were minority. Of the participants who taught less than two consecutive years or who never taught in a Texas public school, 86.3% were non-minority and 13.7% were minority. As shown in Table 1, the participants in the group that left the profession after only one year in the classroom (leavers) had the highest average standardized reading proficiency test scores, the lowest undergraduate grade point average, and the least number of females. …