Publication Date

5-2012

Advisor(s) - Committee Chair

Dr. William Schlinker (Director), Dr. Jie Zhang, Dr. Mary Evans

Degree Program

Department of Educational Leadership

Degree Type

Doctor of Education

Abstract

This study involving 2,478 teachers from south central Kentucky sought to determine the impact school improvement initiatives have on a teacher. More specifically, it explored how experiencing school improvement initiatives affect the measured levels of burnout and self-efficacy of a teacher.

Participants (n = 2,478) of this study came from school districts within the south central region of Kentucky. The participating districts were selected due to varying sizes of enrollments and the number of employed teachers. Participants were invited to participate in this study via an email invitation. Two previously published instruments were used. Participants were first asked to provide background information. This background information included the participant indicating the grade level of which they taught, years of experience, and an approximation of the number of school improvement initiatives they had implemented over the last three years. The instrument was a combined instrument of Seidman’s Teacher Burnout Scale (1986) and Bandura’s Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale (2006).

Results of the study indicated that the number of school improvement initiatives a teacher experiences does not necessarily prove to be an antecedent of lower levels of selfefficacy. Results did indicate that experiencing school improvement initiatives have an impact on burnout levels of beginning teachers as well as teachers approaching retirement. Most correlation coefficients were weak overall, but there were significant correlations between some subscales and particular groups of participants. A qualitative aspect of research was implemented to determine trends in the particular types of initiatives that educators of different levels experience. Most teachers (other than middle school teachers) indicated that they most often implemented initiatives that were adopted at the district level.

The findings of this research will be helpful to school administrators as well as an asset to existing research on burnout and self-efficacy. This research will assist in providing conclusive evidence to the effect initiatives have on teachers. Furthermore, the study will assist administrators when considering the adoption of future school improvement programs.

Disciplines

Curriculum and Social Inquiry | Educational Administration and Supervision | Educational Psychology | Teacher Education and Professional Development

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