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The Impact of Leadership Practices on Teacher Retention
Barbara Z. Franks
Department of Leadership and Administration, American College of Education
RES 6033: Qualitative Research Designs
Dr. Susan Lundry
March 19, 2023
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The Impact of Leadership Practices on Teacher Retention
Excessive teacher turnover has been widely documented to negatively impact school
effectiveness, including academic, social, and fiscal areas. Research has consistently shown
that high teacher turnover rates are associated with lower student achievement, poor school
culture and social atmosphere, and poor budgetary management (Ingersoll & Strong, 2011;
Ronfeldt et al., 2013). On the other hand, teacher retention is essential in ensuring school
stability, responsible use of fiscal resources, and high student achievement (Hanushek et al.,
2004; Podolsky, Kini, Bishop, & Darling-Hammond, 2016). While several factors influence
teacher retention, school leadership is the most critical factory in retaining qualified teachers
(Boyd et al., 2011; Bressman et al., 2018; Brown & Schainker, 2008; Ladd, 2011). Effective
school leaders play a critical role in positively influencing teacher job satisfaction and
retention rates by implementing policies and practices that create a positive school culture,
foster trust and collaboration among teachers, and provide opportunities for professional
development and growth (Borman & Dowling, 2008).
Given the importance of teacher retention, this qualitative research study aims to
explore the factors that influence teacher attrition and retention and identify leadership efforts
that can be undertaken to improve the school context, support teachers, and reduce turnover
rates. This research builds upon previous studies that have explored teacher retention factors
(e.g., Brown & Schainker, 2008; Ingersoll & Strong, 2011) and leadership strategies for
improving retention (e.g., Bressman et al., 2018; Ronfeldt et al., 2013). By using qualitative
methods, this study seeks to gain a deeper understanding of the factors that influence teacher
retention and identify specific leadership strategies that can be implemented in different
school contexts to reduce teacher turnover rates.
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Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors influencing teacher attrition and
retention and explore the relationship between leadership practices and teacher retention in a
private school in the Caribbean region. Several factors influence teacher attrition and
retention, including teacher, student, and school characteristics (Boyd et al., 2011). In
addition, school leadership significantly affects school contextual factors that impact teacher
retention (Borman & Dowling, 2008; Boyd et al., 2011; Bressman et al., 2018; Brown &
Schainker, 2008; Ladd, 2011). Through an analysis of the school administration's leadership
strategies and policies, this study aims to understand how these practices impact teacher
retention and identify potential solutions to improve teacher retention. Furthermore,
understanding the factors that influence teacher attrition can help school leaders identify
issues and policies that cause teachers to leave and improve policies and practices that
support teacher retention (Hanushek et al., 2004; Ingersoll & Strong, 2011; Podolsky et al.,
2016; Ronfeldt et al., 2013). The information provided in this study can help school leaders
address issues and improve policies and practices to increase teacher retention rates, which is
crucial to maintaining a stable and effective school environment.
Problem Background and Statement
This qualitative case study explores the factors that influence teacher attrition and
promote teacher retention among primary and middle teachers at a private school in the
Caribbean region. In the past ten years, the school has experienced a high teacher turnover
rate each year, which has negatively impacted the school's academic, social, and
organizational stability. In addition, due to an alarming number of teacher, administrator, and
board member transitions in the past several years, the school has been unable to adopt and
implement consistent academic, student, and faculty management policies. Moreover, despite
receiving initial accreditation eight years ago, the school has failed to establish a secure
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academic foundation to develop and deliver the academic program it promises to students and
their paying parents.
Research has found that leadership practices significantly impact teacher retention.
Effective school leaders positively influence teacher job satisfaction and retention rates by
implementing policies and procedures that create a positive school culture, foster a sense of
trust and collaboration among teachers, and provide opportunities for professional
development and growth (Borman & Dowling, 2008; Boyd et al., 2011; Bressman et al.,
2018; Brown & Schainker, 2008; Ladd, 2011). Conversely, poor leadership practices, such as
micromanagement, lack of support, and poor communication, can decrease job satisfaction
and increase teacher turnover likelihood (Boyd et al., 2011; Ladd, 2011). Therefore,
addressing the issue of high teacher turnover and its impact on the school's academic, social,
and organizational stability is essential. By examining leadership practices and their effect on
teacher retention and attrition, school leaders can identify areas for improvement and develop
effective policies and procedures that promote teacher job satisfaction and retention.
Research Questions
This study is guided by two research questions which investigate the relationship between
leadership practices and teacher retention in schools by examining teachers' experiences in a
private school in the Caribbean.
Research question 1: How do the leadership practices implemented by the school
administration impact teacher retention?
Research question 2: What specific leadership strategies and policies are associated
with increased teacher satisfaction and retention?
Addressing these two research questions will give the researcher insight into the
leadership practices and strategies that influence teacher retention and attrition. These
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insights will help school leaders to improve policies and procedures that support teacher
retention and address issues that cause teachers to leave the school.
Research Setting, Target Population, and Sampling Method
Because this study employs a case study design, the research setting is a single private
school which will be referred to as OIS. As stated in the summary of the problem
background, the school has experienced a high teacher turnover rate each year. Moreover, the
administrator turnover rate is almost equally as high. As a result, the school has experienced
adverse effects on its academic, social, and organizational stability.
The school has a population of 75 students, including 45 in primary grades
kindergarten through grade five, 28 in middle school grades six through eight, and two in its
online high school program. There are 11 full-time teachers and one part-time teacher
employed at the school. Among the teaching faculty, there are 11 women and one man. Nine
teachers have worked at the school for more than one school year. Three teachers have been
employed at the school for less than one year. Only three teachers have been employed at the
school for five or more years. One administrator runs the school as the principal, and there
are four support staff members, including one office administrator and three school
maintenance personnel. The principal reports to the school’s board of directors. The board of
directors comprises five members, three of whom are current parents and two of whom are
former parents. The board of directors serves at the request of the school’s owner - a local
charitable foundation established to educate children throughout the Caribbean region.
The target population for this case study includes primary and middle school teachers
employed at the school for three years or more. Each teacher is given a two-year contract to
work at the school at initial employment. Upon expiry of the initial two-year contract,
teachers are invited to sign a one-year renewal contract each following year they choose to
remain at the school. Since the research study investigates the impact of leadership practices
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on teacher retention at the school, the researcher decided to focus on teachers who had
worked at the school for three or more years since that period would mean that teachers
would have had at least one opportunity to renew their contract with the school. Therefore,
the criteria for research participants include teachers who have worked at the school for three
or more years as a result of signing at least one one-year renewal contract since initial
employment. Also, since there are potential differences in the factors which would influence
full-time versus part-time teachers to remain with the school, this case study focuses on the
experiences of full-time teachers only. For example, for many full-time teachers, retaining
employment at the school is a conscious decision to rely on the school for one’s primary
source of income. On the other hand, part-time teachers may be employed for various
reasons, including the need for the school to offer specialized subjects that full-time teachers
cannot provide or earn an extra salary. Likewise, a part-time teacher’s decision to remain at
the school may be affected by external factors such as other commitments or an absence of
need on the school’s behalf.
Literature Review
According to Darling-Hammond and Sykes (2003), one-third of new teachers leave
the profession within the first three years, and one-half leave after five years. Podolsky et al.
(2016) posit that ineffective leadership practices, such as lack of support, inadequate
professional development opportunities, and poor school culture, contribute to high teacher
turnover. In addition, teachers who work in high-poverty schools or schools with high
percentages of minority students are more likely to leave their positions, highlighting the
importance of addressing leadership practices in these contexts. Ingersoll (2001) suggests that
teachers leave schools because of poor working conditions and a lack of administrative
support. Johnson and Birkeland (2003) found that teachers with positive experiences with
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their school leaders were likelier to remain in their positions. These findings suggest that
effective leadership practices are essential for teacher retention.
Research has also shown that teachers are critical in improving student outcomes.
High teacher turnover negatively impacts student achievement (Ronfeldt et al., 2013) and has
costly adverse effects on a school's effectiveness (Brown & Schainker, 2008). Therefore, high
teacher turnover rates harm a school's academic, social-cultural, and fiscal performance.
Furthermore, student achievement declines when teachers leave, resulting in more significant
adverse effects for low-income and minority students (Ronfeldt et al., 2013). Therefore,
addressing teacher turnover is critical for improving student achievement, especially in highpoverty schools.
Frahm and Cianca (2021) explain that high teacher turnover negatively impacts
student learning and a school's overall culture and stability. For example, with each instance
of teacher turnover, the school forgoes the teacher's familiarity with school culture, expertise
in school policies and practices, experience with school curriculum, and benefits of that
teacher's established relationships with students, parents, and colleagues (Johnson and
Birkeland, 2003). High teacher turnover also disrupts the professional environment, unsettles
collegial relationships, and challenges the fortitude of professional learning communities
(Boyd et al., 2011; Brown & Schainker, 2008; Johnson & Birkeland, 2003; Ronfeldt et al.,
2013). Finally, due to high teacher attrition rates, organizational stability is threatened, and
school leaders face difficulty sustaining reform (Brown & Schainker, 2008).
High teacher turnover impacts not only teacher quality but also the amount of quality
instructional time students receive, particularly during transition periods or understaffing.
However, quality teachers and instructional time are not the only losses schools experience
when teachers leave. High attrition rates also present additional costs for schools that must
constantly replace and develop new staff (Brown & Schainker, 2008). As a result, fiscal
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resources that could be used for academic programs and other student achievement initiatives
must be diverted to recruiting and developing new teachers. For some schools with high
turnover rates, it is not easy to recoup the investment in recruiting and developing staff since
the attrition rates are more significant than retention rates, and teachers do not remain at the
school long-term (Brown & Schainker, 2008). This loss of continuity from an academic and
organizational perspective and the necessity to dedicate more fiscal and human resources
toward recruitment restricts school leaders' abilities to devote time, attention, and finances to
existing teachers and their support needs (Brown & Schainker, 2008).
Previous studies have investigated the factors which influence teacher retention and
attrition. Findings suggest teachers consider various school contextual factors when deciding
to remain or leave a school. Contextual factors include compensation and available resources
(Boyd et al., 2011; Guarino et al., 2006; Ladd, 2011), professional relationships and collegial
work environments (Boyd et al., 2011), administrative support, such as mentoring and
induction programs (Borman & Dowling, 2008), the extent to which administrators make
work easier and support improvement in teaching (Boyd et al., 2011), working conditions
(Hammer et al., 2005), teacher autonomy (Brown & Schainker, 2008; Johnson, 2006), class
size (Brown & Schainker, 2008), student behavior, facilities, including available resources,
and physical and psychological safety (Boyd et al., 2011), and opportunities to participate in
shared decision-making (Boyd et al., 2011).
Leithwood et al. (2004) suggest that effective school leadership is critical for student
achievement. Effective school leaders create a positive school culture, build relationships
with teachers, and develop and implement effective policies and practices. Effective school
leadership also encourages creating a shared vision of school goals and promoting teacher
collaboration. Based on Leithwoord et al.’s (2004) findings, effective school leadership is
crucial for teacher retention and student achievement. The literature suggests that effective
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leadership practices are critical for retaining quality teachers. By investigating the
relationship between leadership practices and teacher retention in schools, this study aims to
provide insights into strategies that can be employed to address the teacher retention problem
and improve student outcomes.
Methodology and Design
A qualitative case study research design is appropriate for this research problem
because it allows the researcher to investigate a specific and unique phenomenon in a real-life
context (Yin, 2014). This research problem is about understanding the relationship between
leadership practices and teacher retention in schools by examining the experiences of teachers
and administrators in a private school in the Caribbean. Therefore, a case study allows the
researcher to explore the school administration's specific leadership strategies and policies
and how they impact teacher retention. A case study design allows the researcher to gather
data from multiple sources, such as documents, archival records, in-depth interviews, direct
observation, participant observation, and physical artifacts (Yin, 2014). Using numerous
sources will allow the researcher to triangulate the data and provide a more comprehensive
understanding of the relationship between leadership practices and teacher retention in this
specific private school context (Yin, 2014). This approach also allows the researcher to
identify potential solutions that school administrators may use to improve teacher retention at
the school investigated in the case study and other similar schools.
The qualitative case study methodology is advantageous when studying complex and
multifaceted issues. Qualitative case study methodology allows for an in-depth examination
of contextual factors and can generate rich and detailed data (Baxter & Jack, 2008). In
addition, case studies provide a means for exploring phenomena in their natural setting, using
a holistic and flexible approach that can capture the complexity and uniqueness of the case
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(Yin, 2014). This methodology is also ideal for research questions that require understanding
how and why things occur rather than just measuring the occurrence itself (Creswell, 2014).
Case study research is well-suited for exploring how people experience and make
sense of a particular phenomenon, such as the leadership practices that impact teacher
retention (Baxter & Jack, 2008). The researcher can gather rich and nuanced data about
participants' experiences, perspectives, and interactions through in-depth interviews and
participant observation. In this way, the research design can provide a more comprehensive
understanding of the factors that influence teacher retention and how they are experienced by
those involved.
Population Selection and Sampling Method
The researcher first contacted the school’s principal to obtain permission to access the
school as the research setting for this case study. Next, the researcher was instructed to write
a letter to the board of directors requesting permission to conduct research about the impact
of leadership practices on teacher retention at the school. Finally, the researcher received
approval from the board of directors to recruit participants from the school and interview
teachers on or off the premises. Documentation of the permission granted to access the
research setting and to recruit participants is shown in Appendix A.
Once permission was received to access the research setting, the researcher recruited
participants using the flyer shown in Appendix B. The researcher contacted the office
administrator at the school to assist with sharing the recruitment flyer with the school staff
via the primary communication method for announcements - WhatsApp. The recruitment
flyer was posted in the staff WhatsApp chat group. The flyer included a brief description of
the study, eligibility criteria, participation expectations, sign-up deadline, and a QR code
where interested participants could sign up, be pre-screened, and be contacted by the
researcher.
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The researcher used a Google form to allow potential participants to sign up for the
study. However, since the researcher also needed to pre-screen the participants to ensure that
they met the eligibility criteria of working at the school full-time for three or more years, the
Google form also required participants to submit basic contact details and answer a few
questions about their employment history. Pre-screening includes the activities that help the
researcher determine initial study eligibility (University of Maryland, Baltimore County
(UMBC), n.d.). For example, pre-screening questions asked teachers to indicate if they were
employed full-time or part-time and how long they had been employed at the school without
interruption.
Six potential participants registered to participate in the study. However, once the
researcher had reviewed the participant information from the recruitment Google sign-up
forms, the researcher determined that only five individuals were eligible to participate in the
case study. In addition, while the sixth individual had worked at the school for more than
three years, she had been employed part-time for the entire duration. Therefore, she did not
meet the eligibility requirements.
Based on the determined research population, the researcher used a purposive
sampling method to select participants for the case study. Purposive sampling is a nonprobability sampling method in which the researcher selects participants for a study based on
specific criteria or characteristics (Oliver, 2006). Purposive sampling is commonly used in
case study research design as it allows the researcher to use judgment in determining which
participants could provide the best information to achieve the study’s purpose (Oliver, 2006).
Using this sampling method, the researcher selected all five participants from the eligible
population to arrange the next steps for participant involvement.
Once the researcher had selected the five research participants, the researcher
contacted each participant via email to provide further information about the key elements of
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the research study and that their participation would involve a 45-minute semi-structured.
Within this email communication, the also researcher informed participants that their
participation was voluntary and that they could choose to withdraw without penalty at any
point. Furthermore, the researcher informed participants that the interview would be recorded
using video or audio technology. The researcher also affirmed that participants’ information
would be confidential and anonymous. If the participants agreed to the arrangements outlined
in the email, they were invited to complete an online form that would provide the researcher
with additional demographic details and to reply to the email giving written consent. Finally,
the email requested that participants respond to the email with two days/times in the coming
week with their availability to complete the 45-minute interview. A copy of the email
communication is shown in Appendix C. All five participants responded to the email
communication and completed the online form providing their demographic data. The
research participants are introduced in the following section.
Research Participants
This study included five participants who were full-time teachers at the private school
in which the case study was set. Participant 1 is a woman between the ages of 35 to 39 years
old. She is a local teacher who teaches middle school English and Social Studies and is the
grade eight homeroom teacher. Participant 1 has been teaching for a total of 12 to 15 years
and has been working at OIS for four years. Participant 2 was another woman between the
ages of 35 to 39 years old. Sheis also a local teacher but teaches middle school Math and
Science and is the grade seven homeroom teacher. Participant 2 has been teaching for a total
of 12 to 15 years and has been working at OIS for five years. Participant 3 is a woman
between the ages of 30 to 34 years old. She is an expatriate teacher who teaches Kindergarten
and elementary Spanish. Participant 3 has been teaching for a total of 12 to 15 years and has
been working at OIS for six years. Participant 4 is a woman between the ages of 50 to 54
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years old. She is an expatriate teacher who is a sixth-grade classroom teacher. Participant 4
has been teaching for a total of 19 to 21 years and has been working at OIS for ten years.
Finally, participant 5 is a woman between the ages of 25 to 29 years old. She is a foreignborn but naturalized citizen who teaches visual and performing arts. She has been teaching
for a total of six to eight years and has been working at OIS for six years. The participants’
demographic information is summarized in Table 1.
Table 1
Participant Demographic Information
Participant
#
Gender
1
Woman 35-39
Middle School English &
Social Studies, Grade 8
Homeroom Teacher
12-15
# of Years of
Full-time
Employment
at OIS
4
2
Woman 35-39
Middle School Math &
Science Teacher, Grade 7
Homeroom Teacher
12-15
5
3
Woman 30-34
Kindergarten & Elementary
Spanish Teacher
12-15
6
4
Woman 50-54
Grade 6 Classroom Teacher
19-21
10
5
Woman 25-29
Visual & Performing Arts
Teacher
6-8
6
Age
Position at OIS
# of Years
of Teaching
Experience
Data Collection Instrument
The researcher collected data from each participant during a 45-minute semistructured interview. Each participant was interviewed separately and in person. The
interview protocol consisted of 12 questions developed to align with the case study research
design and the research questions. In qualitative research interviews, the researcher attempts
to understand the world from the participant’s point of view (Billups, 2021). Therefore, the
interview is a conversation to uncover facts and meaning (Billups, 2021). Each item in the
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interview protocol was designed to capture each participant’s perspective, experience,
feelings, and stories (Billups, 2021) related to leadership practices and their decision to stay
at the school. While the semi-structured nature of the interview protocol allows for some
flexibility and adaptability based on emergent data (Billups, 2021), the protocol still provides
a custom yet standardized framework for collecting data to ensure consistency across all
research participants.
The researcher designed the initial interview protocol. It included 15 open-ended
questions, which were descriptive in nature and aimed at allowing the researcher to collect
rich, detailed data from each participant’s subjective experiences. The interview protocol was
shared with one colleague familiar with the research setting and problem background. The
colleague suggested that the questions be reworded to encourage participants to share their
experiences, perspectives, and thoughts about leadership practices and policies throughout
their employment at the school. The colleague also highlighted that some questions were
repetitive and advised how items could be consolidated. In addition, the colleague mentioned
that since the school had experienced a high administrator turnover and that the current
administrator was new, it was essential to gain insight into the factors that influenced teachers
to renew their contracts with the school in the previous years, during which the school was
under different leadership.
Therefore, the interview protocol was updated, and some interview questions were
deleted or reworded to capture participants’ perspectives on leadership practices from when
they were employed until the present day. This approach would also allow the researcher to
identify practices that may or may not have been successful among various school
administrators at a single campus they had taught consistently for several years. The final
interview protocol is shown in Appendix D. A summary of how each interview question
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aligns with a case study research design and the study’s two specific research questions is
outlined in Appendix E.
Data Collection Procedures
The researcher began each interview by obtaining informed consent from each
participant. The informed consent process reiterated the purpose of the research and the
criteria which made participants eligible for the study. Participants were reminded that their
participation in the study was voluntary and that they could withdraw without penalty at any
time. The researcher verified that their information would be kept confidential. The
researcher also explained that their anonymity would be protected by using a pseudonym in
the field notes, file storage process, and the final report. Finally, the researcher asked each
participant to consent (again) to have the audio of the interview recorded. Once consent was
received, the researcher began the interview.
All five interviews occurred over one week, in person and at the school campus where
the participants were employed. Participants selected a day and time that was convenient for
them. During each interview, the researcher asked the questions in the same order as they had
been written in the research protocol. The researcher recorded the audio of each interview
using an audio recording device. Each file name was saved under a pseudonym. During each
interview, the researcher also made descriptive and reflective field notes. Field notes are a
means of documenting relevant contextual information (Phillippi & Lauderdale, 2018). Field
notes help the researcher to observe the environment while recording researcher impressions
to engage in simultaneous reflection (Phillippi & Lauderdale, 2018). The researcher initially
wrote the field notes by hand and later typed them into a word processing software.
Following each interview, the researcher used artificial intelligence software to
transcribe the raw transcriptions of each participant’s interview within three days of the
interview taking place. Once the raw transcriptions were produced, the researcher edited the
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formatting and verbiage according to the standard for verbatim intelligence transcription.
Verbatim intelligence transcription is the process of transcribing dialogue while editing for
readability and clarity (Summa Linguae, 2021). The interview transcripts and the researcher’s
field notes are included in Appendices F through O of this paper. Once the interviews had
been transcribed, the researcher shared each transcription with the relevant participant to
allow member checking and increase the findings' validity.
Data Analysis
Once the interview transcripts and field notes were prepared, the researcher followed
Braun and Clarke’s six-phase thematic analysis process (2006). Guest et al. (2012) state that
thematic analysis goes beyond counting specific words and phrases and focuses on using
codes to identify and describe implicit and explicit ideas within a dataset. The ideas
represented in the determined codes are then described through themes that can be used for
future data analysis (Guest et al., 2012). Because of the complex nature of the verbatim
textual data in this research study, the researcher determined that thematic analysis was an
appropriate mode of data analysis as it allows for identifying and exploring themes or
patterns in the data relevant to the research questions. For example, as this case study
investigates factors that influence teacher attrition and the leadership practices that impact
teacher retention, thematic analysis can identify patterns or themes related to specific
leadership strategies and policies associated with increased teacher satisfaction and retention.
To complete the process of thematic analysis, the researcher first reread each
interview transcript and the associated field notes to become familiar with the data (Braun &
Clarke, 2006). Then, the data was imported into MAXDQA, a software program for
computer-assisted qualitative analysis (MAXDQA, 2023). Once the data was imported into
MAXDQA, the researcher read each participant’s transcript and field notes again and
manually created codes while highlighting each code in the software program. Next, the
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researcher used inductive coding to create codes based on the qualitative data (Medelyan,
2023). The inductive coding process required the researcher to reread the data several times
to adjust the codes. However, this method ensured that codes were thorough and covered all
relevant aspects of the data (Medelyan, 2023). As a result, the researcher realized that
creating the codes for the first participant’s transcript and field notes was the most timeconsuming as most codes were initiated from the data presented by the first participant. As
the researcher coded data from the remaining participants, code names were revised and
redefined to offer a clear system of organization for the researcher (Medelyan, 2023). The
identified codes from each participant’s interview are outlined in Table 2.
Table 2
Codes Identified from One-on-One Interview Data
Participant
Participant 1
Codes
school culture
external (public) vs. internal perception
comparisons to public school system
timely payment
pay cuts
financial instability
employee compensation & benefits
professional development & other training
trust and collaboration
transparency
participation in decision-making (and being heard)
leadership actions direct impact on job satisfaction
incentives
expected teaching style
staff perceptions of leading/advising new principals
school leadership’s direct impact on attrition
perceptions of principals’ leadership style
leadership within the cultural/community context
leadership turnover
impact of school board leadership/interference
feeling/being valued/undervalued
feeling/being appreciated/unappreciated
examples of value/appreciation through financial compensation
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Participant 2
Participant 3
Participant 4
examples of leadership appreciation
examples of going above & beyond (outside of teaching scope)
school culture
comparisons to public school system
financial instability
timely payment
professional development and other training
participation in decision-making (and being heard)
parent impact on satisfaction
trust and collaboration
student impact on satisfaction
transparency
external sources of satisfaction
perceptions of principals’ leadership experience
impact of school board leadership/interference
leadership within the cultural/community context
non-existent leadership (leading ourselves)
staff perceptions of leading/advising new principals
perceptions of principals’ leadership style
feeling/being valued/undervalued
school culture
financial instability
professional development and other training
(changing) perspectives of satisfaction
trust and collaboration
external sources of satisfaction
leadership actions direct impact on job satisfaction
perceptions of principals’ leadership experience
impact of school board leadership/interference
leadership within the cultural/community context
non-existent leadership (leading ourselves)
perceptions of principals’ leadership style
leadership turnover
recommendations for leadership
examples of lack of resources & no support for resources
feeling/being valued/undervalued
examples of going above & beyond (outside of teaching scope)
examples of value/appreciation through financial compensation
school culture
timely payment
pay cuts
professional development and other training
participation in decision-making (and being heard)
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Participant 5
parent impact on satisfaction
victimization
student impact on satisfaction
transparency
school leadership’s direct impact on attrition
non-existent leadership (leading ourselves)
perceptions of principals’ leadership style
leadership turnover
feeling/being appreciated/unappreciated
examples of lack of resources & no support for resources
examples of leadership empathy
feeling/being valued/undervalued
external (public) versus internal perception
school culture
comparisons to public school system
financial instability
timely payment
professional development and other training
parent impact on satisfaction
expected teaching style
(changing) perspectives of satisfaction
student impact on satisfaction
transparency
perceptions of principals’ leadership experience
impact of school board leadership/interference
perceptions of principals’ leadership style
leadership turnover
feeling/being appreciated/unappreciated
examples of lack of resources & no support for resources
examples of leadership empathy
feeling/being valued/undervalued
examples of value/appreciation through financial compensation
During the coding process, the researcher also considered how some codes could be
grouped into categories or themes later in the data analysis process. For example, for codes
such as financial instability, pay cuts, employee compensation and benefits, and timely
payments, the researcher made a note that these codes could be later grouped into a category
about finances. The researcher also noticed a consistent pattern regarding finances and noted
that finances could be a theme related to teacher retention at the case study site. Once the
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codes for all interviews and field notes were coded, the researcher organized the codes into
themes by identifying common patterns. The themes and their associated codes are outlined
in Table 3.
Table 3
Common Themes from Identified Codes
Common Themes
Financial Security
Job Satisfaction
School Culture
Value, Appreciation, and
Support
Leadership
Associated Codes
timely payment, employee compensation and benefits, pay
cuts, financial instability
student impact on satisfaction, parent impact on satisfaction,
external sources of satisfaction, trust and collaboration,
participation in decision-making (and being heard),
transparency, incentives, professional development and other
training, victimization, changing perspectives of satisfaction,
leadership actions direct impact on job satisfaction
school culture
examples of leadership empathy, examples of leadership
appreciation, examples of value/appreciation through
financial compensation, examples of lack of resources and no
support for resources, feeling/being valued/undervalued,
feeling/being appreciated/unappreciated, examples of going
above and beyond (outside of teaching scope)
Non-existent leadership (leading ourselves), leadership
turnover, perceptions of principals’ leadership style,
perceptions of principals’ leadership experiences, leadership
within the cultural/community context, staff perceptions of
leading/advising new principals, school leadership’s direct
impact on attrition, recommendations for leadership, impact
of school board leadership/interference
The researcher systematically identified codes and observed patterns and themes
within the data directly related to teacher attrition, retention, and leadership practices by
conducting a thematic analysis. Then, based on the identified codes and themes, the
researcher analyzed the key concepts from the data and addressed the research questions to
draw conclusions about the factors influencing teacher attrition and promoting teacher
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retention at the private school investigated in this case study. The results and findings are
explained in the following section.
Findings and Results
The data analysis identified four main themes: financial security, job satisfaction,
value, appreciation, support, and leadership. These themes provided insights into the impact
of leadership practices on teacher retention and satisfaction within this case study setting.
Theme 1: Financial Security
The first theme identified was financial security. Participants expressed concerns
about getting paid on time, employee compensation and benefits, pay cuts, and financial
instability. Participant 1 stated, "People would stay if they got paid on time." Similarly,
Participant 4 mentioned "…not knowing when you will get paid or if you will get paid at all,"
as a challenge. Likewise, Participant 2 also said being challenged by the late payments, citing
"the financial aspect of things, not being paid on time." Participant 5 described advocating for
her salary at the end of some months, stating, "There were times when I needed to fight for
money…when I needed to be in the office a few times… asking about where my cheques
were… checking in often just to remind them of how many times my payroll hadn't gone
through." as a challenge.
The participants' responses about financial security provide insight into the first
research questions regarding how leadership practices impact teacher retention. Participants
discussed how delayed payment, pay cuts, and financial instability created stress and anxiety.
For example, Participant 5 described feeling stressed about having to contribute money
toward classroom supplies due to a lack of resources after struggling to get paid, stating,
"…and considering that, for a while, we struggled to actually get paid, to [have to] supply
[and] pour money back into the classroom, that just felt like a really big stress to have to take
on and I didn't think that had to be taken on so… (big sigh) very drastically." Participant 4
22
also mentioned an experience where her pay was cut in the middle of a contract, stating,
"…they reduced my salary and didn't tell me anything…not only did they reduce my salary,
but they reduced my salary and brought another contract with a new salary for me to sign."
The financial security theme is also linked to the second research question on the
specific leadership strategies and policies associated with increased teacher satisfaction and
retention. Participants highlighted how employee compensation and benefits, timely payment,
and financial stability were critical factors for increasing teacher satisfaction and retention.
Participant 5 noted that "financial things and contributing to lack of resources… weighs
heavy on the spirit." Participant 1 emphasized the importance of a better employee package,
especially for local teachers, as a suggested strategy for improving teacher satisfaction and
retention. Overall, the financial security theme underscores the importance of offering
competitive salaries, benefits, and stable financial conditions to increase teacher retention and
satisfaction.
Theme 2: Job Satisfaction
The theme of job satisfaction emerged as one of the critical factors in teacher
retention. Participants reported that students and parents impacted their job satisfaction. For
example, Participant 4 stated, "I think it's the children. [I stay] because of my passion for
teaching… and then the parents too, they're the ones that really ask and tell me [to stay],
because I got the support from the parents. Regardless of the administration, I got the support
from the parents. So, it's more or less the parents and the children who encouraged me and
[ask me to] just stay with them."
Participants also highlighted incentives and opportunities for professional
development as crucial factors in their increased job satisfaction. Participant 1 mentioned
incentivization as one specific leadership practice or policy that would increase teacher
retention and gave examples of past incentives such as a $1000 bonus for completing a
23
graduate-level degree or a coupon for consistently being on time to work. Participant 1 also
suggested that one incentive could be more training, stating, "I would like to be offered more
training opportunities, and obviously, if you were to stay, then perhaps that would be
something like, we'll pay for your Ph.D. if… whatever. Or even more IB courses would be
nice…." Similarly, Participant 3 expressed gratitude that one past administrator had financed
her graduate degree. She stated, "He was the person that paid for my Master's [degree], out of
his own pocket, and I truly appreciate him, and hold him dear, because [what] he did [was]
really big for me… I mean, he fought for me a lot." Participant 2 also mentioned that
"exposure to professional development" positively impacted her job satisfaction. Participant 4
expressed similar sentiments about the positive impact that training opportunities had on her
job satisfaction, stating, "[School leadership has] given you opportunities to develop. So, for
example, with the IB, you are given an opportunity, [the school] pays for your training so that
you can effectively implement the IB principles within the classroom. Yes that has been
positive."
The school leadership's demonstration of trust, collaboration, transparency, and
opportunities to be heard through participation in decision-making were also mentioned in
relation to job satisfaction. Participant 2 said "strong collaborative aspects" and "a fair
relationship" contribute to job satisfaction. Participant 5 stated, "The school administration
and teachers work very nicely together. And there's a lot of trust, and there's a lot of
cooperation." In response to a question about leadership practices that have positively
impacted job satisfaction, Participant 1 expressed appreciation for "having ideas that you
brought to the table be supported, being encouraged to submit ideas, and just being involved
in decision-making." When asked about how the leadership of past and present administrators
impacted one's job satisfaction, Participant 4 noted, "They gave me a voice. They allow me to
be heard. And they listen [and] take your thoughts, your ideas, and everything into
24
consideration [instead of] just brushing it under the carpet say "okay, that's it", then walk off
[and be] over it. You're able to be more expressive. [It's] supportive… we get a lot of
support..."
On the contrary, Participant 2 mentioned the adverse effects that occur when campuslevel collaboration and decision-making are halted at the school board level. Such instances
negatively impact job satisfaction. For example, Participant 2 stated, "We were trying with
our leader to sit down and come up with this… at least three to five-year plan of where we all
want this school to go, but then we have outside factors that impact the leadership of the
school. So, yes, we all… teachers, the current leadership… we are working together, but
when the outside factors are basically prohibiting such plans from moving forward, it's like…
it's just a kind of disheartening, and it's like… why are we even trying?"
The theme of job satisfaction is highly relevant to both research questions, as it can
significantly impact teacher retention rates. The findings on job satisfaction suggest that
several leadership strategies and policies could be implemented to increase teacher
satisfaction and retention. For example, school administrators could improve transparency
and communication with teachers to ensure they feel heard and valued. They could also
provide more opportunities for professional development and incentivize teachers to continue
learning and growing in their roles. Additionally, administrators could work to create a more
positive and collaborative school culture that values and supports teachers, as this can have a
significant impact on job satisfaction and retention rates.
Theme 3: Leadership
Participant 2's comments also highlighted the impact of leadership as a crucial factor
in teacher retention. Teachers reported non-existent leadership, leadership turnover, lack of
leadership expertise within the cultural/community context, and the impact of the school
board's leadership and interference as the main leadership-related factors influencing teacher
25
retention. Participant 2 noted that at some point, "leadership was basically non-existent in
terms of we ran the school by ourselves. We knew how to handle and do everything that we
had to. And basically, we didn't have to be checked on because everyone knew that it was
already handled."
Participant 4 mentioned that leadership was challenging "because there was always a
great turnover of leaders and teachers." Participant 1 also noted that "revolving leadership"
was a challenge. "Participant 1 explained, "Because it's like, almost every year… or two, you
have to get to know someone's… it's like you never really feel settled in your position,
because, whereas you might be like, oh, yeah, I can step out and go do this, because my boss
is alright with it, when you're getting a new boss every couple of years, you sorta have to start
over, it's almost like you're a new employee." Likewise, Participant 5 noted the negative
impact of leadership instability, stating, "Since we don't have a stable structure, because it
coming and going, and also the [school] board keeps coming and changing what their opinion
[is], and having random change of directions, then everything always feels like it's about to
break, like something's about to [break], so you never really know what you should do, and
because you never really know what you should do, there is no one really backing you up, so
when any type of small issue occurred, you don't have… there's not kind of a lot of things
that you could do or say to back yourself up, and there's not a lot of things that whoever
[principal] is here can usually say to back it up either, because nobody knows, because
everything is done kind of too rushed."
In response to the first research question, participants discussed how the turnover of
school leaders and their leadership style could impact teacher retention. Some participants
suggested that non-existent leadership and a lack of support from school administrators led to
feelings of discouragement and demotivation. Other participants noted that school board
interference and a lack of teacher collaboration also contributed to a negative work
26
environment and low retention rates. Regarding the second research question, participants
provided insights into specific leadership strategies and policies that can increase teacher
satisfaction and retention. For example, many participants suggested that effective leadership
involves transparency, trust, and collaboration. The findings highlight the importance of
effective leadership strategies prioritizing collaboration, transparency, and support for
teachers, which ties into the final theme uncovered in this study.
Theme 4: Value, Appreciation, and Support
The final theme of value, appreciation, and support emerged as essential factors in
teacher retention. Teachers reported that leadership empathy and appreciation would
positively influence teacher retention. For example, Participant 4 mentioned, "Being
empathetic with the way they reach out to the teachers, and acknowledging the teacher's
success or whatever we, the teachers, have contributed to the class or the students." Similarly,
Participant 5 mentioned, "teacher appreciation… just like the human aspect of it… because
we aren't machines, the human aspect of it has to be attended to as well."
On the other hand, lack of resources and feeling undervalued and unappreciated
harmed teachers' job satisfaction and overall teacher retention. Participant 3 noted, "Over
time, I've realized that it's impossible to just be, without having support or without being
inspired. So… I think, over time I lost that spark that I had at the beginning, and it's just
been… over years, it's been harder and harder for me to be that full of energy, ready to move
mountains, teacher, that I was back then." Participant 5 also expressed similar sentiments,
stating, "There’s a lot of factors that contributed to the whole… to the stress on… to the
feeling of freedom that I had experienced in my earlier days at OIS… having to do with
financial things and contributing to lack of resources… all of that weighs heavy on the spirit.
I think all of those [factors] sort of changed the dynamic. So, at the beginning, it just felt a
27
little bit more like everybody was together. And now it feels like we’ve got a bit of a divide
that is creating a disharmony and kind of throwing things off balance.”
Participant 5 also explained the negative impact of insufficient resources: “My biggest
struggle is resources. Because I’ve supplied my classroom very big way this year.
Aesthetically, as well as with supplies. There are paintbrushes that weren’t there before.
There are charcoal pencils that weren’t there before that I brought in… a lot of money
pouring in. And considering that, for a while we struggled to actually get paid, to [have to]
supply [and] pour money back into the classroom, that just felt like a really big stress to have
to take on and I didn’t think that had taken on so… (big sigh) very drastically.” Participant 5
gave an additional example, “There’s resources in the past, same thing, that have been denied
to us, because they weren’t seen as priority when it came to just keeping the school open or
afloat, that sort of thing. And, even though they would directly impact education, from a
financial standpoint, higher ups didn’t quite see it as necessary, so they kind of would just
forfeit a lot of the necessary things that the teachers would need for support.” In response to
this situation, Participant 5 suggests that more support can be given to improve teachers’ job
satisfaction and increase teacher retention, “I think that the teachers… when they ask for
things… that just kind of seem like no-brainers to give them, that we’re not called ‘needy’,
which was Mr. B’s favorite word (laughter), we’re not called needy, or ungrateful, impatient,
that sort of thing… that it [the response] would kind of just be like, “Well, of course you need
to have this, here it is, you need this to function.” So, always just knowing that, at least, the
higher-ups are trying to give this to us with no backtalk associated with it, like whispering
behind their backs, like, (kisses teeth) “She’s just always asking for things, oh my god, here,
here, here it is, just take it, just go.” We kind of just want to feel like… you deserve to have
this because this is the job and this is these are the kind of resources that you need for your
job, so we want to give this to you, like no animosities, blah, blah, blah, no kind of
28
unprofessionalism like that…. that the things that we need are just given to us freely, because
that is what, contractually, we are supposed to receive.”
The theme of value, appreciation, and support is highly relevant to both research
questions, as it is closely linked to teacher job satisfaction and retention. Participants
described feeling undervalued and unappreciated and expressed a desire for leadership to
demonstrate empathy and appreciation and to provide adequate resources and support for
teachers. Regarding the first research question on how leadership practices impact teacher
retention, the theme of value, appreciation, and support highlights the importance of
demonstrating empathy and appreciation toward teachers and providing adequate support and
resources. When teachers feel valued and supported by their leadership, they are more likely
to be satisfied with their job and less likely to leave. Regarding the second research question
on specific leadership strategies and policies associated with increased teacher satisfaction
and retention, the theme of value, appreciation, and support suggests that policies prioritizing
teacher support, resources, and recognition may effectively improve teacher satisfaction and
retention. Overall, the theme of value, appreciation, and support underscores leadership’s
critical role in shaping teacher job satisfaction and retention and suggests that policies and
strategies focused on demonstrating appreciation and providing support for teachers may
effectively improve teacher retention rates.
The results of this study suggest that school administration’s leadership practices
significantly impact teacher retention and job satisfaction. The themes identified in this study
provide insights into the areas that greatly affect teacher retention and job satisfaction. The
findings suggest that financial security, job satisfaction, leadership, value, appreciation, and
support are critical factors that influence teacher retention. To improve teacher retention,
school administrators must consider the themes identified in this study and take action to
create a positive work environment for teachers. The findings can help school administrators
29
understand the importance of these factors and develop policies and strategies that address
them to improve teacher retention and satisfaction. This study highlights the need to prioritize
teacher satisfaction and retention to ensure the success of both teachers and students.
Validity and Reliability
Validity is the degree to which the research accurately measures what it intends to
measure (Roberts et al., 2006). To ensure the study's validity, the researcher utilized various
techniques, including member checking and peer debriefing (Frey, 2018). First, member
checking was done to ensure that the interpretations of the findings were accurate and
reflective of the participants’ perspectives (Frey, 2018). Next, the researcher went back to the
participants to confirm whether the interpretation of their responses was accurate. Finally, the
participants were allowed to review the study’s results and provide feedback on the findings.
Peer debriefing was also used to improve the study’s validity. The researcher
discussed the study’s findings with colleagues experienced in qualitative research. The
researcher shared the study’s findings and interpretations with peers, who offered feedback
and suggestions for improvement (Frey, 2018). These techniques helped to establish the
study’s credibility by ensuring that the findings accurately represented the participants’
perspectives (Frey, 2018).
Reliability refers to the consistency and stability of research results over time and
across different contexts (Roberts et al., 2006). The researcher also used a standardized
interview protocol to increase the study's reliability. The protocol provided a consistent set of
questions that were asked of each participant, ensuring that the data collected was consistent
across all participants. This helped to ensure that the findings were reliable and that the
conclusions drawn from the data were accurate.
In sum, the study’s credibility was established using member checking and peer
debriefing techniques, which helped ensure that the findings accurately reflected the
30
participants’ perspectives. The study's dependability was established using a standardized
interview protocol, ensuring consistency in the data collection process. The confirmability of
the study was established by providing detailed descriptions of the research process and data
collection techniques, allowing other researchers to assess the study’s validity. Finally, the
transferability of the study was established by providing a detailed description of the research
context, including the participants' demographic information and the study's setting. This
information enables other researchers to assess the extent to which the findings can be
applied to different contexts.
Communicating the Results
The results of this research study would be helpful for policymakers and school
administrators working in similar private schools in the Caribbean region. The study's
findings could significantly benefit this audience as the results provide insight into the
specific leadership strategies and policies that impact teacher retention in private schools. The
research could also highlight the challenges and barriers teachers and administrators face in
this context and provide potential solutions for improving teacher retention rates. School
administrators could further benefit from this study by learning about effective leadership
practices that may help retain experienced and qualified teachers, leading to increased
stability and continuity in their schools. This, in turn, could improve the quality of education
these schools provide and enhance their reputation. Additionally, the study's findings could
help school administrators to identify areas for improvement and to implement targeted
interventions to address teacher retention issues.
Conclusion
Teachers decide whether to remain or leave a school based on several factors. While
some aspects are outside of a school leader’s control, school leaders influence school
contextual factors. High teacher turnover rates negatively impact schools' academic, social,
31
and financial well-being, particularly in small private schools in rural locations. Therefore, it
is essential to understand the factors that lead to teacher attrition to improve the policies and
practices that increase teacher retention.
This qualitative research study investigated the impact of leadership practices on
teacher retention and the leadership strategies and policies associated with increased teacher
satisfaction and retention. Four main themes emerged through the thematic analysis of
interview data: financial security, job satisfaction, leadership, value, appreciation, and
support. First, the theme of financial security highlighted the importance of timely payment,
employee compensation and benefits, and avoiding pay cuts and financial instability in
retaining teachers. Second, the job satisfaction theme emphasized the significant impact that
student and parent satisfaction, trust and collaboration, participation in decision-making,
transparency, incentives, professional development, and leadership actions have on teacher
retention. Third, the leadership theme highlighted the significance of cultivating a supportive
and positive school culture through effective leadership practices. Finally, the value,
appreciation, and support theme underscored the importance of leadership empathy,
appreciation, and recognition for going above and beyond the teaching scope and the need for
adequate resources and support.
The use of member checking and peer debriefing enhanced the validity of this study,
while the use of a standardized interview protocol improved its reliability. Additionally, the
establishment of the study's credibility, dependability, confirmability, and transferability was
based on the implemented qualitative research data processes and the study’s findings and
results. Overall, this qualitative research study has provided valuable insights into the impact
of leadership practices on teacher retention and the leadership strategies and policies
associated with increased teacher satisfaction and retention. Through the analysis of rich and
detailed interview data, this study has shed light on the complex factors that influence teacher
32
retention and provided recommendations for school leaders to improve teacher satisfaction
and retention.
Reflection
Reflecting on the qualitative research process, it is clear that the in-depth exploration
and analysis of participants’ experiences and perspectives are crucial to gaining a
comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon being studied. Conducting this qualitative
research study has provided an opportunity to delve into the complex relationship between
leadership practices and teacher retention in a private school context. In addition, the use of
rigorous qualitative research methods, such as member checking and peer debriefing, has
enhanced the validity of this study and ensured that its findings are grounded in the
experiences and perspectives of the participants.
Through data collection, analysis, and interpretation, I have gained a deeper
understanding of the experiences and perceptions of teachers and administrators in this
specific school setting. This research process has allowed me to reflect on my assumptions
and biases critically and challenged me to view the research problem from different
perspectives. As a researcher and educational leader, this study has reinforced the importance
of using a qualitative approach to explore complex and nuanced phenomena in educational
settings. The findings and results of this study can potentially inform and guide leadership
practices in schools, particularly in teacher retention. As an educational leader, this study has
inspired me to consider the importance of developing and implementing effective leadership
strategies that prioritize teacher well-being and job satisfaction, as well as provide a
supportive and positive school culture that encourages teacher retention.
33
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Appendix A
Permission to Access OIS to Conduct Research
38
Appendix B
Recruitment Flyer Used to Invite OIS Teachers to Participate in the Case Study
39
Appendix C
Copy of Email Communication to Potential Participants
40
Appendix D
Interview Protocol
1. Can you describe your experience working as a teacher at OIS?
2. In your opinion, what is the biggest challenge you face or have faced as a teacher at OIS?
3. How do you feel about the leadership style and practices of past and present
administrators at OIS?
4. Do you feel/Have you felt valued and supported by the school’s administration?
5. Can you describe a specific instance where you felt unsupported by the school
administration?
6. Do you feel like the school administration fosters/has fostered a positive school culture?
7. How has the leadership of past and present school administrators impacted your job
satisfaction throughout the course of your employment?
8. Can you describe any specific leadership practices or policies that have positively
impacted your job satisfaction?
9. Can you describe any specific leadership practices or policies that have negatively
impacted your job satisfaction?
10. How do you feel about the level of trust and collaboration between the school
administration and teachers?
11. How has the school administration’s leadership impacted your decision to stay at the
school or leave?
12. What specific leadership practices or policies do you think would positively impact
teacher retention at OIS?
41
Appendix E
Summary of Instrument Question Alignment
Instrument Question
1. Can you describe your
experience working as a
teacher at OIS?
How the instrument question
connects to the broader
research question(s).
This question aims to build a This question allows the
background and understand researcher to gain a
the meaning and context
background insight into the
behind the phenomenon of
leadership practices that
high teacher retention at the impact retention and helps
school.
the researcher to identify
specific strategies and
policies that may potentially
be associated with teacher
retention or attrition.
How the instrument question
fits the research design
2. In your opinion, what is
the biggest challenge you
face or have faced as a
teacher at OIS?
This exploratory question
allows each participant to
give a narrative account of a
challenge they have faced
which may have influenced
retention or attrition.
This question allows the
researcher to identify
specific leadership practices
or policies that have
negatively impacted
participants’ job satisfaction,
possibly leading to burnout
or a desire to leave the
school. Conversely, the
participant may also
describe leadership practices
that successfully address
their challenges, thereby
improving job satisfaction.
3. How do you feel about
the leadership style and
practices of past and
present administrators at
OIS?
This question allows each
participant to share their
perception of leadership
practices that may have
influenced retention or
attrition.
This question allows the
researcher to uncover
specific policies and
practices of past and present
administrators which
positively and negatively
impact teachers’ job
satisfaction and subsequent
retention or attrition.
4. Do you feel/Have you
felt valued and supported
by the school’s
administration?
These questions allow each
participant to share their
perspective on the level of
support offered by the
school administration and to
provide a narrative account
of their experiences which
These questions allow the
researcher to explore the
negative impact of
administrators’ leadership
practices on teacher
retention. This addresses the
first research question and
5. Can you describe a
specific instance where
you felt unsupported by
42
the school
administration?
may provide insight into the
factors that influence teacher
retention and attrition at the
school.
provides insight into the
leadership practices
associated with decreased
teacher satisfaction and
potentially increased
likelihood of teacher
turnover.
6. Do you feel like the
school administration
fosters/has fostered a
positive school culture?
This question is appropriate
for the case study design as
it elicits participants’
subjective personal
experiences and opinions
about practices that have
influenced school culture.
This question is relevant to
both research questions as it
seeks to understand the
extent to which the school
administration is perceived
as supportive by teachers,
and therefore, how this may
impact teacher retention.
This question also helps to
gather information about the
relationship between
leadership practices and the
level of job satisfaction
teachers experience at the
school.
7. How has the leadership
of past and present
school administrators
impacted your job
satisfaction throughout
your employment?
These questions directly ask
participants to share their
perspectives based on their
subjective experiences with
past and present school
administrators. Participants
can provide a narrative
account of their experiences
which may provide insight
into the factors that
influence teacher retention
and attrition at the school.
These questions directly
inquire into each
participant’s job satisfaction
which is vital to teacher
retention. In addition, they
will provide insight into the
specific leadership practices
that influence teacher
satisfaction, retention, and
attrition.
This question allows
participants to share
personal perceptions, which
can offer insight into the
relationships between
teachers and administrators.
This question provides data
about the level of trust and
collaboration among
teachers and administrators,
which impacts teacher
retention and attrition. This
question also allows the
8. Can you describe any
specific leadership
practices or policies that
have positively impacted
your job satisfaction?
9. Can you describe any
specific leadership
practices or policies that
have negatively
impacted your job
satisfaction?
10. How do you feel about
the level of trust and
collaboration between
the school administration
and teachers?
43
researcher to gain insight
into practices and policies
which positively or
negatively impact the
perception of trust and
collaboration among
teachers.
11. How has the school
administration’s
leadership impacted your
decision to stay at the
school or leave?
This question directly asks
participants to share how
their experiences with the
implemented leadership
practices and policies have
impacted their decisions to
stay at the school or leave.
This question provides
detailed insight, allowing the
researcher to understand
better how leadership
practices impact teacher
retention, attrition, and job
satisfaction.
12. What specific leadership
practices or policies do
you think would
positively impact teacher
retention at OIS?
This question directly asks
participants to share their
perspectives on which
leadership practices are most
effective for retaining
teachers.
By gathering information on
what specific leadership
strategies teachers perceive
to be effective, the
researcher can address the
second research question.
44
Appendix F
Intelligent Verbatim Transcription - Participant 1
Interview Date: February 23, 2023
Interview Time: 2:10pm
Audio Length: 0:21:30
Interviewer: Can you describe your experience working as a teacher at OIS?
Participant 1: I think for me, the part that is most noteworthy is that, having been in the
public system for basically the bulk of my career, coming here, regardless of how much the
experience might have become degraded with current financial situations, it's still better than
that [the public school system]. And I feel like that's something that I always remind myself
of. So I do think that, on the outside, everything seems fine, and then on the inside, it's very
disorganized and difficult to connect a lot of dots, and people aren't sure who's responsible
for what… those lines kind of get blurred. But overall, I have an okay experienced teacher
hear. I mean, in spite of things that happen, I think that the style that's expected of you
teaching here, it matches my personal philosophy of teaching a lot better than my previous
employers, and that means that this is the type of environment that I would prefer to teach,
because the expectation is that you are going to be creative and out of the box and that sort of
thing, as opposed to just teaching towards the test.
Interviewer: Okay, good. Now, in your opinion, what is the biggest challenge you face or
have faced as a teacher here at OIS?
Participant 1: Getting paid. (laughter)
Interviewer: Do you want to elaborate on that? (laughter)
Participant 1: I think my biggest challenge, number one, is… yeah… just like… okay, the
revolving leadership. I feel like that's a challenge. Because it's like, almost every year… or
two, you have to get to know someone's… it's like you never really feel settled in your
position, because, whereas you might be like, oh, yeah, I can step out and go do this, because
my boss is alright with it, when you're getting a new boss every couple of years, you sorta
have to start over, it's almost like you're a new employee. And that part is difficult, because a
lot of times, I'll have been here longer than people that are coming in that are in leadership,
and they have to ask me stuff… and that's always interesting. And I think that that's a
challenge. I think the other challenge would be the [school] board of directors. I mean, you
know, when people leave a job, they're not really leaving the job or leaving the leadership. So
I think, yeah, those would be like the two areas.
Interviewer: Okay. Now, speaking of leadership, how do you feel about the leadership style
and practices of past and present administrators at OIS?
Participant 1: So, I have been at OIS as an employee for [the last] three of the Heads of
School, but as a parent [for the last] four, so I sort of could comment on the four of them.
45
And… the person that was in the position when I moved my children to the school, he, I
think, was great. It was his first time being a leader, which was interesting, because I didn't
know that at the time, but knowing it now, I understand a lot of issues that happened during
his tenure were probably because he wasn't an experienced leader. But he represented, I
think, what the school needed as a leader. And I feel like a lot of the problems that we've had
at leadership has been, we bring in people from outside, they don't know the community, and
they have a hard time adjusting to that. And so… he was okay. His name was Mr. J. Mr. J
was cool because of the fact that, he was white, but he had been living in Trinidad, and his
wife was Trinidadian, so he understood Caribbean culture. Following him, we had someone
named Mr. B, who did not understand Caribbean culture was, like the whitest person ever,
and I feel like at an international school, wherever it is, that is where it is. So, yes, it's an
international school, but you still are going to run it in the aspect of cultural climate, and
majority student body and whatnot, and the types of parents who are dealing with. So when
you bring in someone from, like, Wisconsin, to come and do this, it's just… there's just a lot
of hurdles. And I feel like that attributed to a lot of his failures…. [it] was the cultural
differences, and the fact that he did not have any community connections, and he didn't even
try to make any either, like him as a person. He did not try. He was here for almost three
years, and in the third year, I was referring him to a restaurant that was on like a particular
beach and he didn't even know the beach, and it’ a very popular beach. I couldn't imagine
you lived in a country for three years, a small as Anguilla, and you had not explored at all. So
that, I think, was one of his deficits… that he never connected to the community, and he
always saw it as, like he's leaving, so it doesn't matter. And then after that was Ms. T., who
was a West Indian, but very old school, very traditional, not an IB [International
Baccalaureate], not a real IB mentality, even though she had the paperwork. Her style was not
very IB, she was so traditional, and that did not align very well with a lot of things, and I feel
like that led to a lot of clashes, and she wasn't a great leader either, in my opinion. And then
Mr. R, [who] I actually think [she’s] not doing a bad job. So I think [Ms. R is] actually the
best thing that's happened here in a while. So that has been good… in terms of like initiative,
and creativity, and understanding Caribbean culture, because [Ms. R is] also a Caribbean
person. That's exactly what an IB school in the Caribbean would need. Yeah.
Interviewer: Now, do you feel or have you felt valued and supported by the school
administration?
Participant 1: So, who are considering the administration?
Interviewer: You can talk about any aspect of leadership, because I know that this context is
very unique in terms of who are the players that are considered leading the school.
Participant 1: Right. Yeah, exactly. So, I definitely think that Mr. B valued me. He really
made me feel like my opinion was needed. And he, kind of, paid me outside of my contract to
do some curriculum mapping and stuff like that, which is… it makes you feel like, oh, yeah,
I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing… and appreciated. And, Ms. T, no. But she just
doesn't know how to value anyone, I think she's like one of those women that just doesn't like
other women… [that] kind of thing. I feel like that was her issue. And then she's also a very
traditional person, and I'm not, and I think that was her other issue. But that was neither here
nor there because she was only really in leadership for six months. And then I would say that
I feel like Ms. R values my opinion, and I think [she] does a great job of making everyone
feel like they're necessary in the job. And I feel like that is helpful because… the other
leadership people, which would be the [school] board… I don't know what they're doing. I
46
don't know if they can…. I don't know if they are qualified to value me, because they don't
understand education. So I don't think that they would understand the value of what I could
bring to the table, as an educator, because they don't know what you could or couldn't do. I
don't know what their scope of understanding [of] a teacher, and [the teacher’s] style, and the
fact that I feel like I bring a lot of value, for IB, [and] also for the Caribbean curriculum and
all of that, so I don't know if they really understand that though. But… all in all, I do not feel
valued by the [school] board. And if I were to leave this job, it would be because of the
[school] board. And, because of that lack of value, or even just like recognition of going
above and beyond what you're doing… so, yeah
Interviewer: Speaking of being valued… can you describe a specific instance where you felt
unsupported by the school leadership?
Participant 1: (pause) Yes… I was going to… so outside of being a teacher, I'm also a social
media strategist, and that's my secondary job and I was going to put together a marketing
strategy, like a digital marketing strategy for the school, and I was actually quite excited to do
that, and basically, the [school] board was like, “We don't need her to do that. We're not
paying her to do that. And she's not qualified to do that.” And I felt like that was a little bit…
demeaning. Because, up until that moment, I actually cared a lot about bringing these other
facets of my abilities to the school. But then I realized, okay, well it’s not being appreciated,
so I'm not going beyond my job description at all, even if it was something that I thought
could help the actual institution, not because I don't care about the institution, but because I
value myself, and when you start giving things away like that, people just have an
expectation that there's little value attached to it, because if you're giving it away, then it must
not be valuable. And for me, as a person, and as a brand, I don't do that, so… I'm paid to
teach… so that was like… I felt like, for them, they were kind of like, “Well, stay in your
lane,” so I'll just stay in my lane. So that, definitely, for me, was like a turning point. Because
up until then, I was doing a lot of things beyond my contract, and not expecting any kind of
outside pay for it or anything, I did the yearbook, and I was doing the school newspaper, but
after that, I stopped doing everything that was not what I was supposed to be doing.
Interviewer: So do you think that the school administration and leadership fosters, or has
fostered a positive school culture?
Participant 1: It used to… even with Mr. B… as weird and cringy as he was… he tried. He
took his own money to buy us presents at Christmas, and gifts for those kinds of times when
you'd be getting a gift, like a corporate gift or something, or sometimes he would even pay
for our end-of-year lunch, and we didn't know that. I didn't know that until there was that
middle period of leadership, because we just assumed it was the school paying for it. But that
was because, I think for him, he understood that contributes to school culture… that kind of
togetherness and whatever. So… I think there used to be a feeling of that… there really
was… but I feel like everybody just feels, kind of, bitter with the whole situation with the
[school] board, and it's kind of like separating… even for me, I basically stay in my
classroom, I don't really mingle like I used to and stuff, because I'm just kind of chagrin.
(laughter)
Interviewer: (laughter) Yes, English teacher. (laughter) Okay, so tell me, how has the
leadership of past and present, in general, impacted your job satisfaction throughout the
course of your employment at OIS?
47
Participant 1: So, when I first came to the school, there were different people on the board
than are there now. And those people, I felt, were [a] much better [school] board. They were
a better representation of the school, and of intellectual ability of people that should be
appointing anyone into a position. And they had a different thing at stake… they were parents
of older children, so they did understand more about education, even if they weren't
educators… and that was a big difference. So, for example, they had been on the board for a
number of years, and their kids were [about], 13 [years old], so they knew what a school was
supposed to be doing. The people that are on the board now, their kids are five [years old]. It
is their first time interacting in a school setting as a parent, or at all. Prior to that, their last
educational experience was in their own schooling years, so that affects their ability to make
proper decisions about school, at least understanding how school works and what's expected
at a school. And kindergarten parents are not the experts on that, right? So, I think that the
experience I had, and my job satisfaction with the past leadership, was much better than the
present leadership in terms of the [school] board, for sure.
Interviewer: Can you describe any specific leadership practices or policy policies that have
positively impacted your job satisfaction?
Participant 1: Yes. So the very first year I was teaching here, I got a $1,000 bonus at the end
of the school year, because I had a Master's degree, and that was very nice. And that also
influenced my performance. It was in my contract, it basically [stated] if you have a Master’s
[degree], because I was in the middle of completing my Master’s [degree] when I started the
job, there was that, and then it was also something to do with… job performance, like if you
don't get written up or whatnot, and if I didn't take any outside leave outside of regular leave,
or sick leave, or normal school vacation, then I would get that [bonus]. And that was a big
incentive. Because it was like, okay, cool, so if I'm on time to work, I do my job like I'm
supposed to, finish getting my degree, [and] at the end of the year I get $1,000. And that was
actually like a great motivator to be on time. It's so easy to be like (inaudible), not be on time,
but then I would be there like, wait, I need to stay on top of what I'm doing. And then, also,
that same leader, he had another thing where the person who was on time to work the most in
the month, got a coupon for a car wash or something, and I thought that was cute, too,
because it wasn't a huge expenditure, but it was a fun incentive for people. Um… what else?
(pause) Yeah, I think… I mean leadership support… like having ideas that you brought to the
table be supported, being encouraged to submit ideas, and just being involved in decisionmaking. I think the past [school] board was a lot more transparent sometimes, and they had
more meetings with us as teachers, and we didn't feel like we were out in the dark.
Interviewer: Can you describe any specific leadership practices or policies that have
negatively impacted your job satisfaction?
Participant 1: Hmm… specific? (pause/sigh) I guess [it] would be the current board not
letting us contribute ideas, or be on any kind of committees to effect any changes. I feel like
that's a little ridiculous. I also feel like, as an institution, we should look at using internal
resources whenever possible, and I feel like they have gone outside of what we offer, we have
a very diverse body, and there's lots of people here that are talented in different ways, but
they are choosing to use outside entities and, actually pay them instead of utilizing people
here that are eager and willing. But it's just like… if you don't want to pay your teachers to do
something that's not teaching, or you expect them to do it, but for free, but you'll pay
someone else to do it… then that makes people feel a kind of way… yeah.
48
Interviewer: Okay. How do you feel about the level of trust and collaboration between the
school leaders and teachers?
Participant 1: I think in the past, the past principals, except for Ms. T, were very
collaborative. And I felt like they trusted the teachers to make their decisions for sure,
especially Mr. B… I don't know if that was so much [that] he trusted us to make decisions or
he was just lazy, because he was just like… did not want to walk anywhere… he was just
lazy. But, let's pretend it was that he trusted that we were doing what we should. (laughter) I
think that the past [school] board was very trusting in us. I feel the present [school] board
thinks that we don't know what the hell we're doing, and that we're not qualified to know
anything, which is ridiculous, because we've got some really brilliant people on staff, and I
think, a lot of times… another time may be leadership that felt like if kids are getting failing
grades on standardized tests, it's your fault as a teacher… which I've always thought was a
crock because there's so many factors going into that…. but, yeah.
Interviewer: So last question, what specific leadership practices or policies do you think
would positively impact teacher retention at OIS?
Participant 1: Incentivization. There is no way to be having some sort of seniority, like
you've been here for X amount of years, and now you get a pay bump or something. Also
incentivization with more training, I would like to be offered more training opportunities, and
obviously, if you were to stay, then perhaps that would be something like, we'll pay for your
PhD if… whatever. Or even more IB courses would be nice… something. What was the full
question? Can you repeat it again?
Interviewer: What are some of the things, policies or practices, that would positively impact
teacher retention, or get teachers to stay at the school?
Participant 1: Just a better package in all… because it's a little insulting that they will offer
these huge, great packages to teachers coming from away, and they don't offer that to people
that live here… and that's wild. Because it's like… so you're telling me that if I was coming
from away, you'd sent me $3,000 to help pay to move all my shit here? You give me a car,
and you pay my rent. Can you do that for me? And that I think is real problematic. I feel like
that's an issue to me… especially because I don't require a work permit, I’m an Anguillian.
So what about that money that you have to spend on work permits for other teachers? That
should be some kind of bonus towards Anguillian teachers because, technically, that money
is going to the other teacher. Like if you had to replace me with someone from not Anguilla,
you'd have to spend extra money, so I should get something, I feel like there should be
something there… and yeah, I think just better practice… people would stay if they got paid
on time and they felt appreciated. It's a very simple thing to ask for… and probably more
room for professional development.
Interviewer: Alright. Thank you very much. I appreciate it.
END OF AUDIO
49
Appendix G
Field Notes - Participant 1 Interview
Descriptive Field Notes
The interview begins with the interviewer
asking the participant about their experience
working as a teacher at OIS. The participant
responds by stating that despite some
disorganization and difficulty in connecting
the dots, the teaching style matches their
personal philosophy of teaching, which is
creative and out-of-the-box. The participant
also highlights that compared to their
previous employers in the public school
system, working at OIS is still better.
When asked about the biggest challenge
they face or have faced as a teacher at OIS,
the participant initially responds with a joke
about getting paid. However, they go on to
state that the revolving leadership is a
significant challenge. Having to get to know
a new boss every couple of years makes it
difficult to feel settled in the position. The
participant also highlights the challenge of
dealing with the school board of directors.
When asked about their views on the
leadership style and practices of past and
present administrators at OIS, the
participant begins by stating that they have
been at OIS for three of the Heads of School
and as a parent for four, giving them a
unique perspective. They describe the first
head of school, Mr. J, as great and
understanding of Caribbean culture despite
being white. The participant states that the
problems with leadership began when they
brought in someone from outside who did
not understand Caribbean culture, like Mr.
B. The participant felt that cultural
differences contributed to his failures. They
also describe Ms. T as very old school and
traditional, not an IB teacher.
They felt that the school used to foster a
positive school culture, with Mr. B, the
previous leader, making efforts to contribute
to the school culture. However, the
Reflective Field Notes
In this interview, the participant provides
valuable insights into their experiences as a
teacher at OIS and their views on leadership
practices. The participant's positive views
on the teaching style at OIS, which aligns
with their personal philosophy, suggest that
the school's teaching practices are well
suited to teachers who prefer creative and
out-of-the-box approaches to teaching.
However, their comments about
disorganization and difficulty in connecting
the dots suggest that there may be some
room for improvement in terms of
administrative practices.
The participant's comments about the
revolving leadership and dealing with the
school board of directors highlight the
challenges that teachers face in maintaining
stability and continuity in their positions.
Having to adjust to a new boss every few
years can make it difficult for teachers to
feel settled and confident in their roles.
Additionally, dealing with the school board
of directors can be challenging, especially if
there are disagreements or conflicts.
The participant's views on past and present
leadership at OIS provide valuable insights
into the impact of leadership practices on
teacher retention. The participant's positive
view of Mr. J, who was able to understand
Caribbean culture despite being white,
suggests that leadership styles that are
culturally sensitive and inclusive can
positively impact teacher retention.
Conversely, the participant's negative views
of Mr. B, who did not understand Caribbean
culture and failed to connect with the
community, suggest that leadership styles
that are not culturally sensitive or inclusive
can negatively impact teacher retention.
50
interviewee felt that the school's board's
current situation had left them and others
feeling bitter and separated. They also felt
that the previous board was a better
representation of the school's intellectual
ability and understood more about education
than the current board.
Participant 1 mentioned a specific
leadership practice that positively impacted
their job satisfaction, which was a $1,000
bonus at the end of the school year if the
teacher had a Master's degree and met other
conditions. They felt that it was a great
motivator to be on time and perform well at
work. Additionally, the interviewee
appreciated the small incentives that Mr. B
had put in place, like the car wash coupon
for the person who was on time to work the
most in a month. The interviewee felt that
the past school board was more transparent
and had more meetings with teachers, which
made them feel involved in decisionmaking.
Regarding negative leadership practices, the
interviewee felt that the current board was
not letting them contribute ideas or be on
committees to effect any changes. They felt
that the school should look at using internal
resources whenever possible, but the current
board had gone outside of what they
offered, despite having a diverse workforce.
The interviewee's response highlights how
the school's leadership practices play a vital
role in creating a positive work environment
and how it can motivate teachers to perform
their jobs better. The interviewee's
description of Mr. B's leadership practices,
which focused on contributing to the school
culture and providing small incentives,
illustrates how even small actions by leaders
can go a long way in improving employee
morale.
Furthermore, the interviewee's response
illustrates how the school's leadership
practices have changed over time and how
those changes have affected their job
satisfaction. The interviewee's comparison
of the past and present school boards and
their intellectual abilities, understanding of
education, and involvement in decisionmaking highlights how the school's
leadership practices and the people in
leadership positions can make a significant
impact on teacher retention.
Finally, the interviewee's response regarding
negative leadership practices illustrates how
the school's current leadership practices can
negatively affect teacher retention. By not
allowing teachers to contribute ideas or be
involved in decision-making, the
interviewee feels that the school is not
valuing their input or expertise. This lack of
involvement and appreciation can lead to a
decrease in job satisfaction and potentially
contribute to teacher attrition.
51
Appendix H
Intelligent Verbatim Transcription - Participant 2
Interview Date: February 23, 2023
Interview Time: 1:40pm
Audio Length: 0:19:18
Interviewer: Can you describe your experience working as a teacher at OIS?
Participant 2: My experience as a teacher… it has had its ups and downs. My first year
coming here, transitioning out of the public school system, was quite an adventure. Based on
the students that we had in that first year…. they were a challenging bunch. And it made us,
as teachers, have to come up with different strategies and techniques of how to get that first
set of middle schoolers under control, in order to get some sort of academic work completed.
So yes, it was quite challenging that first year, but through the years, it did improve, with
regards to academics amongst the students, because that was the aim for us in the beginning –
to try to have a middle school that can compete… well, students in the middle school that can
compete with any of their counterparts in the region, and actually have a standard that was
actually above those students in Anguilla, that are their age equivalents. So we were on track
with that, I will say we've had kids that [were] top in the region, in many subjects. (pause)
Somewhere along the line (pause/laughter) the kids have… to me, they haven't been as
motivated, I think, as our previous bunches, and it has taken a little toll on us as teachers, I
will say… being honest, and it's now [about] trying to see how we can get more parental
involvement because I would say, in previous years, we had a lot of parental involvement
with the kids and the kids were scared of their parents, and what they were doing in school,
either behavior-wise and even [in] their academics, they knew the consequences if their
academics were not up to par. And I’ve found, especially this year, that the kids are not
challenging themselves, and the parents, to me, are not being (pause/deep sigh)… are not
being responsible parents and finding out what really is going on in their children's academic
life. So, to me, right now where we stand, we need more parent accountability to get these
kids back on track.
Interviewer: All right. In your opinion, what is the biggest challenge you face or have faced
as a teacher at OIS?
Participant 2: (long pause/reflecting) Umm… okay, so these two perspectives… Well, I
mentioned two things – the first year was student behavior… it was a big transition, [in the]
first year, and even right now… trying to get some of these bad behaviors out of some of
these kids that came in from the public school system, that's that. And, of course, the
financial aspect of things, not being paid on time. Yes, those are the two major things.
Interviewer: Now, how do you feel about the leadership style and practices of past and
present administrators?
Participant 2: The first administrator at… when we transitioned over… was quite firm…
quite, quite firm in how things needed to be done, and… and getting the middle school,
52
basically, to something that could be recognized internationally. So, it was really like setting
a standard, and we were on board, we all had the same vision at that point in time. As the
years continued, leadership was basically non-existent in terms of we ran the board by
ourselves. We knew how to handle and do everything that we had to. And basically, we didn't
have to be checked on because everyone knew that it was already handled. All they just had
to do was… probably just make sure every now and then, and whatnot, but we were always
like two steps ahead of the game, and had things covered. So, the middle school aspect of
things, we've always had things under control. So I think leadership had a… pretty [much]…
didn't have much work to do with regards to the middle school component of things because
it's always been handled. Yes.
Interviewer: All right. Now, do you feel or have you felt valued and supported by the school
administration? Tell me a little bit more about your feelings.
Participant 2: We have… we have. Administration-wise, they do make us feel valued.
Administration definitely… well, we used to, and we still do, they do make us feel valued, I
will say. In comparison to my previous experience, public school-wise, definitely…
comparing it… yes, you do feel valued by the admin. For sure. For sure.
Interviewer: Okay. So can you describe a specific instance where you felt unsupported by
the school administration? If there's any?
Participant 2: To be honest, I have not… I’m being honest. I've been always supported with
whatever ideas I may have. And it's like, just tell us when you need our assistance and we
will help, but I've always been supported, for me personally,
Interviewer: Okay. Now, do you feel like the school administration fosters or has fostered a
positive school culture? Tell me a little bit more about their influence on school culture,
Participant 2:
They have tried, based on what I've seen [and] what I've observed here. They have tried.
OIS’s culture is unique. There is none like it, and everybody has their own unique taste on
things. And, especially when it's a principal who comes from a culture that is not Anguillian,
of course, it's expected that it would have a transitional period. Because Anguilla is unique
(laughter)… in many ways, [there is] none like it. And then, OIS’s culture is even unique
outside of the Anguillian experience, so definitely, it took some transitional time for the
leadership to definitely get accustomed to the school culture. But after everybody was
adjusted, the school tended to flow. And everybody did what they had to do, even the parents
were more receptive and whatnot. Like, I knew with the last principal… that transition time
when that happened, certain individuals were upset about how he was doing things and the
way he communicated. And then there was this whole… we had a meeting, talking to him
about… okay, at OIS, this is how things are normally done, and he sat down and he listened,
and then we did see the change for the second school year… maybe, a little too relaxed
(laughter)… at one point, but we did see the change, at one point we were, like, this cannot be
the same person, so… something happened, and he finally listened to our concerns, and yes,
he got acquainted with our OIS culture more.
Interviewer: Okay. That’s interesting. Now, how has the leadership of past and present
school administrators impacted your job satisfaction throughout the course of your
employment here?
53
Participant 2: I’ve been satisfied… I always feel like… maybe because I have, to me, a
personal investment, in terms of my child goes to the institution, I want to see the best for the
institution. And I think we honestly have the potential to basically compete with any school
in the region when many of the top students currently who are in the public school… well,
who had no other option of transitioning over to the public school system… the top public
school students, right now, all happen to come from OIS, when you look back at it, so I
really… I really want our… yeah, I really want the best for the school and hence, that's why I
find that the administrators… they have tried their best.
Interviewer: All right, can you describe any specific leadership practices or policies that
have positively impacted your job satisfaction?
Participant 2: Probably the exposure to professional development, definitely that one… [I]
didn't get that opportunity much in the public school system, so definitely the PDs, and even
when you were exposed to certain things, I used to take it upon myself and do extra PDs out
of my own pocket, to get the certifications and whatnot, just having that exposure So…
definitely, I would say how OIS pushes professional development, I give them thumbs up on
that. Definirely.
Interviewer: Okay. And can you describe any specific leadership practices or policies that
have negatively impacted your job satisfaction?
Participant 2: (long pause/reflective) Not been open at times with staff… yeah, not being
open. Just be upfront and say what's going on, and don’t have us lingering or hearing it on the
road… it’s the Anguilla culture, [we] say “we hear it through the grapevines or you hear it
down under the tree,” that’s something’s happening here at our institution, and we're unaware
of it. So, that’s definitely… that part is negative, the negative aspect of it.
Interviewer: Okay. How do you feel about the level of trust and collaboration between the
school administration and the teachers?
Participant 2: Collaborating-wise, we do have strong collaborative aspects, we do. I need to
think about that… can we come back to that one? (laughter)
Interviewer: Okay. So how has the school administration's leadership impacted your
decision to stay at the school or to leave the school?
Participant 2: Well, the leadership really hasn't had an impact on me personally, being
honest. One… well, I’ve got a few reasons why I'm still here. I have a child in the school,
[and] I want him to finish, at least his elementary schooling here [at OIS]. Two, being an
Anguillian, it’s one of the only educational institutions right now that I’m properly invested
into. After having experience in the public school system, I’m not going back (laughter).
And… I still want the best for the school, that’s it there, that’s it for me.
Interviewer: All right. So then, you know you're invested… so what specific leadership
practices or policies do you think would positively impact teacher retention at OIS?
Participant 2: Well, we tried it in the beginning of this school year, when we were trying
with our leader to sit down and come up with this… at least three to five year plan of where
54
we all want this school to go, but then we have outside factors that impact the leadership of
the school. So now, that’s the downfall of OIS. So, yes, we all… teachers, the current
leadership… we are working together, but when the outside factors are basically prohibiting
such plans from moving forward, it’s like… it's just a kind of disheartening, and it's like…
why are we even trying?
Interviewer: All right. Do you want to go back to that other question?
Participant 2: Yeah. Repeat it again for me.
Interviewer: How do you feel about the level of trust and collaboration between the school
administration and teachers?
Participant 2: I think there's a fair relationship we have we have going on with that. Yeah, I
think it’s fair.
Interviewer: All right. Well, that's it. Thank you very much. Thank you very much.
END OF AUDIO
55
Appendix I
Field Notes - Participant 2 Interview
Descriptive Field Notes
During the interview, the interviewee shared
their experience working as a teacher at
OIS. They explained that their first year was
challenging due to student behavior and that
they had to come up with different strategies
and techniques to control the first set of
middle schoolers and get some academic
work completed. Over the years, academic
performance improved, and the school
aimed to have a middle school that could
compete with any of their counterparts in
the region and even have a standard that was
above those students in Anguilla. The
teacher mentioned that they've had students
who were top in the region in many
subjects. However, somewhere along the
line, the motivation of the students
decreased, and the teacher found that they
were not challenging themselves. They
attribute this to a lack of parental
involvement and accountability, and they
feel that they need more parent
accountability to get the kids back on track.
The teacher identified two significant
challenges they have faced at OIS. The first
was the challenging student behavior that
they encountered during their first year at
the school. The second was the financial
aspect of things, such as not being paid on
time.
When asked about the leadership style and
practices of past and present administrators,
the teacher mentioned that the first
administrator was quite firm in setting a
standard and getting the middle school to
something that could be recognized
internationally. They added that leadership
was basically non-existent over the years,
and they ran the board by themselves. The
teacher felt that the middle school aspect of
things was always handled, so leadership
did not have much work to do with that.
They noted that administration-wise, they
Reflective Field Notes
the teacher highlighted two significant
challenges they faced during their first year,
which was student behavior and getting
them to do academic work. The teacher's
experience also suggests that student
motivation decreased over time, and they
attribute this to a lack of parental
involvement and accountability. The teacher
emphasized the need for more parental
accountability to get the students back on
track.
The teacher's perspective on leadership style
and practices is also interesting. They
mentioned that the first administrator was
quite firm and set a standard, but leadership
was basically non-existent in later years.
The teacher felt that they ran the board (or
the school?) by themselves, and leadership
did not have much work to do with the
middle school aspect of things. This
suggests that leadership practices may have
played a limited role in teacher retention at
OIS. However, the interviewee noted that
the school administration has tried to foster
a positive school culture, which suggests
that they value the importance of school
culture in teacher retention.
56
do make the teachers feel valued, and in
comparison to their previous experience in
public school, they definitely feel valued by
the administration at OIS.
The interviewee has not felt unsupported by
the school administration, and they've
always been supported with whatever ideas
they may have. They added that the school
administration has tried to foster a positive
school culture, and OIS's culture is unique.
The interviewee believes that everybody has
their own unique taste on things.
57
Appendix J
Intelligent Verbatim Transcription - Participant 3
Interview Date: February 23, 2023
Interview Time: 8:35am
Audio Length: 0:29:00
Interviewer: Can you describe your experience working as a teacher at OIS?
Participant 3: Well, the first two years of working at OIS was very exciting for me… very
exciting, because it was the first time that I was traveling abroad, so I was filled with energy,
and I wanted to help out a lot. It was also a hard situation because when I arrived to Anguilla,
right then there was a hurricane. I arrived to Anguilla on the second [September 2, 2017] and
two days later, Hurricane Irma happened.
Interviewer: Oh, wow.
Participant 3: So after it happened, I didn't know if I was going to have a job, because I
thought that maybe the school blew away. But it was really beautiful to come together and to,
kind of, do our best to keep the school open, and to fix it, and to make sure everything was
okay for the kids to come back to school. And during those days, I was also a volunteer at the
Red Cross, and I was helping with food, and giving people clothes, and then fixing the
school, and it made me feel, a lot [like] part of the community. So I feel like that year… I was
really happy that year, even though we went through really hard circumstances, which is kind
of ironic. (pause) Yes, later, though, because the administration kept changing a lot, and with
it, the philosophy of the school… and the culture, and the relationship between staff members
also changed a little bit. And it created a bit of a tension between the administration, and then
tension in the staff, and then the whole feeling of togetherness kind of melted, and it was not,
so much so, that I was coming back to OIS, it was more like I was coming back to my
classroom where I had my bubble, and I’d come and work and do my thing.
Interviewer: Okay. In your opinion, what is the biggest challenge you face or have faced as a
teacher at OIS?
Participant 3: I think that I…for a while I was young, and I… for some reason, thought that
I could just be like a flower in the desert. And over time, I've realized that it's impossible to
just be, without having support or without being inspired. So… I think, over time I lost that
spark that I had at the beginning, and it's just been… over years, it’s been harder and harder
for me to be that full of energy, ready to move mountains, teacher, that I was back then.
Interviewer: Okay. How do you feel about the leadership style and practices of past and
present administrators at OIS?
Participant 3: (pause) I think that the school weighs heavily on the principal, and puts a lot
of pressure on the principal, without a lot of help. So, we've gone through a few principals,
and what everyone feels… I mean, what I feel personally, is that each principal has their idea
and things about how everything should work, but sometimes the way… they don't know
58
what is going on in the school when they come. So, it takes a long time to see, sometimes,
what’s happening, and it just creates a little bit of conflict… and discouragement. And a lot of
the decisions have a negative effect in just the day-to-day things. Sometimes, and especially
when COVID was going through, it was really hard because the principals knew, and
everything was so stranded, and it was just not a stable structure. So, since don't have a stable
structure, because it coming and going, and also the [school] board keeps coming and
changing what their opinion [is], and having random change of directions, then everything
always feels like it's about to break, like something's about to [break], so you never really
know what you should do, and because you never really know what you should do, there is
no one really backing you up, so when any type of small issue occurred, you don't have…
there's not kind of a lot of things that you could do or say to back yourself up, and there's not
a lot of things that whoever [principal] is here can usually say to back it up either, because
nobody knows, because everything is done kind of too rushed. So, that's, I think, one of the
main things that I really don't like… or I've seen (inaudible).
Interviewer: So, do you feel or have you felt valued and supported by the school
administration?
Participant 3: (hesitant) Not always… I think I must make a quote [distinction], because the
teachers really make me feel appreciated, and the principals also. The first principal [Mr. J], I
really love him, and he's still giving me recommendations. And Mr. B was very strong, [but]
was a bit disrespectful, not in the… we had cultural differences. We had cultural differences,
and it was hard for us to connect. But, nevertheless, he was the person that paid for my
Master's [degree], out of his own pocket, and I truly appreciate him, and hold him dear,
because [what] he did [was] really big for me… I mean, he fought for me a lot. So, as
persons, as individuals, the principals have been great, but their hands have been tied, and
most of the time, you could see that they struggle between what they can do really for their
staff, like their leading, and the other side of the school which is the [school] board, and what
they're doing. So, many times… well, the first principal, Mr. J for example, he just left at
some point, and the Mr. B was let go, because he became very rebellious, he became a rebel
towards the [school] board and he was let go. And there was two other [co-]principals [Mr. F
and Ms. V] that were ignored… three, it was Ms. T, Ms. C, and Mr. F, so there were three
people [who] were the head of the school [at some point] and they were ignored and stopped
doing that [job], and then Ms. R came and we feel the same way… we get along well, and it's
great. But, we can tell that there's… it's just hard for [the principals] to do their own job, and
that makes us really worried about our jobs, too. And when it comes to [feeling] valued, [the
principals] make us feel valued, but since the [school] board, which is [the principals’] boss,
kind of, doesn't value us, we can tell that, in general, it doesn't really matter what we do or
not.
Interviewer: Can you describe a specific instance where you felt unsupported by the school
administration, or like, in general, the school leadership?
Participant 3: (pause) Well, I was trying to move the school forward, because we were a bit
stuck… the number of kids were going down last year, and there was a lot of worry about
that. And we had no principal in that moment. So a lot of the teachers were worried. And
there was talk about a pay cut… So I was trying to… I was just talking to people, and I was
trying to make connections to the school… just to get the spirit up and try to have different
activities with the kids. And I spoke with one of the administrators of the school, and he was
very excited about the whole idea about having an afternoon club, so he was all in it. But
59
when I actually started to do it, and started writing papers, and started getting projects ready,
there was an obvious distance between him and the rest of the [school] board, so it seemed
like I was gonna… I had to do some kind of political movement… and it was very
discouraging for me, because the way that it was spoken to me was a bit disrespectful. And,
when the emails were sent to me, I was treated like some kind of threat to the school, which
was completely the opposite of what I was doing, and it kind of hurt my feelings. And I also
felt, in that moment, that I was not going to be able to be anything else but a teacher of
kindergarten… not even going up a grade [level], because that was determined that that was
all I could do. And, you know, for staff… for an employee to just know that you're never
going to grow, that is all what someone thinks you're capable of doing, is very discouraging,
and a little bit depressing.
Interviewer: So then, do you feel like the school administration has fostered a positive
school culture?
Participant 3: (without hesitation) No. I think that what has maintained the school is this
spirit of the people that come… the principals, and the staff, itself, somehow managed to…
even though everybody's feeling sucky… managed to keep that connection and go through
the year. But, the administration [school board] doesn’t show… by the way that they speak
and their constant decisions and actions, or not responding on time, or not making meetings,
or not informing… saying things that the last moment… just comments that you hear,
because our community is so small, that everything, in the end… everybody finds out about
everything. So the actions of the administration [school board] have really dampened the
culture itself of the school and the spirit of the teachers.
Interviewer: How has the leadership of past and present school administrators impacted your
job satisfaction throughout the course of your employment?
Participant 3: Well, I think it has… really…dwelled on me sometimes, because I'm a gogetter, and I like to make things happen, and I like to have projects and do things. But, I’ve
also been a teacher since I was 17. And so, after all those years of being it [a teacher], I kind
of wanted to grow and do something different. And different school administrations have let
me, in some way, evolve and grow, and [have] helped me evolve and grow, but sometimes,
others have kind of stopped me, and kind of judged me by what I do. And I think it has a lot
of has a lot to do with the perspective of what a teacher is to the administration [school
board], and their idea of what you are capable of doing, because of what you study, or what is
your job, and where you come from. I think that… so, over time, I think it has really affected
me in a negative way, and it has changed the way that I perceive teaching and education.
And, it has lessened the idea of what I could really achieve by working in a school. I think,
for a long time, I thought that I could change the world by changing things in my classroom.
But, with the administration, it really makes you realize that sometimes it's like when you're
in a school, there's a bubble… like when people go preaching in a church, there's the speech
that is this idea of what should happen, but you go a little bit outside the bubble, and all those
ideals and things that you preach are not being done or followed. So, it’s kind of sad.. it’s a
little bit sad to see how different is.
Interviewer: Okay. Can you describe any specific leadership practices or policies at OIS that
have positively impacted your job satisfaction?
60
Participant 3: Well, our current principal [Ms. R] is very honest, and direct, and is very open
to change. And is also very strategic. And I think how she shows knowledge, and how she
empowers people to do change, really got me excited. And I had a lot of hopes that we could
actually make some changes at the school [this year], because she was very inspiring as a
principal, and very knowledgeable… in both administration and academics. So I think her
work, ethics and her personality really gave me hope and gave me new inspiration at the
beginning of the year.
Interviewer: Can you describe any leadership practices or policies that would have
negatively impacted your job satisfaction while at OIS?
Participant 3: Oh, there was principal [Mr. B]… that I feel like when he came… the way
that… later he explained that when he was doing the interview, they [the school board]
portrayed the staff as lazy, and they made him think that he was coming to get everybody
online [in order], and get everybody to do things. So, when he came, he came with that
energy… and his first day, the first [faculty] meeting, he spoke about… he was going to be
watching over us, making sure everybody does their job. And the whole meeting was an
underlined subliminal threat, where he talked about planning and this. And it was really
offensive for our whole staff that he didn't ask anybody their names... he didn't… he just
spoke… it was like a… it was a speech, really. There was no I speak, you speak, let me know
about you, let’s work together… no. It was “I’m here to rule and conquer” type of situation.
And during the first four months of school, he truly ruled and conquered. And the [staff]
meetings, he was silent… he would say how things were going, there was not a lot of options
about what you could do or not, until he slowly realized that everybody was actually doing
their job, and there were problems that we had [which were] a different type of problems, and
then he chilled out. But by then, the whole staff was really… the whole energy of the staff
was really like undermined (inaudible), and everybody was really affected by that.
Interviewer: Oh, wow.
Participant 3: I think also, it's important to have some kind of cultural inclusion, if you come
to a different country, there needs to be some kind of cultural adaptation. I think for him, that
was the biggest thing, because he came Nigeria. Well, at first, he’s from the [United] States,
but he was working in an enormous school in Nigeria. He came from that enormous school to
this tiny one here, where everybody treats everybody like family. There was no… like in his
[old] school, there were like people checking for bombs and stuff at the door. Here, there are
no doors, we are outside. So, even… there was this one incident that he had with the Minister
of Culture. The Minister of Culture was just passing by the school… just an old lady, she was
outside. She was talking to the drama teacher at that time, who was very into culture too. And
he [Mr. B] came out, and he told her that she was not allowed to be in the compound without
permission. And directly… he didn't ask her name, or who she was, or why she was there, he
kind of told her, “You're not allowed to be here, you need to be in the office,” [he] brought
her the office and had this whole… I was not there… but since it’s a small place where
everybody knew by the second time, the lady never came back, and we lost that connection.
And all of that was because of a misunderstanding of what is allowed or not between one
culture and another, because here is so small, you would never think about talking in any way
to anybody, because it could be the cousin of somebody, and they might be there for a reason.
So here, you have to be very careful how you speak to random strangers, because
everybody's, kind of, family, it’s such a small place. So it's just a different way. So I think
maybe having those types of policies where, when someone comes in, you train them a little
61
bit about how they can behave and what are things, certain things, you can and cannot do.
And also… giving the people chances of experiencing the school on their own, and not telling
them what they think. I mean, I don't know if that's what you should do when you have an
interview, but I feel like people should be able to… just like when you get a classroom, past
teachers should not tell you that the students were all violent or terrible, and they're coming
to you, so you don't have that perspective of the kids. If they're blank… they should have a
blank slate, so everything's new, so it could be better. But if they come with the problems of
the past, and you see them as they were, then nothing is going to change. I think that's
important. But that is, again, I think HR is very important… having proper HR training.
Interviewer: Okay, how do you feel about the level of trust and collaboration between the
school administration and teachers?
Participant 3: Well, I think the school administration and teachers work very nicely
together. And there's a lot of trust, and there's a lot of cooperation. Sadly, the plans don't
really… sometimes they don't get done, and then there's a feeling of hopelessness. But
between the school and the principal, that administration works very well. Funnily enough,
most of the time, most of the years, it has worked very well. It's just when it gets to the
[school] board, which is part of the administration, isn't it?
Interviewer: How has the school administration's leadership impacted your decision to stay
at the school or leave?
Participant 3: It has impacted greatly, because for the first year, I stayed just because I had
such a grand time.
And, we had a principal that took everything upon himself, which chilled us, kind of, so we
didn't really have any type of relationship with the [school] board, but I think that's why we
succeeded that year, because there was… we had no relationship with the [school] board
whatsoever. That year, I had no idea who the board even was. We never knew. He would deal
with it all by himself. But when he left and then COVID hit, we were directly dealing with
the [school] board, and then it was a completely different treatment… and feel.
Interviewer: So, what specific leadership practices or policies do you think would positively
impact teacher retention at OIS?
Participant 3: I think that a good policy is to make sure… or to have HR training for the
board members, or at least make sure that they have some kind of experience of how to treat
staff, and having a teachers’ representative… maybe having guidelines when it comes to the
contracts that are made between staff, even though… because sometimes, when the deals
differ so drastically between one person to the other person, it looks bad, and it makes other
people feel bad to, or cheated on, at least.
Interviewer: All right. Well, thank you very much for your time. That was great.
Participant 3: Yeah?
Interviewer: It was great.
END OF AUDIO
62
Appendix K
Field Notes - Participant 3 Interview
Descriptive Field Notes
Participant 3 begins by discussing their
early years of teaching at OIS, where they
had a positive experience despite a
challenging situation. They arrived in
Anguilla during Hurricane Irma and helped
fix the school while volunteering with the
Red Cross, which made them feel part of the
community. However, over time, the
administration changed frequently, and so
did the school's philosophy, culture, and
staff relationships, leading to tension and a
loss of togetherness. The interviewee
identifies this as a significant challenge they
have faced while teaching at OIS.
Reflective Field Notes
Participant 3 provides a vivid account of
their experience teaching at OIS,
highlighting both positive and negative
aspects of their experience. The
interviewee's description of the challenging
circumstances during Hurricane Irma and
their subsequent involvement in the Red
Cross is compelling and shows how their
experience was shaped by their
surroundings. Their comments on the
frequent changes in administration and
school culture provide insight into how
leadership practices affect teacher retention.
The interviewee's acknowledgement of the
support they received from colleagues and
Regarding leadership practices, Participant
previous principals demonstrates the
3 notes that the principal shoulders much of importance of interpersonal relationships in
the school's weight and pressure, and they
the workplace. However, their comments on
have seen several principals come and go.
feeling undervalued and unsupported by the
The interviewee feels that each principal has administration point to larger issues that
their own ideas about how things should
could contribute to teacher attrition.
work, but it takes a long time to understand
what is happening in the school, leading to
Participant 3's comments shed light on the
conflict and discouragement. Additionally,
importance of leadership practices in
frequent changes in direction from the
teacher retention. They suggest that while
school board make it hard for teachers to
the relationship between the school
know what they should do and how to
administration and teachers is generally
support themselves. Participant 3 does not
positive, issues with plans not being
always feel valued and supported by the
implemented can lead to frustration and
administration, but they acknowledge that
hopelessness. Participant 3's comments
the teachers and previous principals have
about the impact of a change in leadership
made them feel appreciated.
further highlight the significance of
leadership practices on teacher retention. It
Participant 3 expresses a positive view of
is interesting to note that the participant
the relationship between the school
mentions the need for HR training for board
administration and teachers. They believe
members and guidelines for staff contracts,
there is a high level of trust and cooperation indicating that policies and procedures can
between the two groups, but note that plans play a role in fostering a positive work
sometimes go unfulfilled, leading to
environment. Overall, Participant 3's
feelings of hopelessness. Participant 3 also
insights provide valuable information for
mentions that the school administration
understanding the factors that influence
works well with the principal, but when it
teacher retention and the need for effective
comes to the school board, which is part of
leadership practices in promoting teacher
the administration, there can be challenges.
satisfaction and retention.
The participant notes that their decision to
63
stay at the school has been impacted greatly
by the school administration's leadership
practices, particularly since the departure of
a principal who had taken on most
responsibilities. They mention the need for
HR training for board members and
guidelines for staff contracts, as well as
having a teachers’ representative to ensure
fairness.
64
Appendix L
Intelligent Verbatim Transcription - Participant 4
Interview Date: February 21, 2023
Interview Time: 2:40pm
Audio Length: 0:15:29
Interviewer: Can you describe your experience working as a teacher at OIS?
Participant 4: Well, back then?.. or currently?... TGOI or coming forward?
Interviewer: I mean, your whole experience because you have had several opportunities to
return.
Participant 4: At the beginning it was very okay. But then after, it became challenging…
because of the small population [class] sizes, I taught from grade two to grade six, which was
a stretch Yeah, I taught from grade two to grade six. Resources… the resources weren’t
available at all. We didn't have any resources. I had to be purchasing resources. I had to be
funding resources from other means, and so it was very, very challenging. Even in [terms of]
books. When I came [which was] about a month before these children had exams, I was made
to understand... do you know these children have exams, right? I'm like… seriously? But
luckily, I just teach, I don’t really teach for an exam, so whether they [the students] do their
exam or not, I just teach the content that they need to know. I prepare them. So, it was
because I didn't have a proper introduction… as to this, that, that, XYZ… so it was it was
very challenging at first, but as I got into it, I got better because I was able to use different
strategies and we found resources that will help to enhance the teaching and learning within
the classroom.
Interviewer: Okay, so in your opinion, because you have been here for a long time, what is
the biggest challenge you face or you have faced as a teacher at OIS?
Participant 4: One, lack of resources. Two, leadership… leadership. It wasn’t what it’s
supposed to be, because there was always a great turnover of leaders and teachers. Three, not
knowing when you will get paid or if you will get paid at all. That has always been a
challenge. But, luckily the parent support was always there. Yes, parents were very
supportive.
Interviewer: All right. Now how do you feel about the leadership… you mentioned one of
the challenges being leadership and the turnover… but speaking about leadership style and
practices, how do you feel about the leadership style and practices of past and present
administrators at OIS?
Participant 4: At that time, to me, it was more of a laissez-faire leadership. Not really
structured… until about 2010… when Teacher W came. She was Head of the School to run
this school at that time, because the director at that time, she was always off island because
she's a lecturer also at the university, so she was always off island so we didn't have anybody
[to support the] groundwork, we were just left, so anything [you needed] you had to wait until
65
she returned. But having somebody permanently that you can relate to or seek information
and look at structure… at the school it was good after that. I must say it's better now because
[of] information… you receive information that you need to receive… because thank God…
God sent Ms. R (laughter) so, things that were hidden in the dark for years because we didn't
have leaders, or we had leaders at that time who weren’t willing to share [and] be transparent
in such a way with us as teachers. But, I guess we were dedicated and we were thinking of
the students more than we think about that, so we decided to push through it.
Interviewer: Right. You mentioned lack of leadership and that sort of stuff… so, do you feel
or have you felt valued and supported by the school's administration?
Participant 4: Umm… (pause) prior to 2013, yes. But then after that, at some point in time,
like when some leaders and administrators came, I felt as though I wasn't… my success
wasn't acknowledged, nothing was acknowledged. They would put things in the [local news]
papers [about] these students’ [accomplishments], but how did these students get where they
are? Had it not been for the teacher, or the [teacher’s] consistency or their dedication [in]
preparing them…and so uh, uh [no] I wasn't really [valued and supported] at some point in
time.
Interviewer: So you would say that there are more times when you weren't or you didn't feel
supported by the administration?
Participant 4: Nope, uh uh.
Interviewer: Okay. Well, I guess that could be an answer for the next question, but can you
describe a specific instance where you felt unsupported by the school administration? Would
it be that [previous answer], or do you have something else?
Participant 4: It's just basically… in terms of acknowledging the teacher… when the child's
doing [well]. Because every year, from 2006 until now, they have the Test of Standards
Awards, [and] CPEA [Awards] came in 2013… and the island does the top five [students on
the island], and the [OIS] students [place] in the top five. I’ve had at least three students in
the top five every year. And they [school leaders] would talk about the students and their
parents and everything and never mentioned anything about the teacher.
Interviewer: Wow.
Participant 4: Never. That’s why when we were doing that personality [assessment] with the
colors… I was able to relate to what Teacher P was saying about there is a lack of validation
and whatever. Yeah. I experienced that.
Interviewer: Okay, okay. Do you feel like the school administration fosters or has fostered a
positive school culture?
Participant 4: For a good part of it, I would say yes. Yes. I would say yes. Because earlier
you'd find that, even in 2017, a lot of parents wanted the children to come to OIS because the
teachers were very dedicated teachers, so yes, I would say, yes.
Interviewer: Okay. So, how has the leadership of past and present school administrators
impacted your job satisfaction throughout the course of your employment?
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Participant 4: They gave me a voice. They allow me to be heard. And they listen [and] take
your thoughts, your ideas and everything into consideration [instead of] just brushing it under
the carpet say “okay, that’s it”, then walk off [and be] over it. You're able to be more
expressive. [It’s] supportive… we get a lot of support... even though I come in here and say
“Ms. R!!” (laughter)
Interviewer: Okay, so that has an impacted [your job satisfaction]. Can you describe any
specific leadership practices that have negatively affected your job satisfaction?
Participant 4: Negative? Yeah, because I remember in 2013, I had an issue with them
[school leaders] because they reduced my salary and didn't tell me anything. Not only did
they reduce my salary, but they reduced my salary and brought another contract with a new
salary for me to sign. And, at that time, because I wasn't… I never used to say anything… I
would just be in my classroom doing whatever I have to do, but that time I said no, uh uh. So
I said, “I'm not signing this, furthermore my contract, my current contract, is not up, and I’m
not going to sign a contract with a reduced salary.” So, they totally ignored me. And… I
didn't… I just let it go. So [at the end of that month] they brought the cheque and told me I
need to sign for my cheque. And I said, “Sign for what cheque?” I said, “I not signing for the
cheque. According to my contract, this [amount on the cheque] is not my salary.” So they
were apparently upset. So, at that time, they wanted to switch to IB [International
Baccalaureate], so what they did was they brought a teacher from Jamaica who used to teach
but had left, and they brought her back. [She] had no degree, had no this, had no that, oh, I
think she must have only had teacher training in special needs. And, they made her the lead
teacher over myself and another teacher, who was my supervisor when I had just started
teaching, because we were from the same country. And, they [school leaders] got upset
because I refused to take the new salary that they gave me and I [had] sent them a lawyer's
letter. So I was victimized in that case, and I just said… so I left… and that was when I went
to the BVI [British Virgin Islands].
Interviewer: Oh, so you did leave and then you came back?
Participant 4: Yes, when I came back on island, and then Mr. J was the principal at that
time. [He] reached out to me and asked me if I can come back. And it’s from then I started…
from Mr’s J’s time… I started [being] able to [express] my voice, have a voice, I was able to
be heard.
Interviewer: So, are there any other specific leadership practices or policies that have
positively impacted your job satisfaction?
Participant 4: Yes, [school leadership has] given you opportunities to develop. So, for
example, with the IB, you are given an opportunity, [the school] pays for your training so that
you can effectively implement the IB principles within the classroom? Yes, that has been
positive.
Interviewer: How do you feel about the level of trust and collaboration between the school
administration and teachers?
Participant 4: Hmm… (pause), well, in terms of with Ms. R, we are able to say anything and
she will hear and listen to us and take it into consideration, but prior to that, if you said
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something, and a group of teachers are in favour… because we had some teachers who were
cliqued together and in favour of the administrator… I think it would be used against you in
some form or the other in terms of victimization.
Interviewer: Okay. Now, how has the school administration's leadership impacted your
decision to stay at the school or to leave?
Participant 4: No. I don't think it’s the school [or] the leadership. I think it’s the children. [I
stay] because of my passion for teaching. I feel as though… if I leave them… and then the
parents too, they're the ones that really ask and tell me [to stay], because I got the support
from the parents. Regardless of the administration, I got the support from the parents. So, it's
more or less the parents and the children who encouraged me and [ask me to] just stay with
them… things will get better… it will improve… these [kinds of things]. So it’s not the
administration but more or less the parents and the children.
Interviewer: Okay. So, last question… what specific leadership practices or policies do you
think would positively impact teacher retention at OIS?
Participant 4: One, transparency. You must be transparent with the teachers. Two, giving
teachers the support they need. [Three], being empathetic with the way they reach out to the
teachers, and [four] acknowledging the teacher's success or whatever we, the teachers, have
contributed to the class or the students
Interviewer: Okay, well that's. (laughter)
Participant 4: I hope I was of help.
Interviewer: Thank you very much. You were… it was very helpful. Thank you so much.
END OF AUDIO
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Appendix M
Field Notes - Participant 4 Interview
Descriptive Field Notes
Participant 4, who has worked at the school
for a long time, taught grades two to six and
experienced many challenges, including
teaching with limited resources, a lack of
structure in leadership practices, and not
being sure when they would receive their
salary. However, despite these challenges,
they were able to improve their teaching
with time and various strategies. The lack of
resources, leadership practices, and
uncertain salary payments were the three
main challenges Participant 4 faced. They
mentioned that the administration's
leadership style was more laissez-faire, with
a great turnover of leaders and teachers.
However, when the school appointed
Teacher W, who provided better structure
and communication, things improved. Since
then, things have become even better,
thanks to the transparency and information
provided by the current leader, Ms. R.
Reflective Field Notes
The interview with Participant 4 provided
valuable insights into the challenges faced
by teachers at OIS. It was evident that the
lack of resources was a significant obstacle
for the teachers. Additionally, the school's
leadership practices seemed inadequate and
lacked structure, which impacted the
teachers' performance and satisfaction. The
interview highlighted the importance of
having an effective leadership style that
provides support and communication for the
teachers. It was notable that the turnover of
leaders and teachers seemed to impact the
school negatively.
Participant 4's responses revealed that the
lack of acknowledgment and support from
the administration impacted their work
significantly. It is essential for school
leaders to acknowledge and appreciate the
hard work put in by their teachers. The
interview demonstrated that a positive and
supportive environment can go a long way
in improving teacher retention. Overall, the
interview provided valuable insights into the
challenges faced by teachers at OIS and the
importance of effective leadership practices
to improve teacher retention.
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Appendix N
Intelligent Verbatim Transcription - Participant 5
Interview Date: February 21, 2023
Interview Time: 9:30am
Audio Length: 0:53:33
Interviewer: What year did you start teaching in OIS?
Participant 5: In 2017.
Interviewer: What were you doing before that?
Participant 5: Before that I was basically gigging… doing singing gigs at different hotels by
evening. And then in the early afternoons, I was involved in a taekwondo club as one of the
teachers there.
Interviewer: Oh, okay, alright, cool. So, why did you make the decision to come to OIS fulltime?
Participant 5: I did that because I already had a bit of experience with the kids. And I
thought that they were super cute. (laughter) They intrigued me. I liked having conversations
with them. A friend actually put me on to OIS. [The school was] looking for a teacher's
assistant. She had a little in the taekwondo club so she had seen me in action a bit, and so she
recommended that I try to put myself forward to do it. And, I went into the interview and got
[the] teacher's assistant [position] for Pre-K and K a little while after.
Interviewer: Alright. So first question, can you describe your experience working as a
teacher at OIS?
Participant 5: My overall experience… (pause), so it's a little bit… it changed a little bit…
because at the very beginning, I have to say that it felt… the atmosphere felt quite, as I might
describe it, like those old Disney black and white Mickey Mouse with the lily pad looking
eyes… just everybody bouncing up and down and being all cherry and jolly and stuff… there
was a bit of a spirit to the school… a sort of magic. I don't know if that just came with me
being new to at all. I had had a little bit of experience just being a receptionist at my mom's
school. That wasn't anything stable, though. So I can't really mention it as, like, a job job. But
I had experienced what it was like in the schools that my mom was working at. And I don't
know, the kids [in school’s like my mom’s school] didn't quite seem as heavily spirited,
chipper, [and] outspoken. And so I found it very intriguing that, here at OIS, they would just
come and talk to me [and] just bound up to me and be like, “I'm so so! And this is what I'm
all about! And this is how I show my individuality!” And I was like, (deep exhale” this all
feels very inspiring. And the teachers were the same, I would say, just very spirited and very
invested in their classes. Nowadays, I have a slightly different experience. To sort of sum it
up, it just kind of feels a little bit like survival mode. There is a bit of magic there. The kids
are still quite outspoken, but I don't feel as though they are as quick thinking, readily out of
the box thinking… like they don't have that bubbly aspect to them altogether as much
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anymore. And I feel like there's a bit of a struggle to get them to… to keep that sparkle in
their eyes. That sort of weighs heavily on me as a teacher who's just always into the creative,
always into the charisma [and] trying to keep everybody on that level of charisma. It feels
like I'm trying to feed that in a little bit more instead of the equal exchange from me to them
[and] from them to me. [It’s a] bit imbalanced in that way. (pause) There's a lot of factors that
contributed to the whole… to the stress on… to the feeling of freedom that I had experienced
in my earlier days at OIS… having to do with financial things and contributing to lack of
resources… and, I don't know… sometimes and parents support in some respects too… all of
that weighs heavy on the spirit. I think all of those [factors] sort of changed the dynamic. So,
at the beginning, it just felt a little bit more like everybody was together. And now it feels like
we've got a bit of a divide that is creating a disharmony and kind of throwing things off
balance.
Interviewer: So that may actually lead into my second question… in your opinion, what is
the biggest challenge you face or you have faced as a teacher at OIS?
Participant 5: The biggest challenge that I believe that I have faced… (long pause) At the
beginning, when I was a teacher's assistant, I would say that the biggest challenge that I feel
like I faced was not being… my thoughts, my ideas not really being considered… [feeling]
super valuable. I was in a teacher's assistant position, granted, so I was a little bit kind of at a
lower barrow. I was being paid around [United States] $600 [per month] to start. And with
the added responsibilities that I pushed for, I eventually moved up the pay ladder there. But it
felt like there was a while before my efforts were valued in that sort of way… in that way,
financially. As well as when I would speak with my then [lead] teacher – the teacher who I
was working under, about different ideas and strategies of teaching for the class, they weren't
always super-considered, and I suppose that's because… well, the teacher’s got training, I
don't… but that teacher didn't quite seem to understand the need to differentiate for different
students based on their level of knowledge and backgrounds, their religions, that sort of thing.
She was kind of like one track mind for all the kids. And so that was a bit of a stress at the
beginning. I would say nowadays, in the position that I'm in as a VPA [Visual and
Performing Arts] teacher, my biggest struggle is resources. Because I've supplied my
classroom very big way this year. Aesthetically, as well as with supplies. There are
paintbrushes that weren't there before. There are charcoal pencils that weren't there before
that I brought in… a lot of money pouring in. And considering that, for a while we struggled
to actually get paid, to [have to] supply [and] pour money back into the classroom, that just
felt like a really big stress to have to take on and I didn't think that had taken on so… (big
sigh) very drastically. And I have some ideas for dramatic performances for the other aspects
of the arts that are probably going to need funding in a big way as well, and I'm limited in
what kind of ideas I can put forward because I don't know where those finances will come
from. So that's those are my biggest issues nowadays…. financial stuff… I suppose [those
issues were big] back then too.
Interviewer: All right. How do you feel about the leadership style and practices of past and
present administrators at OIS?
Participant 5: Let’s see… because we've had a number of turnovers… yes, we have. I
started with… I came here under Mr. J, and his leadership style seemed really good to me. He
really tried to keep us in the loop, as teachers, every chance that he got. He was present as a
figurehead when he needed to be… at assemblies, at meetings, even in times that we, as
teachers needed him outside of school, relating to things that we would need to start us off,
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especially for new teachers coming into the school [from abroad], to start us off… about
where we could… well not me, but where other teachers could live, where they could get
food, water, or other supplies for their wellbeing. He seemed to help drive the energy of the
kids and teachers forward as well. [He was] very great on the extracurriculars… asking about
that sort of thing, making sure that that happened at the school a lot… [he] seemed to have a
good standing, decent enough standing with the [school] board, but I feel like he had a bit of
stress there as well, [although] he would never speak too much about that sort of thing. But
you could kind of tell [it was on] his conscience every now and then when he would tell us
about different things [and about] different decisions that the school was making that would
affect us [teachers]. I would say he was pretty peachy. I liked that he was so personable. And
he was understanding, but still firm… authoritative. When Mr. B came, he seemed like the
stock opposite. Right off the bat, he seemed to have… he seemed to present to us this person
that was not going to be very personable at all, that kind of just wanted to be left alone most
of the time. And, when we did come to him with issues that were legitimate, they would
almost always be ridiculed in a sense, if not then, then later on shut down or ignored… that
sort of thing. His language towards us was really toxic. He would say, “be quiet” and “shut
up” to us a lot in meetings, and the teachers eventually, kind of, had to rise up against him
and explain how ridiculous it was that he, as an adult, was treating other adults that way [as]
colleagues. And, we sort of got him to simmer down a little bit, but he still was reclusive.
[He] kind of thought that he should stay in his office most of the time… and not come out to
us, check on how classes were doing, [check on] the things that we needed. It was just kind
of, like, we could only find them in the cave, which was his office. And, there was no
guarantee whether or not the needs that we had would have been met through talking to him.
He didn't have any… he had very superficial charisma. He'd be like, “Woohoo! Yeah! Let’s
go!” That kind of thing… (laughter), but you could tell that he was super fake… like
puppeteering (laughing). And, he didn’t seem to have nearly as much life in him, and when
he did seem to talk excitedly about things was when he would tell us inappropriate stories
about his love life. (deep sigh) I am a firm believer that whatever the top is like, so shall
everybody descending down below the top be. So, him being as scattered as he was…
because again, I can tell you that I didn't know very much about the [school] board itself or
who was on it [or] any of that until the later days of Mr. B’s reign. So, we, the teachers, really
only looked at him as the figure at the top. And since he was just so dysfunctional, I feel like
it trickled down from him, to us, to parents, to kids,,, everybody was, kind of, just in disarray.
And, again, there's that disharmony. I believe it was there in Mr. J’s time, but it really, really
festered around Mr. B’s time. Because I think that, despite the issues that may have been
swirling around the school, Mr. J sort of tried to keep us a little bit sheltered from it… that if
we didn't have to be impacted so strongly by it, he tried his best to shelter us from it so that
he could keep us going, keep us feeling happy, keep us feeling healthy. It wasn’t the same
experience with Mr. B. He [Mr. B] showed us exactly what was going on around the school,
and kind of bled his insecurities, and his lack of professionalism, [and] all of that… [he] kind
of just bled that out on us and gave us no choice but to soak it up like sponges. So I feel like,
in some way, each of the teachers in OIS is wounded and we’re just kind of trying to recover
from these wounds here. It’s gotta be a team effort or, like nothing at all… so everybody has
got to try… everybody's got to be on their A-game, from top to bottom. And, that's the only
way that a school is going to be able to function. (pause) Now that we’ve got Ms. R here
we're trying to try and find that light again, because there is that feeling of hope that we have
now because we're seeing things sort of rebuilding themselves. And so the progress is kind of
helping us to get back onto our feet and feel motivated to move forward with what we believe
could be a brighter time for OIS… a return to that spirited nature that I… [a return to] the
school that [it was] when I had been introduced to it. So that when you tell somebody on the
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street, I work at OIS, that it is one of those, like, “Oh?!” reactions again, and not the “Oh, no”
reactions that, in just [the last] couple years we’ve been getting. (sigh) (laughter) Did that
answer the question? (laughter)
Interviewer: Yes. Very insightful. So, tell me, do you feel or have you felt valued and
supported by the school's administration?
Participant 5: I feel like, in some ways, that I have. I feel like I have… I feel like I have…
because they [the school administration] recognized the skill sets that I had and [they] tried to
help me to use them. Because [when] I came on, I had no teacher’s certificate, no bachelor’s
[degree], or anything like that. I just had skillsets to show them that I had. And, when they
saw me in practice, they gave me opportunities to move forward with them. And I know that
part of that reason is… [the reason for] keeping me on, in some little way, with my lack of
qualifications would allow them to pay me a little bit less, [over time] a little bit more, but
still a little bit less than the regular [qualified teacher], so that it would sort of benefit them
[the school] financially, as opposed to if they would hire somebody who has the
qualifications, and therefore [the school] would have to pay them more. But, I also look at it
on the other side as them giving me an opportunity to elevate myself… giving me avenues to
explore that creative aspect of myself… giving me resources… would it be weird to call the
kids resources? (laughter)… giving me these little subjects [the students] (laughter) to draw
inspiration from, and me give them inspiration as well… to teach them things that I do know,
and prompt me to want to learn new things so that I can put it forward to them and elevate
them and myself as well. (pause) I would say that them [the school] bringing me on based on
purely…based mostly on experience, has been something that I've been grateful for. (pause)
And I continue to get nice reviews from parents, which is a really, really cool thing. (pause) I
don't want to feel as though that [value and support from school leadership] has anything to
do with how terrible I am at standing up for myself… and I need to… because I know that
some [board members], like Ms. D, has reached out to me and told me about how she felt
grateful that I that I wasn't one to like, quote-unquote, “stir trouble”. So… I don't know… I
have mixed feelings about that… because I don't want anybody to feel as though they value
me just because I keep my mouth shut. (laughter) But I feel like I do have things to be
grateful to school overall for, and it's a pleasant experience at the school… creativity,
professional development-wise… health and wellness is a different story… but yeah.
Interviewer: So, can you describe a specific instance where you felt unsupported by the
school administration
Participant 5: There were times when I needed to fight for money… when I needed to be in
the office a few time… asking about where my cheques [were], because, at the beginning,
that's [how] I was [paid]. And [when] payroll were coming from… checking in often just to
remind them of how many times my payroll hadn't gone through. And I was speaking to other
teachers, and that wasn't happening for them at that point in time. It started happening to
everybody later on, but at the beginning, that's how it was going for me. (pause) Let’s see… I
can't say that there is any other big reason that I can think of. It could be one, but my mind is
so clouded with financial justice. (laughter)
Interviewer: Well, do you feel like the school administration has fostered or fosters fosters a
positive school culture?
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Participant 5: No, not for a while, I don't think. Our teachers have had to try their best to
foster that positive culture on their own. I don’t think that the higher ups, for a while, have
been helping very much with that. We can sort of draw back to that [PTA] bake sale thing
that they [school board and school PTA] were talking about… that they broadcasted so
publicly… that they were going to do [the bake sale] to help teachers, and then, in private,
denied us the opportunity to use any [of the funds] of it. There's resources in the past, same
thing, that have been denied to us, because they weren't seen as priority when it came to just
keeping the school open or afloat, that sort of thing. And, even though they would directly
impact education, from a financial standpoint, higher ups didn't quite see it as necessary, so
they kind of would just forfeit a lot of the necessary things that the teachers would need for
support.
Interviewer: So how has the leadership of past and present school administrators impacted
your job satisfaction throughout the course of your employment?
Participant 5: (pause) I feel as though I would be a lot more satisfied with my job I felt as
though education was always valued by persons who run the school. I feel like that would
prompt them to recognize so many other things about the school as important, educationwise, and therefore, help the teachers out. I think that a lot of the things that we don't have
here in the school, or haven't had for a while, as teachers, is because education just not being
prioritized enough. And, I am in groups on Facebook, for music and for visual arts, and I see
a lot of the resources and the opportunities extended to those specialist teachers. And, they're
nothing like what I've got here. So I just wonder how much greater this subject area could be
if the resources were there because the higher-ups thought them important to be brought in.
We had been told for a number of years that OIS is being looked at by the board of directors
as a business, that there is no concern of theirs when it comes to education. These aren't
paraphrased words. They are word for word. And so, my general dissatisfaction comes from
just kind of thinking constantly about what the school could be, is if they prioritize the
education just a little bit more over the business aspects of it. Because at that point, if it's a
business, then you just are going to want to keep the lights on… and maybe [keep] the yard
cut… and [maintain] the outward image of the school, in people's faces, but whatever is
going on in the inside, if you're neglecting that too much, then yeah, that how it would be.
Interviewer: So, speaking of job satisfaction, can you describe any specific leadership
practices or policies that have positively impacted your job satisfaction?
Participant 5: (long pause) Like, out of the ordinary things?
Interviewer: Anything… anything that anybody in leadership does, or any policy that they
put in place that has positively impacted your job satisfaction.
Participant 5: (pause) I’m trying to give you a definitive answer, but [there is] nothing that’s
in my face… that's coming out to me.
Interviewer: Or, my next question would be, can you describe any specific leadership
practices or policies that have negatively impacted your job satisfaction?
Participant 5: Okay, is that like a bit of an extension of the last question that I answered?
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Interviewer: Yeah. Because the last question you answered was about the leadership, just in
general, and how those have impacted your job satisfaction. And so, now if you can describe
a specific instance or practice or policy, something that leadership has either implemented
that has either positively impacted your job satisfaction or negatively impacted your job
satisfaction.
Participant 5: Okay. I guess one specific thing was wanting that the bigger space for my art
class because of all of the storage that I need to have in there, materials, the display… that the
areas for display that I would need as well, but not getting that because the school needed to
just to join [grade] six with [grade] seven and [grade] eight, so therefore, they couldn't give
me this room. Because that room that is grade six was the original art room, and it allowed
the tables to be set up for still life very easily, the large tables there that I have, as well as
provide space for display areas for those art pieces that needed to dry and then put up for
display, for students to sit in a corner work by themselves if they wanted to, booths like booth
for picture taking… so, yeah that was a little bit of a struggle adjusting to that [new, smaller]
space for my subject of VPA that has all those many subject areas attached to – visual,
performing, music. (pause) I'm not sure that saying this is part of answering this question but
I have struggled to display things [on the board] because I have no projector… that stuff.
Interviewer: So, resources?
Participant 5: Yeah, that's impacted me negatively when it comes to music and art… for a
while, and I think classroom management has been a little bit of a struggle because of that.
Because I constantly have to try to group the kids into one little area so that they can see my
small monitor. And that can create conflict between them, because they haven't mastered
spatial awareness, most of the grades [levels], and that takes time away from class trying to
get them to… to structure them, restructure, that sort of thing, keeping them there, keeping
quiet, that sort of management. The things that they have done that have helped… (pause) the
things that they have done… (long pause) I don't want to say that I don't have something.
(laughter)
Interviewer: Well, if something comes up later, you can always let me know. (laughter)
Participant 5: I've been able to ask Mr. W [school handyman] to help move some furniture
into the new spot, [so] the maintenance guy is helping me out. I can't say the painting [of my
classroom] was something they helped with because I kind of snuck [the paint] onto the walls
(laughter), I’m glad they didn’t have an issue with it, but I needed to do that to liven up my
class and that wasn't something I could have asked them for. (pause) Maybe I would have
been able to… maybe later down in the year, I might be able to answer the question
(laughter), because I did put forward my idea about the masquerade ball infused with Culture
Day idea to Ms. L [board member], and she was like, let us know what sort of money you'd
be needing for that sort of event, so that's a show of support… I don't have evidence for that
yet, but there's a promise… there’s a promise, just like the [educational supplies]… (deep
sigh/laughter)… let’s not think negatively (laughter)…
Interviewer: So, tell me this, how do you feel about the level of trust and collaboration
between the school administration and teachers?
75
Participant 5: (wincing sounds/pause) So we are almost definitely… I should have asked
this question earlier, but we are most definitely pulling the [school] board in as
administration, right?
Interviewer: Yes, you can, because this is such a small school, and they influence, so yeah.
Participant 5: There's a lot of gaps… a lot of gaps… I think there's a lot of things that we
need to clear up so that everybody can be on the same page. I think sometimes the [school]
board doesn't tell the teachers things that they need to know, and it's really bad decisions on
their part, sometimes… I know that there's some things that can wait to be known, in case a
solution happens so that you don't need to stir up bad feelings in the first place, but if there's
information that directly and quickly affects the teachers, I feel like that information hasn't
always been shared with the teachers and timely manners. I think that respect and
appreciation should be going back and forth between them, and I think that that’s been
severed quite a bit… for all the reasons… for all the relevant reasons… that sort of respect
and appreciation has been severed… and (pause) without necessarily throwing the blame
game around, it’s just that… it's very much that there's a disconnect and communication that
needs to be repaired, so that we can we can work together, because we can. So I would say
that that's not looking too great right now, and that in the coming months that would need to
be fixed.
Interviewer: So how has the school administration's leadership impacted your decision to
stay at the school or leave the school?
Participant 5: I am feeling as though I am creating the inspiration that elevates me kind of
all on my own, and at least looking at [and] the watching the experiences on teacher
Facebook pages that I've been looking at, it seemed that a lot of their schools were giving
them things that prompted ideas for them, and then they ran with them, but for me, it sort of
feels like I am creating it by myself, and then kind of struggling with the limited resources
that I have to make it happen. So I feel like I'm pining to be somewhere where, if I've got
ideas, then I can just freely implement them… easily implement them with the resources,
with the approval, with the like-minded creatives that I can be around, and institutions that
want to see me bring it to light, because they care about the educational aspect of it. (pause) I
feel like I'm a little bit… that I’m not being fed into creatively, so I would like to experience
being fed into creatively. And I'm feeling more and more a drive to sort of… since I've been
sort of trying to pave my own way creatively, to sort of do it independently for a while and
see where I can take that, and then sort of jumped back into education after that. So what I'm
saying in this very abstract way, is that I would like to try to seek professional-personal
development in the arts, maybe something [like] professional singing with vocal coaches,
Broadway, some sort of… like an art school, sculpture, that sort of thing… for personal
development on my own, and then sort of jump back in to feel like somebody gave me some
inspiration that I can give to others, because it just kind of feels like I'm pulling it from
myself only, and there's not enough that I would be able to pull out of myself and implement
with what little that I have right now.
Interviewer: If we were to talk about how we can positively impact teacher retention here,
hat specific leadership practices or policies do you think would positively impact teacher
retention at OIS moving forward?
76
Participant 5: I think that continuous presence and shows of support from the [school] board
is imperative. I think that the teachers… when they ask for things… that just kind of seem
like no-brainers to give them, that we’re not called ‘needy’, which was Mr. B’s favorite word
(laughter), we’re not called needy, or ungrateful, impatient, that sort of thing… that it [the
response] would kind of just be like, “Well, of course you need to have this, here it is, you
need this to function.” So, always just knowing that, at least, the higher-ups are trying to give
this to us with no backtalk associated with it, like whispering behind their backs, like, (kisses
teeth) “She's just always asking for things, oh my god, here, here, here it is, just take it, just
go.” We kind of just want to feel like… you deserve to have this because this is the job and
this is these are the kind of resources that you need for your job, so we want to give this to
you, like no animosities, blah, blah, blah, no kind of unprofessionalism like that…. that the
things that we need are just given to us freely, because that is what, contractually, we are
supposed to receive. Definitely… speaking of contractually, just the financials of everything.
The payroll would have to definitely be coming on time, and in full, for teachers to feel like
they're working to fulfil others’ livelihoods and their livelihoods are being fulfilled as well.
(pause) I feel as though… teacher appreciation… just like the human aspect of it… because
we aren't machines, the human aspect of it has to be attended to as well. We hadn't.... I can
honestly count on my hands how many teachers’ appreciation days have been announced for
teachers here at OIS. That’s just… my mom would have to remind me that it's Teachers’
Appreciation Week, and I’d be like, “Oh, is that so?” But it would almost never get spoken
about around here, and the teachers who have been in the public school system, like Ms. G,
they would know about it, and they would post it into the group chat, like “Happy Teacher’s
Appreciation guys!” But… nothing from the administration for years… it was even spotty
when Mr. J. was there, it was a bit spotty when Mr. J. was there. So we just kind of felt like
we were just being asked to just give and give and give and give and give… that sort of thing,
but not being recognized in any way, not even with like a little thank you, a little thank you
here an there from administration to us. There were struggles all back then, and especially
now, so that would’ve been appreciated along the way. Sometimes… a lot of the sneaky talk
could have been quelled by somebody from the higher-ups just saying, “Well, hey, I know
that we haven't been giving you the things that you've been needing for a while, but we just
want to let you know that we do care about how you're managing as you make an effort to
educate the kids… things are coming, they’re not here right now. We just want you to know
in the meantime, that we think highly of you are valuable to us.” That sort of thing… but, it
was the opposite for quite some time and it was done with backtalk. So appreciation, shown
outwardly, in any little way, would have made a big difference along the way, I felt. A little
pat on the back tends to make somebody, who is fuming, calm down even just a little bit, and
they could have actually improved our patience, while they didn't have these resources for us
a lot more, by just showing those little, intermediate forms of appreciation… Yeah, yeah.
Resources, the general respect and appreciation, financial security.
Interviewer: Well, thank you for your time. I really appreciate it and I appreciate you
sharing. It’s very insightful going down memory lane.
END OF AUDIO
77
Appendix O
Field Notes - Participant 5 Interview
Descriptive Field Notes
The participant initially described their
experience working at the school as
positive, with a lively and inspiring
atmosphere where the children were
outgoing and the teachers invested in their
classes. However, the participant now feels
that the atmosphere has changed and the
children are less bubbly and quick-thinking,
which has made teaching more challenging.
The participant believes that financial
constraints, lack of resources, and
inadequate parental support have
contributed to this shift in the dynamic at
the school. The participant notes that
maintaining a sense of creativity and
charisma in the classroom has become more
difficult, with an imbalance in the exchange
between teacher and students.
Reflective Field Notes
The participant's initial positive experience
and subsequent challenges highlight the
importance of studying factors that
contribute to teacher attrition. Specifically,
this participant's account sheds light on the
impact of leadership practices, particularly
in regards to resource allocation and
parental support, on teacher satisfaction and
retention. The participant's description of
feeling undervalued as a teacher's assistant
and of the financial burden of supplying
their classroom as a VPA teacher also
illustrate the challenges that teachers face in
terms of recognition and support. The
participant's account emphasizes the need
for school leaders to prioritize teacher wellbeing and to provide adequate resources to
support their work.
Participant 5 talked about her experiences
working in the school and how the
leadership practices implemented by the
school administration impacted her job
satisfaction. She described how she had to
fight for her pay and was not always
supported by the school administration. She
mentioned that the school administration did
not foster a positive school culture and that
teachers had to try their best to create a
positive culture on their own. Participant 5
felt that education was not valued by those
who run the school and that the resources
and opportunities provided to specialist
teachers were much greater than what was
offered to her. She also talked about how
the school was seen as a business by the
board of directors, and there was no concern
for education. She expressed her
dissatisfaction with the school
administration's priorities and how that
impacted her job satisfaction.
Participant 5 provided valuable insights into
how the school administration's leadership
practices impact job satisfaction among
teachers. Her experiences highlight the
importance of valuing education and
providing necessary resources to teachers.
The lack of support from the school
administration and their failure to foster a
positive school culture can have a
detrimental effect on job satisfaction and
retention. The interviewee's experiences
underscore the need for school
administrators to prioritize education and
create policies and practices that support
and value teachers' contributions. The
interview also highlighted the importance of
providing clear communication and
transparency regarding decision-making
processes that affect teachers. The lack of
transparency and clear communication can
lead to dissatisfaction among teachers and
negatively impact their job satisfaction.
Participant 5, expresses a desire to be
creatively supported, stating that it feels like
they are creating inspiration on their own,
Participant 5's responses highlight the
importance of teacher support and
recognition in retaining teachers at a school.
78
without any external prompting or
assistance. They note that other schools
provide prompts that allow teachers to take
ideas and run with them, while they struggle
with limited resources to bring their ideas to
life. Participant 5 mentions a need for
resources, approval, and like-minded
individuals in order to freely implement
their ideas. They express a desire for
institutions that care about education and
want to see their ideas come to fruition.
Participant 5 mentions wanting to seek
professional-personal development in the
arts, such as singing with vocal coaches or
attending an art school for sculpture, before
returning to education with inspiration to
share with others.
In response to a question about positively
impacting teacher retention, Participant 5
suggests that continuous presence and
support from the school board is imperative.
They express frustration at being called
"needy" when asking for resources that
should be given freely, stating that they just
want what they contractually deserve.
Participant 5 also mentions the importance
of financial stability, with payroll coming
on time and in full, for teachers to feel
fulfilled in their work. They note the need
for teacher appreciation and recognition
from administration, stating that the human
aspect of teaching needs to be attended to
and recognized.
Their desire for external inspiration and
resources suggests a lack of support from
the administration in terms of fostering
creativity and providing resources to
implement ideas. Participant 5's frustration
at being called "needy" when requesting
necessary resources highlights a potential
disconnect between teachers and
administration, with teachers feeling
unsupported and undervalued. Their
suggestion for continuous support and
recognition from the school board, as well
as financial stability, highlights the
importance of valuing teachers and ensuring
that they feel fulfilled in their work.
Participant 5's desire to seek personal
development in the arts before returning to
education with fresh inspiration highlights
the importance of personal growth and
development in the teaching profession.
Overall, Participant 5's responses suggest
that teacher retention is influenced by a
combination of external support and
recognition, resources, and personal
fulfillment in the work.