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Presentation on EdD Thesis progress titled:Presentation on EdD Thesis progress titled:

Factors Influencing Retention in Factors Influencing Retention in Pre-service Primary Teacher Pre-service Primary Teacher

Education in Malawi Education in Malawi by by

Elvis SalagiElvis SalagiFriday, 14Friday, 14thth November, 2014 November, 2014

Doctoral Supervisors: Dr Lee Graham and Dr Peter KahnDoctoral Supervisors: Dr Lee Graham and Dr Peter Kahn

Presentation overviewPresentation overview• Introduction

• Background context

• Research purpose and questions

• Problem statement

• Literature review

• Theoretical framework

• Methodology

• Q&A

IntroductionIntroduction• Provision of quality education services to

any population is a paramount endeavor that calls for well qualified teachers

• Need to consider providing quality teacher education services albeit challenges revolving around attrition, resourcing, access, equity, governance, mgt

• Many nations render interventions through financial, material and human capital investments in teacher education sub sector (Lung, Moldovan and Alexandra, 2012

Background contextBackground context

MALAWI

Structure of primary teacher Structure of primary teacher education in Malawieducation in Malawi

Primary teacher

education

2 year IPTE certificate

(Conventional mode)

1 year college

based phase

1 year rural school based phase (TP)

2 year IPTE certificate

(ODL)

Term holiday face to face sessions

2 year rural school

based phase (TP)

Module study4 year BEd

Pre-service teaching in Malawi

•Why do pre-service teachers leave? Are there any practices contributing to the exodus?

•Do they leave because of stress, leadership, salary, working conditions, teaching image or professional development (Hentges, 2012)?

•Perhaps, are they not meeting their expectations in the profession (Khairan, 2011)?

•Many more reflections triggered my research endeavour on preservice teacher retention in Malawi primary teacher education.

Some reflections!!!

Background context cont’d•During both phases, some pre-service teachers leave the profession and join other professions despite provision of free tuition and monthly stipend as motivators•Attrition in teacher education institutions has been a hassle for a number of years•Low retention prevents Ministry of Education’s plan to reduce current average teacher to pupil ratio of 1:100 to 1:60 by 2017

•Low retention frustrates efforts by Malawi Government and development partners who invest in the subsector’s infrastructure, teaching and learning materials, staff capacity development

•Every teacher that leaves represents loss of money, time (Hentges, 2012)

•Low retention leads to low annual college output, school staffing levels, underutilized financial and infrastructure.

Current ResearchCurrent Research Research Purpose

•To examine factors that influence retention of pre-service primary teachers in Malawi.

Research Question

What factors influence retention of pre-service primary teachers in Malawi?

Secondary questions:

•What strategies do primary teacher education institutions follow to promote retention?

•To what extent do primary pre-service teachers’ personal factors, professional experiences and school environment relate to their intention to remain in teaching?

•How can recruitment procedures influence retention of primary pre-service teachers?

•What mentorship practices influence retention of primary pre-service teachers?

Literature reviewLiterature reviewTeacher attrition

• Billingsley (1993) provided a thematic synthesis of findings such as teacher characteristics, personal factors, teacher qualifications, work environment factors

• Ingersoll (1999) as cited in Waddell (2010) reported that attrition of teachers happens to be the highest of all professions. Teachers leave at twice the rate of nurses and five times the rate of lawyers.

• Grissmer and Kirby (1993) found that half of all new teachers leave the profession within the first five years

• In Malawi, Kadzamira (2006) found that about 15-19% of pre-service teachers leave their training before completion attributable to various causes.

Causes of teacher attrition

• Handal, Watson, Petocz and Maher (2013) reported geographical isolation, retirement, low salary, job dissatisfaction, curricular and organisational factors

• In rural district of Montana, Davis (2002) identified low salary, retirements, lack of induction and mentoring programmes, recruitment gaps and immense workloads as major causes.

• In Malawi, Kayuni & Tambulasi (2007), identified low salary & teacher status, poor housing and inadequate school infrastructure

Teacher Retention• Retention of teachers in post is desired by many

nations as one way of achieving value for money. • Murtaugh, Burns and Schuster (1999) indicated

that retention of pre-service teachers in universities takes center stage

• Boylan et al. (1993) developed a Model for Teacher Retention which was further developed by Davis (2002).

• The model cited “Four Spheres of Influence” namely Personal / Family, Within Classroom, Community and Whole School.

Teacher retention in rural areas

• Monk (2007) noted possible characteristics of rural communities as being small in size, sparse settlement, distant from population concentrations, economic reliance on agricultural industries, impoverished

• How does this compare to my context?• Malloy and Allen (2007) observed that rural

areas continue to experience critical issue of recruiting and retaining teachers

• Handal, Watson, Petocz and Maher (2013) found that Maths & Science teachers are motivated to remain teaching in rural areas to gain rural experience, seeking a permanent position and helping rural and remote communities.

• Further observed that provision of opportunities for professional growth in rural schools helps retaining teachers

• Incentives to rural teachers enhance retention (Handal, Watson, Petocz and Maher, 2013)

• Keiser (2011) noted that retention of teachers in rural areas is challenged where learner enrollment increases against low teacher population.

• Rural areas are hard to staff and perceived as posing a high risk. (How?, Any risks in Malawi? )

Teacher retention in hard to staff and high-risk schools

• Morgan and Kritsonis (2008) recognize that hard-to-staff schools have a large % of socio-economically disadvantaged students, difficult teaching environment and are in undesirable locations.

• Found that retention of new teachers in such schools requires providing mentorship services, professional development, money incentives and involvement in decision making.

• Beckett (2009) found that little research has been conducted on teacher recruitment processes vis-a-vis retention initiatives in hard-to-staff and at risk rural schools

• Also found out that administrative support is a significant factor for teacher retention.

• Hughes (2012) found that principals’ support to teachers in hard-to-staff schools has a great impact on teacher retention.

Motivation and retention

• Hao and Guzman (2007) studied the reasons why Filipino pre-service teachers go into teacher education

• Noted that what motivates an individual to go into teaching is critical.

• Found out that motives that cause student-teachers’ desire to teach, depend on school type, gender and educational support

• Significantly correlated with income, age, and year level.

• Hao and Guzman (2007) argued that those committed to teaching are more likely to be motivated by intrinsic rewards while those who have never seriously considered teaching are more likely to be motivated by extrinsic rewards.

• Reflection: what are intrinsic and extrinsic rewards of Malawian pre-service teachers? Are they context specific?

• Kadzamira (2006) reported that current rural allowance which is a retention strategy poses serious motivational problems in Malawi (How?)

Mentorship and retention

• Mentoring is a process whereby a mentor provides advice and feedback in the context of culture and politics of an organisation (Bloomberg, 2014).

• In a research study on mentorship effectiveness and anticipated turnover, Morina (2010) found that formalized and consistent mentoring program for pre-service teachers is effective in acclimating them for retention

• Sandra and Ferrari (1992) indicated that mentoring fosters development of new teachers

• mentored teachers become competent and motivated than un-mentored teachers.

• teacher mentoring can lead to reduced teacher attrition following provision of emotional support to beginning teachers

• Unclear how teacher mentoring affects teacher retention.

Research Problem

•In Malawi, Govt and DPs invest human, material and financial resources on teacher training with no investment in retention as advocated by Wendel and Mantil (2008).

•More research studies on attrition and retention of qualified teachers than for pre-service teachers (Kayuni and Tambulasi (2007)

•Necessitated this study to fill knowledge gap with particular focus on pre-service teacher retention

Theoretical framework

•To ground this study on Human Capital Theory.

•most influential economic theory of western education (Fitzsimons, 1999)

•relates to the possession of knowledge and skills necessary for productivity in the workplace

•has a strong bearing on occupational choice,

• posits that individuals who are equipped with relevant technical knowhow make their own assessment of potential benefits and costs of joining and staying in a particular profession.

• theory is closely applicable to the teaching profession since that decide to join the profession have some knowledge of what the profession entails.

• the prior knowledge makes them stay or leave the profession.

• suggests that education invests knowledge, skills and capabilities that are paramount for productivity of individuals..

• People’s acquisition of relevant specific human capital, lowers the likelihood of attrition in the workplace.

• In the same manner, teachers do make an assessment of the profession’s benefits and any related drawbacks and so decide to stay or not (Grissmer and Kirby (1993)

Figure 1: Conceptual framework

• Conceptual Framework

Methodology : Research Design•underpinned by a pragmatic paradigm (Denscombe, 2008). •places the research problem as central and applies all approaches to understanding the problem (Creswell, 2003). •follows mixed method approach that employs qualitative and quantitative methods as being complementary. •approach is used to gain insight into people’s attitudes, behaviors, value systems, concerns, motivations, aspirations and culture.

Sampling and data collectionSampling and data collectionParticipant Count Interviews Questionnaire

Chief Teaching Practice Coordinator

4 X

Teacher Trainer 4 X

Teacher mentor 4 X

Pre-service teacher 80 X

Total 92

Data collection•Questionnaire with 12 questions including some with likert scale rating•Individual interviews with structured questions including some with likert scale rating•Interview schedules•Ethical considerations adhered

Thank You For Listening.