Tested by Time, Honed by Experience: Teacher Retention in the Small Private Schools

https://doi.org/10.70228/CBJ2021017

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ABSTRACT

The primary purpose of this study is to identify the stories or the lived experiences of teachers who opted to stay in small private schools for a longer period of time. It hopes to shed light to their lived experiences in order to develop a strength-based sustainability plan that will help retain the teachers. The phenomenological approach used for this study is that of Moustakas (1994), employing the Stevick – Colaizzi – Keen Modification as a step-by-step process of collection and analysis. Six basic education teachers from NOPSSCEA schools who served as participants of this study were handpicked based on the set criteria using purposeful sampling. Data were gathered using semi-structured in-depth interview questions that were subjected to validity. It was recorded, transcribed, validated, and analyzed using Moustakas’s methods of analyzing lived experiences. The participants gave rich descriptions of the various aspects of their work-lives. The major findings of the study are on the seven areas encompassing the lived experiences of small private school teachers, namely on interpersonal relationships; on school leadership; on school community; on practicality and contentment; on faith to God; on life’s mission and purpose; and on having a positive outlook and demeanor. The final eidetic insight revealed that the teachers who were tested by time and honed by their lived experiences in small private schools were not afraid to answer their calling to teach young minds despite the challenges that they encountered in embracing their vocation. They believe that if they do their part in society, they change it for the better, one student at a time.

Keywords: teacher retention, school leadership, practicality, contentment, private schools