Background
The rate of teacher turnover in many schools within Ohio has remained high over the past years. According to Moore (2012), this high turnover rate is attributed to the low morale of teachers in this field, and other challenges that teachers face while undertaking their duties. The high turnover rate has negatively impacted the quality of learning for learners with disabilities. These learners require close attention from the teachers, but with the reducing population of teachers in most of these schools, it becomes difficult to give these learners personalized attention. This has affected the quality of education in most schools.
Significance of the study
In this study, the focus is to conduct an assessment of the high turnover rates of teachers in Ohio, and how this affects the quality of education in this state. The significance of this study is to offer a policy adviser to the relevant stakeholders in the education sector so that a solution to this problem can be found within the shortest time possible. This will help address this problem of poor quality education.
Theoretical and conceptual framework
In this study, it will be relevant to use some of the relevant theories in order to enhance an understanding of the topic. The research will use some of the motivational theories to explain why most teachers consider shifting to other professions and some of the stressors they state as their main reasons for doing this.
Appropriateness of the method and design selections
Qualitative research was considered appropriate because of its descriptive nature. This research design will allow the participants to describe their experience in their own words, and this will help in identifying the specific issues related to the research problem (Candy, 2004).
The general topic of the study
The general topic for the study is the teachers’ turnover rates in schools within Ohio and its impact on the quality of education.
The general problem
The general problem is to identify the impact of high turnover rates of teachers within Ohio that have affected the quality of education within this state. This study will investigate how the dwindling number of teachers in most of the schools in Ohio affects the style of learning.
The specific problem to study
The specific problem in this study is the need to identify the stressors that make Ohio teachers consider other professions. The research will also seek to identify how these stressors can be managed in order to reverse this negative trend.
Evidence that the problem actually exists
According to Golafshani (2003), there is a serious shortage of teachers within the state of Ohio. The effect of a limited number of teachers has heavily been felt in special schools such as the schools for the deaf and blind. This has affected the quality of education rendered to these learners. In his research, Tewksbury (2009) notes that there is a rising number of Ohio teachers who are moving to other jobs, such as banking, because they consider teaching as a stressful job.
The gap in the literature
The existing literatures have extensively discussed the problem of teachers’ shortage within Ohio and many other states within the United States of America. However, this literature has not adequately addressed the issue of teachers’ turnover rate within this state and some of the consequences associated with it.
Research questions
When conducting research, it is always important to come up with specific research questions that will be able to guide the process of collecting data. The following are some of the research questions that will be used in this study.
- Does a learning style have more influence on the performance of learners with learning disabilities than it does on normal learners?
- Is there any significant difference in the academic performance of various institutions due to their unique learning styles?
- What are the effective learning styles that influence the learning outcomes of students with learning disabilities?
How answering the research questions helps achieve the study purpose
Finding specific answers to the above questions will make it possible to understand if there is a direct relationship between the learning style and the performance of learners with disabilities. This will help in defining the relevance of having enough teachers within these institutions (Ronfeldt, Loeb & Wyckoff, 2013).
Central phenomena will be studied
The central phenomenon in this research is how the rate of teachers’ turnover affects the learning style. This way, it will be easy to determine how this learning style affects the quality of education for children with disabilities in Ohio.
How achieving the purpose helps solve the problem
By achieving the purpose of this research, it will be clear to understand the reasons why many teachers consider other professions, and how this trend can be changed to help address its negative impact on the quality of education among the disabled learners.
How this study addresses the challenges, extends theory, practice, methodology and the research results, or knowledge development
The research study will contribute heavily in understanding the challenges faced by teachers in Ohio that make them quit the profession. It will expand the knowledge on teacher engagement and enhance understanding of some of the theoretical models of motivation. From this study, it would be easy to understand how the increasing unpopularity of teaching as a profession is affecting the learners. This research will also propose methods that can be practiced to address this problem.
Method and design to be used to achieve the study purpose and address the studied problem
The design chosen in this study is qualitative research. This design is descriptive in nature and will enable the participants to give their independent views on the issues under investigation. This way, it will be easy to collect different perceptions of the specific issues in this research.
Scholarly sources that demonstrate the expertise of research method and design
According to Ronfeldt, Loeb, and Wyckoff (2013), it is important to identify scholarly sources that would support the study method used in the study. The research used scholarly journals of education, books published on the topic, and other relevant online sources. These sources provided insightful information for this study.
Appropriateness of the method given the problem and the purpose of the study
Given the fact that the purpose of this study was to investigate the reasons for the high turnover rates of teachers in Ohio and its impact on the quality of teachers, qualitative research was considered the most appropriate approach. It will enable the participants to understand the key issues in this research.
Searching the literatures to collect germinal and current data on the problem
According to the research by Ronfeldt, Loeb, and Wyckoff (2013), searching for the relevant literatures was very important in this study. In this study, the research considered it important to use the school library to gather germinal and current data on this topic to address the research problem. The library provided some of the books and journals needed for this research. Online sources also proved to be important in this study. Some of the recently published journals and books are readily available in online libraries.
The most germinal and recent research findings on the problem
Following intensive research on this topic using some of the recently published sources, it is clear that the teacher turnover has been high within Ohio over the recent past. This claim was confirmed by the primary data that was collected from the field. Most of the teachers cite lack of motivation, and poor remuneration as some of the major reasons why they consider other alternative jobs from teaching (Cassady, 2011).
How answering the research questions help achieve the study purpose
It is important to find answers to the research questions in order to be able to have relevant information about the research topic. The research questions seek to determine how the turnover rates of teachers affect the learning style that is currently used in these schools. From the response obtained, it would be easy to come up with policy measures that can be used to address the problem in order to enhance the quality of education in Ohio.
Population to be studied
This research targeted a population of 100 participants who were to be sampled through a stratified sampling method. There were three strata chosen for this study. The first stratum was that of headteachers. The research needed 20 headteachers from different schools. The second stratum included the school teachers. The research settled on 50 teachers. The third stratum had disabled students, where 30 learners were selected.
References
Candy, S. (2004). Learning styles: An overview of theories, models, and measures. Educational Psychology, 24(4), 420-444.
Cassady, J. (2011). Teachers’ Attitudes toward the Inclusion of Students with Autism and Emotional Behavioral Disorder. Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education, 2(7), 1-23.
Golafshani, N. (2003). Understanding Reliability and Validity in Qualitative Research. The Qualitative Report, 8(4), 597-607.
Moore, C. (2012). The Role of School Environment in Teacher Dissatisfaction among U.S. Public School Teachers. Sage Open, 1(1), 1-16.
Ronfeldt, M., Loeb, S., & Wyckoff, J. (2013). How Teacher Turnover Harms Student Achievement. American Educational Research Journal, 50(1), 4-36.
Tewksbury, R. (2009). Qualitative versus Quantitative Methods: Understanding Why Qualitative Methods are Superior for Criminology and Criminal Justice. Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Criminology, 1(1), 38-58.