Dissertation
Restoring effectively: a phenomenological examination of the relationship between restorative discipline and teacher retention
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), Drexel University
Jun 2023
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00001761
Abstract
The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the effects of restorative discipline on teacher morale and retention at high-poverty, public, secondary schools. Restorative discipline is a new and increasingly popular approach to student behavior management that emphasizes positive relationships, repairing harm, and proactively promoting positive behavior. The effects of restorative practices for students have been increasingly explored, and largely positive results for students have been demonstrated, however the impact of this approach on teachers remain widely unknown. Three overarching research questions guided this phenomenological study: 1. How do teachers in high-poverty, public, secondary schools describe the impact that the shift towards restorative discipline practices has had on their willingness to remain in the teaching profession? 2. How do teachers in high-poverty, public, secondary schools describe the extent to which school-wide restorative discipline implemented strategies have impacted their teaching and classroom management practices? 3. How have the climate and culture at high-poverty, public, secondary public schools that implement restorative discipline influenced overall teacher retention? Data was collected from six transcribed semi-structured interviews, documents provided by participants, and publicly available content from participants' schools. Four main themes were established as a result of the data analysis process and are as follows: 1) "It's Changed A Lot," 2) "That Process Requires A Lot More," 3) "I've Seen That Teachers Are Getting Frustrated," and 4) "It Compounds, It Adds To The Stress". The findings of this study help shed light on how school systems and administrators may effectively implement restorative discipline practices in a way that positively affects teachers. Furthermore, the study adds to the body of literature surrounding restorative discipline and provides insight regarding when, where, and how certain restorative practices can be most effectively used. The pragmatic and social constructivist conceptual framework that informed this study addresses the widespread shift to restorative practices in recent years, the causes and effects of teacher turnover, and the impact of restorative practices on various stakeholders.
Metrics
64 File views/ downloads
96 Record Views
Details
- Title
- Restoring effectively
- Creators
- Ryan J. Higgins
- Contributors
- Stephanie Smith Budhai (Advisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Number of pages
- xii, 179 pages
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- School of Education (1997-2026); Drexel University
- Other Identifier
- 991021212214904721