Teacher Morale

Author:

Brion, Sarah Anne

Graduate Program:

Educational Leadership

Degree:

Doctor of Education

Document Type:

Dissertation

Date of Defense:

February 19, 2015

Committee Members:

Roger C Shouse, Dissertation Advisor/Co-Advisor
Roger C Shouse, Committee Chair/Co-Chair
William Hartman, Committee Chair/Co-Chair
Nona Ann Prestine, Committee Member
Edgar Paul Yoder, Committee Member

Keywords:

teacher morale
education
measurement

Abstract:

Employers and researchers alike have spent many years trying to understand the factors which underlie morale, and researchers have done little to narrow the divide in understanding. Conflicting terminology is problematic, as terms such a motivation and job satisfaction have been used interchangeably with the term morale in many cases. Additionally, numerous measurement tools have been created to measure teacher morale. Getzels and Guba (1957) suggest that morale is affected by three tensions: belongingness (role expectations vs. personal needs), identification (organizational goals vs. personal needs), and rationality (role expectations vs. organizational goals). Some available instruments measure the term holistically with questions aimed at determining at what level respondents view their morale, while others evaluate individual factors. However, established tools fail to provide data regarding those tensions directly, thereby providing an incomplete picture to school administrators hoping to examine and improve teacher morale The quantitative, non-experimental, cross-sectional study examined the conflicting terminology associated with term teacher morale as well as the contradictory results of prior morale research. The Teacher Morale Survey was designed and piloted to a small group of educators believed to be experiencing low morale. Two research questions were investigated: 1. What components are being measured by the Teacher Morale Survey? 2. How reliable is the instrument in measuring the components? Factor analysis procedures indicated that the Teacher Morale Survey does measure three components of morale, belongingness, identification, and rationality. Additionally, Cronbach’s Alpha demonstrated overall reliability for the instrument. With further testing, the Teacher Morale Survey may prove a useful tool for administrators.