Experiences of North American Teachers Working Overseas Who Broke Their Contracts Within One YearBroke Their Contracts Within One Year

Concordia University St Paul DigitalCommons@CSP CUP Ed.D Dissertations Concordia University Portland Graduate Research Spring 4-29-2017 Experiences of North American Teachers Working Overseas Who Broke Their Contracts Within One Year Stephanie L Kattera Concordia University - Portland, clark.stephanielynne@gmail.com Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.csp.edu/cup_commons_grad_edd Part of the Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons, and the Educational Leadership Commons Recommended Citation Kattera, S L (2017) Experiences of North American Teachers Working Overseas Who Broke Their Contracts Within One Year (Thesis, Concordia University, St Paul) Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.csp.edu/cup_commons_grad_edd/78 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Concordia University Portland Graduate Research at DigitalCommons@CSP It has been accepted for inclusion in CUP Ed.D Dissertations by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@CSP For more information, please contact digitalcommons@csp.edu Concordia University - Portland CU Commons Ed.D Dissertations Graduate Theses & Dissertations Spring 4-29-2017 Experiences of North American Teachers Working Overseas Who Broke Their Contracts Within One Year Stephanie L Kattera Concordia University - Portland Follow this and additional works at: https://commons.cu-portland.edu/edudissertations Part of the Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons, and the Educational Leadership Commons CU Commons Citation Kattera, Stephanie L., "Experiences of North American Teachers Working Overseas Who Broke Their Contracts Within One Year" (2017) Ed.D Dissertations 30 https://commons.cu-portland.edu/edudissertations/30 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Theses & Dissertations at CU Commons It has been accepted for inclusion in Ed.D Dissertations by an authorized administrator of CU Commons For more information, please contact libraryadmin@cu-portland.edu Concordia University–Portland College of Education Doctorate of Education Program WE, THE UNDERSIGNED MEMBERS OF THE DISSERTATION COMMITTEE CERTIFY THAT WE HAVE READ AND APPROVE THE DISSERTATION OF Stephanie Lynne Kattera CANDIDATE FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF EDUCATION Julie McCann, Ph.D., Faculty Chair Dissertation Committee Sally Evans, Ed.D., Content Specialist Trish Lichau, Ph.D., Content Reader ACCEPTED BY Joe Mannion, Ed.D Provost, Concordia University–Portland Sheryl Reinisch, Ed.D Dean, College of Education, Concordia University–Portland Jerry McGuire, Ph.D Director of Doctoral Studies, Concordia University–Portland Experiences of North American Teachers Working Overseas Who Broke Their Contracts Within One Year Stephanie Lynne Kattera Concordia University – Portland College of Education Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the College of Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in Educational Administration Julie McCann, Ph.D., Faculty Chair Dissertation Committee Sally Evans, Ed.D., Content Specialist Trish Lichau, Ph.D., Content Reader Portland, Oregon 2017 Abstract The purpose of this qualitative study was to gain insight into the experiences of North American teachers working in international schools and why they chose to leave within the first year The findings offer insights into the following questions: (1) How these teachers experience relationships with leadership and students? (2) What role, if any, did their recruitment and induction have on these teachers’ decision to leave? (3) What role, if any, did the culture of the host country play in these teachers’ decision to leave? The struggles experienced from these conditions led teachers to abruptly leave their contracted international positions The study took place in the Middle Eastern region and the population targeted were North Americans working in international schools within the Middle East For the purposes of this study the term North American referred to United States and Canadian citizens This qualitative study used a phenomenological design and allowed the researcher the opportunity to investigate and gather data through two open-ended interviews, which were recorded and transcribed Data analyses involved coding to identify themes related to the research questions The data collected during the interviews established five themes: lack of trust, power struggle, student behavior, lack of vision, and lack of communication the participants experienced while working at their international school The participants reflected on their individual experiences and shared that they were able to develop personally from their experience This phenomenological study had 10 participants, and their lived personal, professional, and cultural experience while teaching internationally could be beneficial to current and potential teachers and school leaders in international schools Keywords: lived experiences, school leadership, attrition, international schools, broken contract, power struggle, student behavior, trust, vision, communication, culture iii iv Dedication This dissertation is dedicated to all the teachers with adventure in their hearts who want to educate all children, with the belief that the spirit of teaching affects the soul of a child v Acknowledgments This dissertation would not have been possible without the support and guidance of family and friends To my chair, Dr Julie McCann: Thank you so much for your support, not only regarding the feedback and conversations regarding the dissertation but also the immense support you gave as I navigated several life-changing events and hurdles To my committee, Dr Sally Evans and Dr Trish Lichau: Thank you for your wonderful support as I progressed through this study Your support and belief in my ability helped greatly, and your contributions to and discussion regarding the content were valuable To my participants: Thank you for donating time from your busy careers, family, and personal schedules to help me achieve my dream of earning my doctorate To my friends Elizabeth, Kim, Michelle, and Reem: Thank you for taking the time to read, edit, and discuss my dissertation with me Your insights and guidance aided in the success of this dissertation To my teacher and friend, Erin: It was your music and kindness that led me to teach I thank you for touching my life so I can continue to touch the lives of the children I teach And finally, to my family: Thank you for your support during the past years as I was living and teaching overseas, earning a master’s and now a doctorate, while always feeling your love and unconditional support next to me even when we were separated by an ocean vi Table of Contents List of Tables .x List of Figures xi Chapter 1: Introduction Introduction to the Problem Research Questions Scope and Benefits to the Research Field Conceptual Framework for the Problem Purpose of the Study Nature of the Study Definition of Terms Assumptions, Delimitations, and Limitations Summary and Transition Chapter 2: Framework Guiding Review and Review of Literature Introduction Conceptual Framework 11 Review of Research Literature and Methodological Literature 14 Literature and the Research Questions 16 Review of Methodological Issues 25 Synthesis of Research Findings 27 Critique of Previous Research .28 Chapter Summary .29 Chapter 3: Methodology 31 Introduction 31 Research Questions 32 vii Purpose of the Study 32 Design of the Study 33 Research Population 34 Sampling Method 34 Instrumentation 35 Data Collection 36 Identification of Attributes 36 Data Analysis and Procedures .36 Limitations in the Research Design .37 Validation .38 Expected Findings 39 Ethical Issues in the Study 39 Conflict of Interest Statement 40 Researcher’s Position 41 Chapter Summary .41 Chapter 4: Data Analysis and Results .43 Introduction 43 Context 43 Participant Demographics 44 Participant Profiles .44 Themes 70 Summary of the Findings .81 Chapter 5: Discussion and Conclusion 83 Introduction 83 Summary of the Results .84 viii ... Graduate Theses & Dissertations Spring 4-29-2017 Experiences of North American Teachers Working Overseas Who Broke Their Contracts Within One Year Stephanie L Kattera Concordia University - Portland... of Education, Concordia University–Portland Jerry McGuire, Ph.D Director of Doctoral Studies, Concordia University–Portland Experiences of North American Teachers Working Overseas Who Broke Their. .. experience of North American teachers who broke their contracts with international schools after one year? The following sub-questions supported this central research question by: How these teachers