Abstract
Little research has directly examined the impact of changing academic standards on teacher efficacy and teacher retention, especially among South Carolina teachers who have experienced a series of changes of academic standards in recent years. Accordingly, this study surveyed teacher perceptions regarding the impact of academic standards changes on their efficacy and retention. Participants included 158 classroom teachers within one public school district in South Carolina. Teachers across the district reported using three different sets of academic standards, including the Old South Carolina State Standards, Common Core State Standards, the New South Carolina State Standards, and some using more than one set, indicating confusion as to which standards to use for the purposes of instruction. Although most teachers reported relatively high levels of teacher efficacy as well as high levels of understanding of academic standards, they desired additional support with classroom implementation. Descriptive statistics showed that teacher efficacy and retention varied within grade level taught, with middle school teachers reporting the lowest. The majority of teachers agreed at different levels that recent changes in standards had reduced their job satisfaction, and that they considered leaving teaching more, particularly when they were not supported or trained. Recommendations were provided.
Recommended Citation
Moon, Amanda; Zhang, Liyun; and Waller, Lisa D.
(2017)
"The impact of changing academic standards on teacher efficacy and retention: A survey on teachers' perceptions,"
Teacher Education Journal of South Carolina: Vol. 11:
No.
1, Article 13.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.coastal.edu/tejsc/vol11/iss1/13