Variables related to teacher attrition among selected reservation and off-reservation schools of Montana by Robert Edgar McLean, Jr A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF EDUCATION Montana State University © Copyright by Robert Edgar McLean, Jr (1981) Abstract: This study sought to identify and compare selected demographic, attitudinal and personality characteristics of reservation and off-reservation teachers of Montana who were "stayers" or "leavers" during the 1978-1979 school year. This study involved a review of the literature related to teacher attrition, the development of a survey instrument to measure teacher attitudes toward their teaching positions, the administration of a standardized instrument for measuring personality characteristics of teachers, the grouping of teachers employed in the participating reservation and off-reservation schools as stayers and leavers, and finally, the analysis of the data collected by the use of chi-square tests of independence, analysis of variance (two-way), and multiple regression analysis procedures. The major findings of the study were that no significant differences were found in the personality characteristics of "stayers" and "leavers”; no significant differences were found in the personality characteristics of reservation and off-reservation teachers; and significant were differences found in some of the selected demographic characteristics and teacher attitudes of "stayers" and "leavers" as follows: (1) the level of teaching certificate possessed by Reservation and Off-reservation teachers; (2) the responses of Reservation and Off-reservation teachers to the item "supervision of instruction in my school was important to the principal and teachers"; (3) the responses of Reservation and Off-reservation teachers to the item "the opportunities for advancement in my school were adequate for me"; (4) the responses of Reservation teachers to the item "the teachers of my school openly communicated with the principal"; (5) the responses of Reservation and Off-reservation teachers to the item "the principal of my school desired effective teaching"; (6) the responses of Reservation teachers to the item "the instructional program in my school stressed high academic standards for students"; (7) the responses of Reservation teachers to the item "I had a teaching assignment which was satisfactory"; (8) the responses of Reservation teachers to the item "I had a good working relationship with my building Principal"; (9) the responses of Reservation teachers to the item "in general the students in my school demonstrated self-control"; (10) the responses of Reservation teachers to the item "in general, the students in my school demonstrated satisfactory a.cademic achievement"; (11) the responses of Reservation teachers to the item "the School Board of Trustees recognizes teachers as professionals"; (12) group membership in either the "Stayers" or "Leavers" is effected by a teacher's age, total years of teaching experience, and years of experience in their present position. From the data analysis, findings, conclusions, and recommendations were offered.  ROBERT EDGAR McLEAN, JR . © 1981 All R ights R eserved VARIABLES RELATED TO TEACHER ATTRITION AMONG SELECTED RESERVATION AND OFF - RESERVATION SCHOOLS OF MONTANA by. ROBERT EDGAR MCLEAN, JR. A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree ■ of DOCTOR OF EDUCATION Approved: Cha^gman^ Examining!Committee Head, Mpjor Department Graduate Dean 'CL MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY Bozeman, Montana June, 1981 I ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS To the members of my graduate committee: Dr. John W. Kohl \ (chairman), Dr. Robert Thibeault,' Dr. Eric Strohmeyer, Dr. Richard Horswill, Dr. Ronald Lundquist, and Dr. Gordon McFeters, my graduate representative, I would like to express my appreciation and sincere thanks. In addition, I wish to thank Dr. Lawrence Ellerbruch, Dr. Albert Suvak, Dr. Robert Carey, Mr. Gar Amundson, Dr. Hal Hawley and Mr. Steve Colberg (State of . Montana, Office of Public Instruction), and the teachers and administrators of the Busby School, Lame Deer Public School, Labre Indian School, and the Broadus and Wibaux Public Schools for their cooperation and assistance without which this study could never have been accomplished. A special thanks to Dr. Rokne Copple, Eastern Montana College, who cared. Lastly, I wish to dedicate this study to a friend and former col­ league, Mrs. Andreen Werre., whose impact upon my life has been immense, to Ms. Katharine Keneady, a dear friend who shares a place in that .life, to my dear friends whose encouragement and support helped me surmount the many obstacles encountered along the way, and above all, to Diana and our children, who helped make it all possible. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page V I T A .................................. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................ iii LIST OF TABLES.................................... vii ABSTRACT.................................................... xvi Chapter I. INTRODUCTION I NORTHERN CHEYENNE RESERVATION ................ I STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM......... 4 NEED FOR THE STUDY.......... 5 GENERAL QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED.............. 9 GENERAL PROCEDURES............................ 10 Teaching Position Attitude Survey........ 11- Validity and Reliability of Teaching Position Attitude .Survey................ 11 Edwards Personal Preference Schedule . . . 14 Norming.................................. 14 Validity and Reliability of Edwards Personal Preference Schedule ............ 15 Demographic D a t a ........................ 16 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY...................... 17 DEFINITION OF TERMS.......................... 17 iv SUMMARY . 22 V Chapter Page . 2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE . . ............................. 23 DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS .................... 23 ; ■ PERSONALITY CHARACTERISTICS .................. 34 TEACHER ATTITUDES....................... 36 SUMMARY...................................... • 39 3. PROCEDURES........................................ 40. POPULATION DESCRIPTIONS ........................ 40 TYPES OF DATA COLLECTED........................ 41 Demographic Characteristics................ 41 Personality Characteristics................ 42 Teacher Attitudes. ...................... 44 . METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION................... 45 y STATISTICAL HYPOTHESES.................. .. . . 46 METHODS OF DATA ANALYSIS. . .......... . . : 50 PRECAUTIONS TAKEN FOR ACCURACY............'. . 52 SUMMARY......................................... 52 4. DATA ANALYSIS........................................ 54 INTRODUCTION. . ................................. 54 DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS. . ....................... 54 Demographic Statistics .................... 54 Personality Statistics..................... 69 Teacher Attitude Statistics................ 71 vi . INFERENTIAL STATISTICS......................■. 118 Chi-Square Tests of Independence ........ 118 Analysis of Variance .................... 199 Multiple Regression Analysis ............ 219 SUMMARY . . 1.................................. 231 5. SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENTATIONS.......... 234 SUMMARY................ 234 ■ CONCLUSIONS .................................. 238 RECOMMENDATIONS .............................. 257 LITERATURE CITED................................. 262 APPENDICES............................................ 266 A. Verbatum Teacher Comments - Reservation Schools . . ’ 266 B. Verbatum Teacher Comments - Off-Reservation S c h o o l s .................... 275 C. Teaching Position Attitudes Survey and Cover ' Letter.......................................... • . 280 D. Survey Evaluation F o r m ............................ 289 E . General Information Worksheet .............. . . . 292 F . Letters of Support, Follow-up, and Others ........ 295 Chapter Page I LIST OF TABLES Table . Page 1. Teacher Attrition In Montana From 1975 to 1979 ........ 6 2. Reservation and Off-Reservation Teachers Completing Edwards Personal Preference Schedule (EPPS) .......... 43 3. Number and Percentage of Stayers and Leavers Taking EPPS .......................... ......................' . 44 4. Number and Percentage of Teachers by School ........... 55 5. Number and Percentage of Teachers Who were "Stayers" and "Leavers............................................ 56 6. Number and Percentage of Teachers by .Sex............ . 57 7. Number and Percentage of Teachers According to Ethnic Membership.................. 58 8. Number and Percentage of Teachers According to Marital Status................................................ 59 - 9. Number and Percentage of Teachers According to Academic D e g r e e s .............................................. 60 10. Number and Percentage of Teachers According to Teaching Certificates . 1 ...................................... 61 11. Number and Percentage of Teachers According to Level of Teaching Certificate . . . ......................... 62 12. Number'and Percentage of Teachers According to Age . . . 63 13. Number and Percentage of Teachers According to Total Years of Teaching Experience.......................... 65 14. Number and Percentage of Teachers According to Years of Experience in Present School .................... 66 15. Number and Percentage of Teachers According to 1978- 1979 Salaries........................................ 68 vii viii 16. Means and Standard Deviations of EPPS Subtest Scores for Reservation and Off-Reservation Teachers.. . . . . . 70 17. Number and Percentage of TPAS1s Sent and Returned . . . 71 18. Frequency and Percentage of Responses to The- Amount of Supervision of Instruction in My School Was Adequate . 72 19. Frequency and Percentage of Responses to Supervision of Instruction in My School was Important to the Principal and Teachers............. ...................... .. 74 20. Frequency and Percentage of Responses to Supervision of Instruction in My School was Conducted on a Regular B a s i s ............................................ .. . 75 21. Frequency and Percentage of Responses to The Facilities at My School were Adequate for the Instructional Program Provided.............................................. 77 22. Frequency and Percentage of Responses to The Instruc­ tional Materials in My School were Adequate for the Instructional Program Provided ........................ 78 23. Frequency and Percentage of Responses to The Salary Schedule in My School was Adequate for M e ............. 80 24. Frequency and Percentage of Responses to The Oppor­ tunities for Advancement in My School were Adequate . . 81 25 . Frequency and Percentage of Responses to The Teachers Professional Organization was Strong in My School . . . 83 26. Frequency and Percentage of Responses to The Amount of Medical Insurance Provided by My School was Adequate . . 84 27. Frequency and Percentage of Responses to The Sick Leave Policy in My School was Satisfactory........... 85 28. Frequency and Percentage of Responses to The Teachers of My School Openly Communicated with the Principal . . 87 Table Page 29. Frequency and Percentage of Responses to The Principal of my School Demonstrated Professional Competencies......................................... 88 30. Frequency and Percentage of Responses to The Princi­ pal's Decision Making was Consistent : ................ 90 31. Frequency and Percentage of Responses to The Princi­ pal of my School was Dependable . ..................... 91 32. Frequency and Percentage of Responses to The Princi­ pal of my School Showed Respect for Teachers as Individuals................................ 93 33. Frequency and Percentage of Responses to The Principal of my School Desired Effective Teaching . . . 94 34. Frequency and Percentage of Responses to The Instructional Program in my School Stressed High Academic Standards .................................... 96 35. Frequency and Percentage of Responses to I had a Teaching Assignment Which was Satisfactory ............ 97 36. Frequency and Percentage of Responses to I had a Grade Level Assignment Which was Satisfactory ........ 99 37. Frequency and Percentage of Responses to I had a Heavy Teaching Load in Terms of the Number of Students I Taught ..................................... 100 38. Frequency and Percentage of Responses to I had a Good Working Relationship with my Building Principal . . 102 39. Frequency and Percentage of Responses to The Teaching Staff in my School was Helpful to Others . . . 103 40. Frequency and Percentage of Responses to In General, the Students in my School Demonstrated Self-Control . . 105 41. Frequency and Percentage of Responses to In General, the Students in my School Showed Respect for my Authority............................................ 106 ix Table Page X 42. Frequency and Percentage of Responses to In General, the Students in my School Demonstrated Satisfactory Academic Achievement .................................... 108 43. Frequency and Percentage of Responses to In General, ■ ■ the Students in my School had a Satisfactory Rate of Attendance . . ....................................... 109 44. Frequency and Percentage of Responses to The School Board of Trustees had Written Personnel Policies Which were Available to Teachers........'.................. Ill 45. Frequency and Percentage of Responses to The School Board of Trustees' Personnel Policies were Easily Understood.............................................. 112 46. Frequency and Percentage of Responses to The School Board of Trustees Recognized Teachers as Professionals . 114 47. Frequency and Percentage of Responses to The Community had Recreational Activities Available for Teacher Participation.............. '........................ 115 48. Frequency and Percentage of Responses to There were Opportunities for Making Extra Money in the Community . 117 49. Chirsquare Analyses for the Number of Teachers by Group and by S e x ............................... 120 50. Chi-square Analyses for the Number of Teachers by Group and Ethnic Membership............................ 122 51. Chi-square Analyses for the Number of Teachers by Group and Marital Status........................ 124 52. ' Chi-square Analyses for the Number of Teachers by Group and Degree........................................ 126 53. Chi-square Analyses for the Number of Teachers by Group and Class of Teaching Certificate . . . . ........ 128 Table Page ■xi Table ' Page 54. Chi-square Analyses for the Number of Teachers by Group and Level of Teaching Certificate.............. 130 55. Chi-square Analyses for the Responses to Supervision of Instruction in my School was Adequate.............. 133 56. Chi-square Analyses for the Responses to Supervision of Instruction in my School was Important to the , Principal and Teachers ................................ 135 57. Chi-square Analyses for the Responses to Supervision of Instruction in my School was'Conducted on a Regular B a s i s ................................................ 138 58. Chi-square Analyses for the Responses to The Facili­ ties at my School were Adequate for the Instructional Program Provided......................'.......... .. . 140 59. Chi-square Analyses for the Responses to The Instruc­ tional Materials in my School were Adequate for the Instructional Program Provided ........................ 142 60. Chi-square Analyses for the Responses to The Salary Schedule in my School was Adequate for M e ............. 144 61. Chi-square Analyses for the Responses to The Oppor­ tunities for Advancement in my School were Adequate for M e ........................................ 146 62. Chi-square Analyses for the Responses to The Teachers' Professional Organization was Strong in my School . . . 149 63. Chi-square Analyses for the Responses to The Amount of Medical Insurance Provided by my School was Adequate . . 151 64. Chi-square Analyses for the Responses to The Sick Leave Policy in my School was Adequate . . .......... 153 65. Chi-square Analyses for the Responses to The Teachers of my School openly Communicated with the Principal . . 155 66. Chi-square Analyses for the Responses to The Principal of my School Demonstrated Professional Competencies 158 Xii 67. Chi-square Analyses for the Responses to The Princi­ pal's Decision making was Consistent .................. 160 68. Chi-square Analyses for the Responses to The Principal of my School was Dependable....................... 162 69. Chi-square Analyses for the Responses to The Princi­ pal of my School Showed Respect for Teachers as Individuals . ............................................ 164 70. Chi-square Analyses for the Responses to The Principal of my School Desired Effective Teaching ................. 166 71. Chi-square Analyses for the Responses to The Instruc­ tional Program in my School Stressed High Academic Standards ..............................'............. 169 72. Chi-square Analyses for the Responses to I had a Teaching Assignment which was Satisfactory . . . . . . . 171 73. Chi-square Analyses for the Responses to I had a Grade Level Assignment which was Satisfactory ........ 173 .74. Chi-square Analyses for the Responses to I had a Heavy Teaching Load in Terms of the Number of Students I Taught ............................................... 175 75. Chi-square Analyses for the Responses to I had a Good Working Relationship with my Building Principal . . . . 177 76. Chi-square Analyses for the Responses to The Teaching Staff in my School was Helpful to Others............... 179 77. Chi-square Analyses for the Responses to In General, the Students in my School Demonstrated Self-Control .•. 181 78. Chi-square Analyses for the Responses to In General, the Students in my School Showed Respect for my Authority............................................ 183 79. Chi-square Analyses for the Responses to In General, the Students in my School Demonstrated Satisfactory Achievement.......................................... 185 Table Page xiii 80. Chi-square Analyses for the Responses to In General, the Students in my School had a Satisfactory Rate of . Attendance................. ......................... 188 81. Chi-square Analyses for the Responses to The School Board of Trustees had Written Personnel Policies which were Available- to Teachers................. 190 82. Chi-square Analyses for the Responses to The School Board of Trustees Personnel Policies were Easily. Understood.............................. 192 83. Chi-square Analyses for the Responses to The School Board of Trustees Recognized Teachers as Professionals . 194 84. Chi-square Analyses for the Responses to The Community had Recreational Activities Available for Teacher Participation.................................... 196. 85. Chi-square Analyses for the Responses to There were Opportunities for Making Extra Money in the Community . 198 86. Analysis of Variance of Salaries by Group and Residence........................................ 200 87. Analysis of Variance of Age by Group and Residence . . . 201 88. Analysis of Variance of Total Years of Teaching . Experience by Group and Residence ...................... 202 89. Analysis of Variance of Years of Experience in Present School by Group and Residence .......... . . . 203 90. Analysis of Variance of Achievement Scores by Group and Residence..................................... . 204 91. Analysis of Variance of Deference Scores by Group and Residence........................ ■........ : . . 205 92. Analysis of Variance of Order Scores by Group and Residence . . . ......................................... 206 Table Page xiv 93. Analysis of Variance of Exhibition Scores by Group and Residence....................................... 207 94. Analysis of Variance of Autonomy Scores by Group and Residence.............................. 208 95. Analysis of Variance of Affection Scores by Group and Residence.......................................... 209 96. Analysis of Variance of Intraception Scores by Group and Residence ........................................... 210 97. Analysis of Variance of Succorance Scores by Group and Residence..................... .•.............. . 211 98. Analysis of Variance of Dominance Scores by Group • and Residence ......................................... 212 99. Analysis of Variance of Abasement Scores by Group and Residence........................................ 213 100. Analysis of Variance.of Nurturance Scores by Group and Residence........................................ 214 101. Analysis of Variance of Change Scores by Group and Residence............................................ 215 102. Analysis of Variance of Endurance Scores by Group and Residence........................................ 216 103. Analysis of Variance of Heterosexnaltiy Scores by Group and Residence.................................. 217 104. Analysis of Variance of Aggression Scores by Group and Residence........................................ 218 105. Analysis of Variance of Consistency Scores by Group and Residence . .................. 219 106. Multiple Regression Analysis Dependent Variable (Stayers) by Independent Variables (Demographic) . . . . 221 Table Page xv Table „ Page 107. Multiple Regression Analysis Dependent Variable (Stayers) by Independent Variables (Teacher Attitudes) . 222 108. Multiple Regression Analysis Dependent Variable (Stayers) by Independent Variables (Personality S c o r e s ) ............ : ................... % ......... 224 109. Multiple Regression Analysis Dependent Variable (Stayers) by Independent Variables (Demographic, Teacher Attitudes) .................................... 225 HO. Multiple Regression Analysis Dependent Variable (Stayers) by Independent Variables (Demographic, Attitudinal, Personality........ '..................... 228 Y ABSTRACT This study sought to identify and compare selected demographic, attitudinal and personality characteristics of reservation and off- ' reservation teachers of Montana who were "stayers" or "leavers” during the 1978-1979 school year. This study involved a review of the literature related to teacher attrition, the development of a survey instrument to measure teacher attitudes toward their teaching positions, the administration of a standardized instrument for measuring personality characteristics of teachers, the grouping of teachers employed in the participating res­ ervation and off-reservation schools as stayers and leavers, and finally, the analysis of the data collected by the use of chi-square tests of independence, analysis of variance (two-way), and multiple regression analysis procedures. The major findings of the study were that no significant differ­ ences were found in the personality characteristics of^Fstayers" and "leavers”; no significant differences were found in the personality characteristics of reservation and off-reservation teachers; and sig­ nificant were differences found in some of the selected demographic characteristics and teacher attitudes of ’’stayers" and "leavers" as follows: (I) the level of teaching certificate possessed by Reser­ vation and Off-reservation teachers; (2) the responses of Reservation and Off-reservation teachers to the item "supervision of instruction in my school was important to the principal and teachers"; (3) the responses of Reservation and Off-reservation teachers to the.item Vthe opportunities for advancement in my school were adequate for me"; (4) the responses of Reservation teachers to the item "the teachers of my school openly communicated with the principal”; (5) the responses of Reservation and Off-reservation teachers to the item "the principal of my school desired effective teaching"; (6) the responses of Reserva­ tion teachers to the item "the instructional program in my school stressed high academic standards for students"; (7) the responses of Reservation teachers to the item "I had a teaching assignment which was satisfactory"; (8) the responses of Reservation teachers to the item "I had a good working relationship with my building Principal"; (9) the responses of Reservation teachers to the item "in general the students in my school demonstrated self-control"; (10) the responses of Reservation teachers to the item "in general, the students in my school demonstrated satisfactory a.cademic achievement"; (11) the re­ sponses of Reservation teachers to the item "the School Board of Trustees recognizes teachers as professionals"; (12) group membership in either the "Stayers" or "Leavers” is effected by a teacher's age, total years of teaching experience, and years of experience in their present position. From the data analysis, findings, conclusions, and recommen­ dations were offered. Chapter I INTRODUCTION NORTHERN CHEYENNE RESERVATION The Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation consists of 444,157 acres of land located in a partially mountainous region of south­ eastern Montana, and is the home of the Northern Cheyenne TriBe of Indians. Approximately 2,800 of the 3,500 Tribal members live on or near the reservation, and the remaining 700 live off the reservation. Since the establishment of the Northern Cheyenne Reservation, it has been isolated from contact with non-indians. It was not until 1955 that a paved, highway was built across the reservation linking the reservation center of Lame Deer to the nearest railroad and bus sta­ tion, 60 miles away. Such isolation has been, and continues to be an influencing factor in the economic, social, and educational develop­ ment on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation. The Northern Cheyenne Tribe, working in conjunction with other governmental and private organizations, has made significant progress in the areas of health care and facilities, family housing, employment opportunities, natural resources development and management, and edu­ cational programs. A significant improvement of recent,years has been, in the area of increased employment opportunities. However, the Bu­ reau of Indian Affairs (1975) still estimates the unemployment rate to be 41 percent of the potential work force. Since much of the available 2 work is seasonal, the rate of unemployment in the off season reaches an alarming 77 percent of the total work force. The major employers on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation are the St. Labre Mission, the Labre Indian School in Ashland, Montana, the Lame Deer Public School in Lame Deer, Montana, the Busby School in Busyby, Montana, the feder­ al government agencies consisting of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Indian Health Service, the tribal government, and the many federal projects supported by federal grant monies. The reservation housing has also improved in recent years due primarily to the Northern Cheyenne Tribe's Judgement Fund Program which resulted from the award of $3.9 million dollars in the settle­ ment of a claim against.the federal government. Under the Judgement Fund Program, $1,000 was made available to each enrolled tribal member for the purpose of improving family living conditions. As a result much of this "plan" money was used for housing and housing improve­ ments. Since the time of the Judgement Fund Program, the Northern Cheyenne Tribe has participated in various housing programs sponsored by the federal government resulting in the addition of over 300 hous­ ing units. To provide educational opportunities for the elementary and secondary level students on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation, there are three schools. The Labre Indian School, located in Ashland, Mon­ tana provides both elementary and secondary education as does the 3 Busby School in Busby, Montana. The third school is the lame Deer Public School in Lame Deer, Montana, which provides education from kindergarten through eighth grade. In addition to the regular elementary and secondary school pro­ gram, there are other educational programs operating on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation, such as the Northern Cheyenne Follow-Through Project and the Headstart Project, both of which are funded by federal grant monies and managed by the Northern Cheyenne Tribe. The value of education for Indian reservation Children must be judged in terms of its appropriateness and effectiveness in meeting the particular and unique needs and problems of reservation members. The school boards, administrators, teachers, students, and parents in­ volved in the operation of reservation schools are confronted with many problems, one of which is the excessive rate of teacher attrition among the teachers employed in reservation schools. It would appear that the rate of teacher attrition on the Northern Cheyenne Reser­ vation would be detrimental to the proper planning, implementation, and coordination of educational programs and activities designed to serve the needs of reservation students. Previous studies of teacher attrition have focused upon the rela­ tionships of teacher and school characteristics to the teacher attri­ tion in schools which have not been located on Indian reservations. The variables examined in those studies have generally been demographic 4 in nature, such as teacher's age, sex, years of teaching experience, school size, location, type, and wealth. Such studies have assisted the school boards and administrators of off"-reservation schools in determining which teachers are likely to leave or stay employed in teaching positions in those schools. The intent of this study was to identify and compare selected personality, demographic, and attitudinal variables of teachers who stayed employed (stayers) or left teacher positions (leavers) in se­ lected reservation and off-reservation public schools of eastern Mon­ tana. The purpose of this study was to assist, the schools on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation of Montana in reducing the rate of teacher attrition by determining which teachers are likely to stay employed and which are likely to leave their teaching positions. STATEMENT OE THE PROBLEM The problem of this study consisted of seven objectives which sought to: 1. Identify selected personality, demographic and attitudinal variables of teachers employed in the schools operating on the North­ ern Cheyenne Reservation during the 1978-1979 school year. 2. Identify selected personality, demographic, and attitudinal variables of teachers employed in rural off-reservation schools oper­ ating in eastern Montana during the 1978-79 school year. 5 3. Compare selected personality, demographic, and attitudinal variables of the teachers employed in the on-reservation schools with the selected personality, demographic, and attitudinal variables of the teachers employed in the off-reservation schools. 4. Compare the selected personality, demographic, and attitudi­ nal variables of the teachers who leave employment with those of the teachers who stay employed in the reservation schools for the 1979-80 school year. 5. Compare the selected personality, demographic, and attitudi­ nal variables of the teachers who leave and who stay employed in the reservation schools with the selected personality, demographic, and attitudinal variables of the teachers who leave employment in and who stay employed in the off-reservation schools. , 6. Determine if there is a difference between teachers that ac­ cept teaching assignments on rural reservations and those who accept positions in other rural communities. 7. Develop a model for predicting stayers and leavers to assist the schools of the Northern Cheyenne Reservation of Montana in reduc­ ing the rate of teacher attrition. NEED FOR THE STUDY During the 1968-1969 school year, nearly 25 percent, or over 19,000 public schools in the United States had turnover rates greater 6 than 30 percent, according to Metz and Fleischman (1974). By way of comparison, Montana's public school's teacher attrition rates for the past four.school years were, according to the State of Montana, Office of Public Instruction (1979) as follows: (Table I) Table I Teacher Attrition in Montana _______ from 1973-1979 School Year Percent Attrition 1975-1976 20.8% 1976-1977 23.4% 1977-1978 25.3% 1978-1979 23.6% Thirty-six point eight percent of the public schools of Montana, or 290 of 788 reporting schools, had teacher attrition rates of 30 percent or greater during the 1978-1979 school year (OPI, 1979). Among the schools operating on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation, the teacher attrition rate for the 1977-1978 school year was 75 percent, nearly three times greater than the 25.3 percent attrition for the state of Montana as a whole during the same period (OPI, 1979). All of these reservation schools experienced attrition rates which ex­ ceeded 30 percent. Of the 94 teachers employed in the schools oper­ ating on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation, 24 teachers stayed and 70 left at the end of the 1977-1978 school year. The high attrition,rate of teachers in the state of Montana and on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation presents a serious problem. The 7 seriousness of the problem is rioted in the "Standards for Accredita­ tion of Montana Schools" (1976), which stated: "Excessive teacher turnover and the lack qf administrative continuity may indicate deficiencies in school morale and will be considered in the accreditation process (Section 192.12)." In addition to the assumed impact of excessive teacher attrition upon school morale and administrative continuity, it would appear that such instability in the teaching population could be disruptive to the educational processes of the affected schools, increase the concern of parents, school board members, and administrators for the quality of education, and force educators to attend to the causes of excessive teacher attrition (Harnischfeger, 1975). The need for attending to the problem of excessive teacher attrition would appear to be best supported by examining some of the potential effects of excessive at­ trition upon schools as organizations. Schmuck and Miles (1971) found some of the effects of attrition upon schools to be: 1. To require more time to integrate new teachers into the formal organization and informal primary groups. 2. To decrease the amount of committment to the school because of the expectation by teachers, of continued high attrition rates. 3. To decrease the development of informal communications among a teaching staff. 4. To increase the likelihood of unplanned change occuring. 5. To decrease the amount of trust among the teaching staff in a school. 8 6. To increase the amount of power based upon a formal position rather than upon competence. 7. To prevent the institutionalization of innovations. 8. To deny the schools affected of a seasoned and mature workforce. 9. To prevent the adherence to a policy of promotion from within. In addition, the monetary costs of attrition can also be quite expensive. Jeswalk (1974) found the cost of staff attrition to range from $195 to $3,300 per separation depending upon the type of organi­ zation involved. He computed costs for each category per seperation as follows (Jeswald, 1974): 1. Fringe benefits: $50 to $100 per separation. 2. Under-utilization of facilities and equipment: $25 to $50 per separation. 3. Administrative: $20 to $50 per separation. 4. Recruitment of employees: $50 to $3,000 per separation. 5. Inservice training: $50 per separation. If these figures are used to compute the monetary costs of teach­ er attrition on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation, the minimum cost would be $13,650 and the maximum cost could be $231,000. An average of these two figures would be $122,325, which would seem to be more realistic as the total cost of teacher attrition on the Northern Chey­ enne Reservation. The average cost of teacher attrition for the three schools operating on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation is roughly 9 $40,775 (122,325 f 3). A reduction in the rate of teacher attrition by 50 percent could result in a savings to each of the schools of ap­ proximately $20,387. QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED This study attempted to answer the following questions: 1. What are the selected personality characteristics of the teachers employed in the schools operating on the Northern Cheyenne Reservations? 2. What are the selected demographic characteristics of the teachers employed in the schools operating on the Northern Cheyenne. Reservation? 3. What are the,attitudes toward employment of the teachers em­ ployed in the schools operating on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation? 4. What are the selected personality characteristics of the teachers employed in the off-reservation schools operating in eastern Montana? 5. What are the selected demographic characteristics of the teachers employed in the off-reservation schools operating in eastern Montana? 6. What are the attitudes toward employment of the teachers em­ ployed in the off-reservation schools operating in eastern Montana? 7. Are there significant differences in selected personality, demographic, and attitudinal characteristics of the teachers who were employed in the reservation schools as compared to the teachers who were employed in the off-reservation school? 8. Are there significant differences in the personality, demo­ graphic, and attitudinal characteristics of the teachers who stayed employed in the reservation schools as compared to the personality, demographic, and attitudinal characteristics of the teachers who left employment in the reservation schools? 9. Are there significant differences in the personality, demo­ graphic, and attitudinal characteristics of the teachers who stayed employed in or left their teaching positions in reservation schools compared to the personality, demographic, and attitudinal characteris­ tics of the teachers who stayed employed in or who left their teaching positions in the selected off-reservation schools of eastern Montana? 10. Are there personality, demographic and attitudinal character­ istics of teachers which are of use in predicting which teachers are most likely to stay employed in or leave their teaching positions in the schools operating on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation of Montana? ' GENERAL PROCEDURES The general procedures followed in the course of conducting this study involved a review of the literature concerning teacher attrition 10 11 and the relationship of teacher attrition to personality, demographic, and attitudinal characteristics. The review helped the investigator in the identification of the variables to be studied and provided the basis for the development of the Teaching Position Attitude Survey (see appendix A). Teaching Position Attitude Survey This survey instrument was developed to enable the investigator to measure the attitudes of the teachers in this study toward their teaching positions. The instrument contains items which are catego­ rized under the following headings or areas: 1. Supervision of Instruction 2. Working Conditions 3. School Administration 4. Instructional Program 5. Personal Assignment and Responsibilities 6. Inter-personal Relationships 7. Student Characteristics 8. School Board of Trustees - 9. Community Conditions Validity and Reliability of the Teaching Position Attitude Survey The content validity and the test-retest reliability of the Teaching Position Attitude Survey was established by conducting a re­ view of the instrument by a panel of experts and a pilot study. The content validity of the instrument was established through a review of the instrument by a group of experts selected from the Mon­ tana State University, Bozeman, Montana, College of Education Faculty 12 and practicing school administrators from the schools participating in the study. The group of experts were as follows: 1. Dr. John W. Kohl, Acting Dean College of Education Montana State University 2. Dr. Robert Thibeault, Professor Educational Administration . Department of Educational Services Montana State University ■ 3. Dr. Earl Ringo, Dean College of Education Montana State University 4. Dr. Gerald Sullivan, Professor Educational Administration Department of Elementary Education Montana State University 5. Dr. Asad Ali Kohn, Superintendent of Schools Busby School Busby, Montana 6. Mr. Ray Streeter, Superintendent of Schools Labre Indian School Ashland, Montana 7. Mr. C. L. Robinette, Superintendent of Schools Lame Deer Public School Lame Deer, Montana 8. Mr. James Henman, Elementary Principal Lame Deer Public School Lame Deer, Montana 9. Mrs. Pat McRae, High School Principal Labre Indian School Ashland, Montana 10. Mr. Lyman Morin, Elementary Principal Labre Indian School Ashland, Montana 13 11. Ms. Clarice Baker, Elementary Principal Busby School Busby, Montana 12. Dr. Richard Horswill, Professor Counseling Department of Educational Services Montana State University 13.. Dr. Willard Anderson, Superintendent of Schools Hardin Public Schools Hardin, Montana The reviewers made valuable suggestions concerning the wording of items and the format of the survey instrument. These suggestions were used to make necessary revisions of the instrument prior to conducting the pilot study. After the establishment of the content validity of the Teaching Position Attitude Survey instrument, a pilot- study was conducted to determine the test-retest reliability of the items contained in the instrument. The pilot study involved a random sample of thirty teach­ ers employed in the Hardin, Montana, Public School System. The in­ strument was administered by mail to the teachers on two occasions, with an interval of four weeks between the first and second occasions. As a result of the pilot study, forty-one items were eliminated from the original instrument and thirty-one items were retained. All of the items retained had reliability coefficients of .70 or greater. Following the necessary revisions, the Teaching Position Attitude Survey was administered by mail to all of the tachers employed in the participating schools. 14 Following the review of the literature and the pilot study, the investigator held meetings with school boards, administrators, and teachers at the participating schools for the purpose of obtaining ap­ proval for the conduct of the study and to solicit volunteer partici­ pation from the 173 teachers to take the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule. Edwards Personal Preference Schedule During the months of March, April, and May, 1979, the investi­ gator administered the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule to the volunteer teachers in each of the participating schools. The Edwards Personal Preference Schedule (EPPS) is a standardized instrument for assessing fifteen personality characteristics. These fifteen person­ ality variables are measured by 225 forced-choice items which are re­ sponded to by the person taking the schedule. The EPPS can be given in large groups or individually in about fifty minutes (Edwards, 1959) Worming. In norming the EPPS, two samples were used. One•sample consisted of 749 women and 769 men college students who were enrolled in day or evening liberal arts classes and the second sample was com­ posed of 4031 males and 4932 females who were heads of households (Edwards, 1959). In the second sample, the adult sample, the sample was drawn from a nation-wide sample of household heads who were mem­ bers of a consumer purchasing panel used for market surveys (Edwards, 15 1959).' According to Edwards (1959), the sample involved urban and rur ral areas of 1181 counties in 58 states in 1957. Validity and Reliability. The reliability of the EPPS was estab­ lished by using split-half and test-retest procedures to determine coefficients of internal consistency and coefficients of stability (Edwards, 1959). The coefficients of internal consistency were ob­ tained by correlating the row and column scores for each of the fif­ teen variables for the 1509 subjects used in the college sample by using the Spearman-Brown formula (Edwards, 1959). The stability coef­ ficients' were based upon the results obtained by the 89 students of the University of Washington who took the EPPS using the test-retest procedure with a one week interval (Edwards, 1959). The coefficients of internal consistency ranged from .61 to .87 and the stability coef­ ficients ranged from .74 to .88 (Edwards, 1959). The validity of the EPPS was determined by correlating the EPPS with the Guilford-Martin Personnel Inventory and the Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale (Edwards, 1959). Two of the EPPS variables, Succorance and Endurance, correlated significantly at the .05 level with the Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale, .22 and -.22 respectively (Edwards, 1959). The EPPS also correlated significantly with the Guilford- Martin Personnel Inventory Scales of Cooperativeness, Agreeableness, and Objectivity at the .05 level of significance (Edwards, 1959). On the Guilford-Martin Personnel Inventory, the EPPS variables of ) Deference (r=.21), Autonomy (r=.29), Endurance (r=.24), and Aggression (r=-.37) correlated with the scale for Cooperativeness (Edwards, 1959) . On the Agreeableness Scale of the Guilford-Martin Personnel Inventory, the EPPS variables of Deference (r=.33), Order (r=.21), Autonomy (r=-.36), Affiliation (r=.24), Succorance (r=-.20), Dominance (r=.26), Abasement (r=.33), Nurturance (r=.28), Endurance (r=.23), Heterosexu­ ality (r=-.. 22) , and Aggression (r=- .51) correlated significantly at the .05 level of significance. However, only two of the EPPS varia­ bles, Endurance and Succorance, correlated significantly at the .05 level with the Guilford-Martin Personnel Inventory Objectivity Scale (Edwards, 1959). The correlation coefficients for the two EPPS varia­ bles were -.39 and .31 respectively. Demographic Data The investigator then collected the demographic data for each teacher from the participating schools. This served to verify the demographic data reported on the TPAS and enabled the collection of the demographic data which was missing. The teachers in each of the participating schools were then grouped as to whether they were stayers or leavers as of August 31, 1979. The data was then statistically analyzed. Based upon the find­ ings and conclusions, recommendations have been made for the purpose 16 17 of controlling and predicting teacher attrition, as well as for future research. LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY The following were the identified limitations of the study: 1. The study was limited to the teachers employed in the schools operating on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation and in the off-reserva- tion schools at Broadus and Wibaux, Montana, during the 1978-1979 school year. 2. Only those teachers who consented (volunteered) were admin­ istered the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule. DEFINITION OF TERMS To aid the reader, a list of terms and their definitions as they are used in this study is presented as follows: Teacher Attrition. The loss of a salaried faculty for reasons other than leave, retirement, illness or death (Anderson and Larson, 1975). Teacher. A person employed in an official capacity to guide and direct the learning of students in an educational institution (Easton, 1971:3), and possessing a valid State of Montana Teaching Certificate. 18 Demographic Characteristics. Teacher variables. of age, sex, length of service, experience, amount of training, type of teaching certificate, marital status, salary, and ethnic group membership. Teaching Position Attitude Survey.r An instrument developed by the investigator for the purpose of determining the attitudes of teachers toward employment in a given teaching position. Edwards Personal Preference Schedule (EPPS). An instrument de­ signed by Allen L. Edwards for assessing individual personality char­ acteristics. The instrument purports to measure fifteen personality characteristics. Each of these variables is defined by Edwards (1959: 11) as follows: 1. Achievement. "To do one's best, to be successful, to accom­ plish tasks requiring skill and effort, to be recognized authority, to accomplish something of great significance, to do a job well, to solve difficult problems, to be able to do things better than others." 2. Deference. "To get suggestions from others, to find out what others think, to follow instructions and do what is expected, to praise others, to tell others that they have done a good job, to ac­ cept the leadership of others, to read about great men, to conform to custom and avoid the unconventional, to let others make decisions." 3. Order. "To have written work near and organized, to make plans before starting on a difficult task, to have things organized, to keep things neat and orderly, to make advance plans, when taking, a 19 trip, to organize details of work, to keep letters and files according to some system, to have things arranged to that they run smoothly without change." 4. Exhibition. "To say witty and clever things, to tell amusing jokes and stories, to talk about personal adventures and experiences, to have others notice and comment upon one's appearance, to say things just to see what effect they will have on others, to talk about per­ sonal achievements, to be the center of attention,. to use words that others do not know the meaning of, to ask questions others cannot an­ swer." 5. Autonomy. "To be able to come and go as desired, to say what one thinks about things, to be independent of others in making deci­ sions, to feel free to do what one wants, to do things that are uncon­ ventional, to avoid situations where one is expected to conform, to do things without regard to what others may think, to criticize those in positions of authority, to avoid responsibilities and obligations." 6. Affiliation. "To be loyal to friends, to participate in friendly groups, to do things for friends, to form new friendships, to make as many friends as possible, to share things with friends, to do things with friends rather than alone, to form strong attachments, to write letters to friends." 7. Intraception. "To analyze one's motives and feelings, to ob­ serve others, to understand how others feel about problems, to put 20 one's self in another's place, to judge people by why they do things rather than by what they do, to analyze- the behavior of others, to analyze the motives of others, to predict how others will act." 8. Succorance. "To have others provide help when in trouble, to seek encouragement from others, to have others he kind, to have others be sympathetic and understanding about personal problems, to receive a great deal of affection from others, to have others do favors cheerfully, to be helped by others when depressed, to have others feel sorry when one is sick, to have a fuss made over one when hurt." 9. Dominance. "To argue for one's point of view, to be a leader in groups to which one belongs, to be regarded by others as a leader, to make group decisions, to settle arguments and disputes between others, to persuade and influence others to do what one wants, to supervise and direct the actions of others, .to tell others how to do their jobs." 10. Abasement. "To feel guilty when one does something wrong, to accept blame when things do not go right, to feel that personal pain and misery suffered does more good than harm, to feel the need for punishment for wrong doing, to feel better when giving in and avoiding a fight than when having one's own way, to feel the need for confes­ sion of errors, to feel depressed by inability to handle situations, ■21 to feel timid in the presence of superiors, to feel inferior to others in most respects." 11. Nurturance. "To help friends when they are in trouble, to assist others less fortunate, to treat others with kindness and sym­ pathy, to forgive others, to do small favors for others, to be gener­ ous with others, to sympathize with others who are hurt or sick, to show a great deal of affection toward others, to have others confide in one about personal problems." 12. Change. "To do new and different things, to travel, to meet new people, to experience novelty and change in daily routine, to ex­ periment and try new things, to eat in new and different places, to try new and different jobs, to move about the country and live in dif­ ferent places, to participate in new fads and fashions." 13. Endurance. "To keep at a job until it is done, to complete any job undertaken, to work hard at a task, to keep at a puzzle or problem until it is solved, to work at a single job before taking on others, to stay up late working in order to get a job done, to put in long hours of work without distraction, to stick at a problem even though it may seem as if no progress is being made, to avoid being in­ terrupted while at work." 14. Heterosexuality. "To go out with members of the opposite sex to engage in social activities with the opposite sex, to be in love with someone of the opposite sex,.to kiss those of the opposite sex, 22 to be regarded as physically attractive by those of the opposite sex, to participate in discussions about sex, to read books and plays in­ volving sex, to listen to or to tell jokes involving sex, to become sexually excited." 15. Aggression. "To attack contrary points of view, or to tell others what one thinks about them, to criticize others publicly, to get revenge for insults, to become angry, to blame others when things go wrong, to read newspaper accounts of violence." SUMMARY This chapter presented an introduction to teacher attrition and the potential effects of excessive teacher attrition upon schools as organizations. The investigator viewed this study as an effort to identify variables related to teacher attrition in schools operating on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation of Montana. The focuses of this study were selected personality, demographic, and attitudinal varia­ bles of teachers related to reservation teacher attrition. The need for the study, questions to be .answered, general proce­ dures, limitations, and definition of terms were also presented in this chapter. Chapter 2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE This chapter provides a review of the literature concerning the demographic, personality, and attitudinal characteristics of teachers as they relate to the phenomonen of teacher attrition. For the pur­ pose of this study, teacher attrition is defined as the loss of sala­ ried faculty for reasons other than leave, retirement, illness and/or death (Anderson and Larson, 1975). This chapter contains three sections, each addressing the lit­ erature reviewed by the investigator pertaining to a specific type of characteristic. The first section presents a review of the literature on selected demographic characteristics of teachers which may be re­ lated to teacher attrition. The second section addresses the litera­ ture concerning the relationship of selected personality characteris­ tics of teachers to teacher attrition. The literature on the apparent relationship of teacher attitudes to teacher attrition is reviewed in the third section. DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS The demographic characteristics of teachers are the independent variables which seek to describe a relationship with the dependent variable which seek to describe a relationship with the dependent variable of teacher attrition (Price, 1977). The literature reviewed 24 in this first section is related to the following demographic varia- ' hies of teachers: 1. The age and sex of teachers. 2. The amount of teaching experience and the length of service in a school system. 3. The amount of teacher training and the type of teaching certificate a teacher holds. 4. A teacher's marital status and ethnic group membership. 5. A teacher's salary. Age and Sex The age and sex of a teacher have been linked to teacher attri­ tion. Generally, it appears that younger teachers between the ages of twenty-five and thirty-four, and older teachers in the fifty-four to sixty-five year old age range have a greater rate of attrition than those teachers between the ages of thirty-five and fifty-four. In re­ ference to the relationship of age to the problem of teacher attrition, a nation-wide survey of 3,032 teachers was conducted by the Research Division of the National Education Association on the subject of teacher mobility for the period of time from 1965 to 1967 (1968). This study indicated a teacher's age was a significant (P < .01) char­ acteristic in determining the teachers who remained employed in the same school and in the same school system as compared to the teachers in the same system who had transferred to a different school within the system (NEA, 1968). The teachers who transferred were younger, between the ages of twenty-five and thirty-four, than the teachers who 25 remained employed in the same school and the same school system who were in the thirty-five to fifty-four year old range (NEA, 1968). This survey also found the variable of age to be a significant charac­ teristic (P < .05) of the teachers from the same system and the. same school or from the same system but a different school when these teachers were compared with the teachers who went to a different sys­ tem within the state, a different state, or who were no longer em­ ployed in the teaching profession (NEA, 1968). The results of the survey indicate that of the group of teachers no longer in the teach­ ing profession, most of them Were between the ages of twenty-five and thirty-four years of age (NEA, 1968). This finding agrees with the findings of Harnischfeger's (1973) study of 772 elementary teachers in which age was found to be a strong factor in the mobility of young teachers and in the rate of separation of older teachers between the ages of fifty-four and sixty-five. In another study conducted by Harnischfeger (1975), of thirty-six elementary schools during the period from 1969 to 1972, a teacher's age, it was concluded, was. re­ lated to every type of teacher mobility. The relationship of teacher age to teacher survival has also been addressed by Charters (1970) in the "Oregon Study!1 conducted during the 1960's. In this study, a teacher's age.at the time of employment was found to effect the teacher's chances of survival in the system. Each additional year of age at which a female teacher is initially X 26 employed up to age fifty-five increased the probability of her sur­ vival (Charters, 1970). The lowest probablity (P < .05) of survival for female teachers was when initial teaching employment o.ccured be­ tween the ages of twenty-five and thirty-four and after the age of fifty-five (Charters, 1970). However, in the case of male teachers, the lowest probability (P < .05) of survival occurred when initial teaching employment occurred during the .forty-five to forty-nine year age range (Charters, 1970). The differences noted in the "Oregon Study" between the rates of survival of male and female teachers according to age introduced what Charters (1970) experessed as an interaction effect between the var­ iables of age and sex in relation to the rate of teacher survival. The sex of the teacher in other studies of teacher attrition has been generally examined by itself rather than in conjunction with other variables. Those studies have found the sex of the teacher to be an important variable related to teacher attrition. In a study conducted by Knox (1968), the hypothesis was that there would be no significant differences in the proportions of per­ sisting (stayers) and non-persisting (leavers) teachers when they were grouped according to the sex of the teacher. Instead, Knox (1968) found a significant difference at less than the .05 level of confi­ dence (X2=4.68) with 36 percent of the men classified as non­ persisting and 24 percent of the women classified as non-persisting Tl during the period from 1957 through 1962.' Thus, the proportion of persisting teachers (stayers) was higher among women (Knox, 1968). In contrast with the findings by Knox (1968) were the findings of the previously mentioned study conducted by the National Education Associ­ ation's Research Division on the subject of teacher mobility from 1965 to 1967, which found a difference in the distributions of teachers leaving the profession and those remaining in the same schools when they were compared on the variable of sex, with fewer men leaving edu­ cation than women (NEA, 1968). This study also found that relatively more men moved to another school than women when compared to the teachers leaving the profession (NEA, 1968). Harnischfeger, in her study of 36 elementary schools in Califor­ nia, also found a significant difference (P < .05 between men and women teachers who remained employed, with men remaining longer than women (1975). This finding is supported by Charters' (1970) finding that male teachers survived longer than female teachers. However, Charters notes that both sexes have a generally high rate for leaving • school districts (1970). Charters (1970) also found a difference be­ tween the survival rates of female elementary and secondary teachers with female elementary teachers tending to survive longer than female . secondary teachers. However, there was little difference found be­ tween the survival rates of elementary and secondary male teachers (Charters, 1970). 28 From these studies, it appears that the age and the sex of teach­ ers is related to teacher attrition and may work in concert with other variables such as experience and length of service in predicting teacher attrition. Experience and Length of Service The relationship of the total amount of teaching experience and the length of teaching service in the same school or school system to teacher attrition is that the more experience a teacher has, and the greater the length of service, the lower the rate of teacher attri­ tion. A comparison of the distributions of teachers staying in the same schools with teachers who left the profession during the period from 1965 to 1967 revealed that teachers with one to four years of teaching experience were more likely to leave the profession than those with eleven or more years of teaching experience (NEA, 1968). In this same study, teachers moving to another school within the same state differed in years of teaching experience from those leaving the profession. Relatively more teachers with from one to four years of teaching experience moved to another state (NBA, 1968) . Harnischfeger (1973) found the number of years of teaching exper­ ience for those teachers who stayed in the schools she studied to be different at the five to six years of experience level with propor­ tionally more staying at the seven to eight year level. Also noted 29 was a steady decrease in the separation rates of teachers with in­ creased years of experience (Harnischfeger, 1973). When the years of teaching experience were compared with teacher transfer rates, Harnischfeger found an increase in the transfer rates of teachers up to the sixth year of experience and a decrease in the transfer rates for teachers having from seven to eleven years of teaching experience or more (1973). However, Charters (1970) found the years of teaching experience showed no consistent relationship to teacher survival for males or fe­ males. Charters' (1970) finding is supported in a later study by Har­ nischfeger (1975) in which she found the amount of teaching experience had little effect on any kind of teacher mobility, independent of a teacher's age and length of service in the school or system. The relationship of the number of years of service as a teacher3 in a school system to the rate of teacher attrition in that system indicates that the greater the number of years of service, the less likely a teacher will leave the system. The National Education Asso­ ciation's Reserach Divisions study of teacher mobility revealed a sig­ nificant difference (P < .01) between the distributions of teachers staying in the same schools and the distributions- of teachers leaving the profession, with more teachers leaving, the profession who had one to four years, of service in the system and less leaving the profession who had eleven or more years of service in the system (1968). This 30 finding also held when teachers moving to another school were compared with groups of teachers leaving the profession (NEA, 1968) . - However, Harnischfeger (1973) found there were no systematic dif­ ferences in the patterns of teacher separation and transfer up to nineteen years of service in a school system. She later found the length of service to have had an effect upon the rate of teacher transfer in a study of 36 elementary schools in the state of Cali­ fornia (Harnischfeger, 1975). Amount of Teacher Training and the Type of Teaching Certificate The amount of training a. teacher has is usually expressed in terms of the number of credit hours, degrees acquired, or the type of degree which the teacher has obtained. The relationship of the amount of training possessed by a teacher to teacher attrition was examined by Knox (1968) in a study of teacher turnover among teachers of the mentally retarded in Minnesota from 1957 through 1962. He hypothe­ sized that there would be no significant differences between the pro­ portions of persisting (stayers) and non-persisting (leavers) relative to the amount of training the teachers had acquired (Knox, 1968). In­ deed, the amount of training possessed by a teacher was not a signifi­ cant factor in the turnover of the teachers involved in the study (Knox, 1968). However, Harnischfeger (1973), in a study of teacher turnover in two Californa school districts, found that teachers who had a Masters 31 Degree were more mobile than those with Bachelors Degrees especially in the category of separation. This finding held after accounting for the age, sex, professional growth, and teaching experience of the teachers involved in the study (Harnischfeger, 1973). Contradicting 1 —/ ■ r this finding was the finding of another study of teacher turnover in 36 elementary schools in California conducted by (Harnischfeger) in 1975. In this study, the degree which a teacher possessed was found to have only weak effects upon the rate of teacher mobility and trans­ fer among these schools (Harnischfeger, 1975). Closely related to the amount of training a teacher possesses is the type of teaching certificate which, the teacher possesses, since the amount of training often dictates the type of certificate a teacher is eligible to obtain. As an example, to be eligible for a Class 2 (standard) teaching certificate in the State of Montana, an applicant must have completed a bachelor's degree (OSPI, 1975). The type of teaching certificate held by potentially mobile mid­ dle school teachers in New York City, New York was examined by Casti- glione (1968). His study showed that forty-six percent of the teach­ ers identified as being potentially mobile had regular junior high school licenses and wished to be transferred to a high school, while another eighteen percent of the teachers who had' substitute junior high school licenses wished to be transferred to a high school (Ca'sti- glione, 1968). In another study conducted at about the same time, the 32 proportion of persisting teachers was higher for the teachers who had full certification than for those teachers with provisional•certifica­ tion or no certification (Knox, 1968). Marital Status and Ethnic Group Membership Only two of the studies reviewed have examined the relationships of marital status and ethnic group membership to teacher attrition. In the first study, the distributions of teachers staying in the same schools were compared to the distributions of teachers leaving the profession from 1965 to 1967 (NEA, 1968). There were significant dif­ ferences in the distributions (P < .01), with fewer single teachers found leaving the profession. However, when the distributions of teachers moving to another school were compared with those of the teachers who left the profession, significantly more (P < .01) were single teachers in the group leaving the profession (NEA, 1968). In the second study, Harnischfeger examined the relationship of a teacher's ethnic group membership to teacher turnover, separation, and transfer (1973). Her findings were that ethnic group membership had no significant relationship with teacher turnover, separation, or transfer (Harnischfeger, 1973). Ironically, she later found that non­ minority teachers tend to have a higher rate of transfer than minority group teachers (Harnischfeger, 1975). 33 J Salary A teacher's salary refers to the amount of money less fringe benefits received by a teacher from a school system in return for the teacher's services. However, its relationship to the problem of teacher attrition is complicated by the fact that salary appears to be less intrinsically rewarding to professionals (Price, 1977). This is not to say that a teacher's salary is not related to teacher attrition, but that between a teacher's salary and the relationship to teacher attrition, there is an intervening variable of satisfaction (Price, 1977). A desire for a higher salary accounted for 22.1 percent of the reasons given by teachers transferring to another school during the period from 1965 to 1967 (NBA, 1968). This finding was significant (P < .01) when compared with the distributions of teachers who remained employed in the same school (NBA, 1968). The distribution of the teachers staying in the same schools differed from the distribution of the teachers leaving the profession in that fewer teachers left the profession who Were receiving $8,000 or more in salary (NBA, 1968). Since a teacher's salary, in many instances, is based upon the teach­ er's position on a salary schedule, which depends upon the teacher's years of teaching experience and length of service in a school system, it appears that teacher attrition could be related to a teacher's salary (Harnischfeger, 1973). In fact, Harnischfeger (1973) found a difference in the separation rates of teachers according to position 34 on a salary schedule, with higher separation rates appearing among those teachers having baccalaureate degrees and no additional credits on the salary schedule. PERSONALITY CHARACTERISTICS If personality refers to the distinctive patterns of behavior which characterizes an individual's adaptation to situations (Mischel, 1971), then personality characteristics of the individual could deter­ mine whether a person will leave a job (Barton and Cattell, 1972) or stay. One could also assume that teacher attrition is determined by the personality characteristics of a teacher and their adaptation to a specific situation. However, the investigator has not been able to secure information concerning this relationship to teacher attrition. Two studies related to this area were found (Barton and Cattell, 1972 and Maudal, et al, 1974). In the first study by Barton and Cattell (1972), personality characteristics were studied in an attempt to determine their usefulness as predictors of job turnover. The study involved 309 high school seniors who were tested in 1965 and again in 1970 using the Cattell Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (Barton and Cattell, 1972). The purpose of this study was to examine selective personality factors associated with job promotion, turnover, and personality changes related to job promotion and turnover, (Barton and Cattell, 1972). The results of the study indicated that a low 35 score on Factors M, 0 and of the 16 PF was indicative of low rates of turnover and that high scores on Factors' Q and also predicted low rates of. turnover (Barton and Cattell, 1972). The changed job group scored significantly higher (P < .01) than the same job group on the following characteristics (Barton and Cattell, 1972). 1. Factor C (Ego Strength) 2. Factor M (Imagination) 3. Factor 0 (Guilt Proneness) (P < .05) 4. Factor (Ergic Tension) Conversely, the same job group scored significantly higher (P < .01) on the Self-Sentiment Factor (Qg) and the Independence Factor (Ŝ ) than the job changing group (Barton and Cattell, 1972). The second related study by Maudal, et a l (1974) measured the relationship of selected personality factors to the rate of student attrition among 706 freshman students of a liberal arts college during the period of 1969 to 1971. The results of this study indicated th'at selected personality characteristics, as measured by the Personality Research Form and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, do well in predicting group membership, especially in the case of the students-who-transfer group (Maudal, et al, 1974). Of the 37 person­ ality variables examined the following were significant in their rela­ tionship to college attrition: (Maudal, et al, 1974) 1. MMPI Introversion (-.44) 2. MMPI Schizophrenia (.33) 3. MMPI Ego Control (.25) 4. PRF Need of Succorance (.26) 36 5. PRF Need for Change (.25) 6. PRF Impulsivity (.24) In addition, Maudal, et al, (1974) notes that personality characteris­ tics are stronger predictors of transfers than are academic variables. TEACHER ATTITUDES The attitudes of a teacher are predispositions for responding to social objects, which in interaction with other situational and dis­ positional variables, serve to guide and direct the behavior of the teacher in reference to a social object (Cardno, 1955). Thus, if the attitudes of a teacher toward a given object or class of objects are known, they can be used in conjunction with other situational and dis­ positional variables to predict and explain the reactions of the teacher toward that social object (Shaw and Wright, 1967). According to Shaw and Wright (1967), these reactions are evaluative reactions which describe the teacher's belief in the preferability or non- preferability of the characteristics of the referent social object, and are usually stated in terms of satisfaction/dissatisfaction, like or dislike, good or bad, agree or disagree. In this instance, the social objects are reservation schools each having numerous character­ istics. The characteristics of schools which have been found to have a relationship with the rate of teacher attrition can be categorized as: (Orlich, 1968) 37 1. Administrative and supervisory practices 2. Community conditions and relationships 3. Economic factors 4. Pupil characteristics 5. Working conditions In addition to these areas we can add the areas identified by Nelson and Thompson (1963) which include the above and: 1. Adequacy of school facilities 2. School Boards 3. Assignment and responsibilities 4. Faculty relationships 5. Instructional program Within each of the above ten areas there are numerous school characteristics which can be sources of potential teacher satisfaction and dissatisfaction. Orlich (1968) found, in his study of teacher turnover in the state of Idaho, ten characteristics which were influ­ ential in the decision of 363 male teachers to resign their teaching positions during 1966 and 1967. These factors were: (Orlich, 1968) 1. Dissatisfaction with salaries. 2. Dissatisfaction with the future outlook for improvement in working conditions. 3. Unsatisfactory financial support of the school by the community. 4. More satisfactory salaries in other states. 5. Unsatisfactory opportunity for advancement. 6. Dissatisfaction with the relationship of salary to merit. 7. Unsatisfactory teaching aids, materials and equipment. 8. Unsatisfactory financial future in teaching. 9. Dissatisfaction with the present (need of change). 10. Unsatisfactory time allocation for planning, preparing and evaluating educational activities. 38 In addition to these factors, female teachers who resigned during the same period, 1966-67, indicated the following additional reasons for resigning: (Orlich, 1968) 1. The movement of spouses or family. 2. Unsatisfactory amount of time for relief from pupil contact during the day. 3. Actual or pending marriage. 4. Unsatisfactory support of teachers' decisions by adminis­ trators. k Letchworth (1972), in another study of teacher turnover involving 513 first year teachers who taught in Bureau of Indian Affairs schools in New Mexico and South Dakota during the 1969-70 school year, found the attitudes of teachers, stayers and leavers, toward supervisory staff became more pessimistic as the year went by. He also found that the teachers who perceived themselves as being properly trained for their position were more likely to stay (Letchworth, 1972). Surpris­ ingly, Letchworth found no significant differences between the atti­ tudes of stayers and leavers toward working conditions, social and cultural differences, recruitment procedures, and orientation programs (1972). Thus it would appear that there are teacher attitudes toward different school characteristics which may be related to the problem of teacher attrition, and which may be situationally or disposi- tionally geographically specific. 39 SUMMARY This chapter provided a review of the literature related to teacher attrition. The literature in this review was divided into three sections which were: 1. Demographic Characteristics 2. Personality Characteristics 3. Teacher Attitudes In the section related to demographic characteristics, the review of literature addressed the relationships of the following variables to teacher attrition: 1. Age and sex. 2. The amount of teaching experience and the length of service in a school.. 3. The amount of teacher training and the type of teaching certificate. 4. Marital status and ethnic group membership. 5. Teacher's salary. The second and third sections of this chapter examined some of the literature which discussed selected teacher personality character­ istics and attitudes toward school characteristics as they relate to teacher attrition. Chapter 3 PROCEDURES The intent of this study was to identify and compare se­ lected personality, demographic, and attitudinal variables of teachers who stayed-employed (Stayers) and those who left teaching positions (Leavers) in schools operating on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation with those variables of teachers who stayed employed in or left teach­ ing positions in off-reservation public schools operating in eastern Montana. Further, an attempt was made to develop a model to deter­ mine which teachers would be most likely to stay employed in their teaching positions. This chapter is organized as follows: 1. A description of the populations studied. 2. The data collected in. the study. 3. The methods of data collection. 4. The hypotheses to be tested. 5. The methods of data analysis. 6. Precautions taken for accuracy. POPULATION DESCRIPTION The population of this study consisted of all of the teachers em­ ployed in the schools operating on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation (Reservation schools) and in the Broadus and Wibaux, Montana public schools (Off-Reservation schools), during the 1978 - 1979 school year. Of the total number of teachers (N=173) one hundred and four were 41 employed in the reservation schools and sixty-nine were employed in the off-reservation schools. TYPES OF DATA COLLECTED The following data was collected during this study: 1. The demographic characteristics of the teachers employed in the participating reservation and off-reservation schools. 2. The personality characteristics of the teachers employed in the participating reservation and off-reservation schools, as measured by the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule (EPPS). 3. The attitudes of the teachers employed in the participating reservation and off-reservation schools toward their teaching posi­ tions, as measured by the Teaching Position Attitude Survey developed by this investigator. 4. Information from the participating schools as to which teach­ ers were stayers or leavers as of August 31, 1979. Demographic Characteristics The demographic characteristics obtained for each of the 173 teachers employed in the participating schools consisted of: 1. Age and sex. 2. The number of years of teaching experience and the length of teaching service in the school where employed during 1978 - 1979 school year. The amount of training, as indicated by the degree possessed and the type and level of Montana teaching certificate. 3. 42 4. The marital status of each teacher. 5. The ethnic group membership of each teacher. 6. The amount of salary each teacher received for the 1978 - 1979 school year. The demographic data was obtained from the participating teachers and the records of each of the participating schools, by the investigator or an employee of the school. Personality Characteristics The personality characteristics of each of the volunteering teachers in the participating schools were derived from the Edward Personal Preference Schedule, developed by Allen L. Edwards as an in­ strument for research and counseling purposes to provide a fast and convenient measure of relatively independent normal personality vari­ ables (Edwards, 1959). The variables and the statements which purport to measure the variables are derived from H. A. Murray's List of Mani­ fest Needs (Edwards, 1959). The Edwards Personal Preference Schedule (EPPS) is a normed forced-choice instrument purporting to measure the following fifteen personality variables (Edwards, 1959): I. Achievement (ach) 2. Deference (def) 3. Order (ord) 4. Exhibition (exh) 5. Autonomy (aut) 6. Intraception (int) 7. Affiliation (aff) 8. Succorance (sue) 9. Dominance (dom) 43 10. Abasement (aba) 11. Nurturance (nur) 12. Change (chg) 13. Endurance (end) 14. Heterosexuality (het) 15. Aggression (agg) Table 2 indicates, the number of teachers from the reservation and off-reservation schools who participated in this phase of the study. Table 2 Reservation and Off-Reservation Teachers Completing EPPS Teachers Number Percentage Reservation 57 63.3 Off-Reservation 33 36.7 TOTAL 90 100% Of the 173 teachers in the study, 90 or 52 percent volunteered to 1 take the Edwards personal .Preference Schedule (EPPS). Fifty-seven or 63.3 percent of those teachers taking the EPPS were reservation teach­ ers and thirty-three, 36.7 percent, were off-reservation teachers. Table 3 indicates the number and the percentage of teachers who took the EPPS according to whether they were stayers or leavers. 44 Table .3 Number and Percentage of Stayers and Leavers Taking EPPS Group Number Percentage Stayers 70 77.8 Leavers 20 22.2 TOTAL 90 100% Seventy of the 90 teachers taking the EPPS or 77.8 percent were stayers, and twenty or 22.2 percent, were leavers. Teacher Attitudes The attitudes obtained for the teachers in each of the reserve- - tion and off-reservation schools toward their teaching positions were measured by the Teaching Position Attitude Survey. This instrument contains 31 items grouped as follows: 1. Supervision of Instruction 2. Working Conditions 3. School Administration 4. Instructional Program 5. Personal Assignment and Responsibilities 6. Interpersonal Relationships 7. Student Characteristics 8. School Board of Trustees 9. Community Conditions I 45 METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION The data for this study was collected in the following manner: 1. During the 1978 - 1979 school year the investigator held meetings with the teachers, administrators, and school boards of trus­ tees of the selected schools to explain the proposed study. 2. Next, the investigator established dates for the adminis­ tration of the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule (EPPS) to the volunteer teachers in the participating schools through consultation with the building principals of each of the schools. 3. The EPPS was then administered by the investigator to participating teachers in each school, as scheduled. The EPPS administrations were conducted in group settings and utilized IBM 1230 response sheets to enable machine scoring via computer. The response sheets were coded by the investigator to provide for the identifi­ cation of each respondent for follow-up purposes, and to insure confi­ dentiality. The coding was established from master lists of teachers provided the investigator by the schools participating in the study. 4. The realiability and validity of the Teaching Position Atti­ tude Survey (TPAS) was then established by a review by a panel of ex­ perts consisting of people with expertise in educational administra­ tion, the school administrators in each of the participating schools, and psychologists with expertise in attitude surveys. A pilot study 46 involving a sample (N=30) of teachers from the Hardin Public Schools in Hardin, Montana was conducted following the establishment of the validity of the TPAS, to establish the reliability of the TPAS, using a test-retest procedure. 5. The Teaching Position Attitude Survey was then administered by mail to all of the teachers in the participating schools, and the responses tabulated by the investigator. 6. The responses to the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule were then machine scored by computer using a computer program designed and run by Dr. Albert Suvak, Head of Testing and Counseling at Montana State University. 7. The teachers in the participating schools were identified as belonging to the group of teachers who were stayers or leavers as of August 31, 1979, from a review of school records, board of trustee1s minutes, contracts and other official documents. 8. Finally, the personality, demographic, and attitudinal data collected in the study was statistically analyzed in light of the fol­ lowing hypotheses. • STATISTICAL HYPOTHESES The following null hypotheses were examined and statistically analyzed according to the data collected in this study. Since the 47 direction was not known, each null hypothesis was tested at the .05 level of significance. Hypotheses one through fifteen were tested using a chi-square test of independence, and are as follows; Hypothesis I: Hq : Membership in the group of teachers who are stayers or leavers is independent of a teacher's sex. Hypothesis 2: Hq : Membership in the group of teachers who are stayers or leavers is independent of the class of teaching certificate possessed Hypothesis 3: Hq : Membership in the group of teachers who are stayers or leavers is independent of the level of teaching certificate possessed Hypothesis 4: Hq : Membership in the group of teachers who are stayers or leavers is independent of a teacher's marital status. Hypothesis 5: Hq : Membership in the group of teachers who are stayers or leavers is independent of the degree possessed. Hypothesis 6: Hq : Membership in the group of teachers who are stayers or leavers is independent of a teacher's ethnic group membership. 48 Hypothesis 7: Hq : For the demographic variable of age, the mean, age by group and residence will be equal and interaction will be zero. Hypothesis 8: Hq : For the demographic variable of salary,' the mean salary by group and residence will be equal and interaction will be zero. Hypothesis 9: Hq : For the variable of total years of teaching experience, the mean years of teaching experience by group and residence will be equal. Hypothesis 10: Hq : For the variable, years of experience in present teaching position, the mean years of experience in present teaching position by group and residence will be equal and interaction will be zero. Hypothesis 11: Hq : Membership in the group of teachers who are stayers or leavers is independent of teacher attitudes toward supervision of in­ struction. Hypothesis 12: Hq I Membership in the group of teachers who are stayers or leavers is independent of teacher attitudes toward working conditions. 49 Hq : Membership in the group of teachers who are stayers or leavers is independent of teacher attitudes toward a school adminis­ tration. Hypothesis 14: Hq : Membership in the group of teachers who are stayers or leavers is independent of a teacher’s attitudes toward their assign­ ment and responsibilites. Hypothesis 15: Hq : Membership in the group of teachers who are stayers or leavers is independent of teacher attitudes toward the instructional program. Hypothesis 16: Hq : Membership in the group of teachers who are stayers or leavers is independent of teacher attitudes toward interpersonal rela tionships. Hypothesis 17: Hq : Membership in the group of teachers who are stayers or leavers is independent of teacher attitudes toward student character­ istics. . Hypothesis 18: Hypothesis 13: Hq : Membership in the group of teachers who are stayers or 50 leavers is independent of teacher attitudes toward the school board of trustees. Hypothesis 19: Hq : Membership in the group of teachers who are stayers or leavers is independent of teacher attitudes toward community condi­ tions . Hypothesis 20: Hq : For each, of the sixteen personality variables examined, the mean scores by group and residence will be equal and interaction will be zero. Hypothesis 21: Hq : No relationship exists between membership in any of the demo- 2graphic attitudinal, and personality characteristics, R =0. METHODS OF DATA ANALYSIS' The data collected during this study was analyzed with the fol­ lowing statistical procedures: 1. The descriptive statistics for each of the variables and groups were generated. 2. A chi-square tests of independence was used by the investi­ gator to test hypothesis one through six and eleven through nineteen to determine whether the row and column variables were independent of each other (Ferguson, 1976). 51 3. A two-way analysis of variance procedure was also used to determine the row, column, and interaction effects of the independent personality and some demographic variables upon membership in the "groups of teachers classified as stayers or leavers in the reservation and off-reservation schools (Hypotheses 7-10 and 20). 4. A multiple regression analyses procedure was then utilized to test Hypotheses 21 to determine the weights for all of the varia­ bles examined and the maximum possible correlation between the inde­ pendent and dependent variables (Ferguson, 1976:453). N 52 PRECAUTIONS TAKEN FOR ACCURACY To minimize errors, each response sheet to the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule and Teaching Position Attitude Survey returned was checked by the investigator for descrepancies. In addition, the demographic data collected for each teacher was verified from school records by each school. The data collected was then placed on Fortran standard card forms by the investigator. The investigator then double checked all of the data on the Fortran Coding forms with the original data to ensure against errors in the transformation of the data to the Fortran Coding forms. The data on the Fortran Coding forms was then transferred to standard keypunch cards by the Computing Center at Montana State University. The keypunch cards were then verified by the Computing Center to ensure against errors in keypunching. The keypunched data was then transferred to computer printouts from the original data, under the supervision of Dr. Lawrence Ellerbruch. SUMMARY In conducting this study, meetings were held with teachers, administrators, and a school board of trustees. The Edwards Personal Preference Schedule was then administered by the investigator to all of the volunteer teachers, and a valid and reliable attitude survey was mailed to all of the teachers employed by the schools in this study. The data collected was then scored and verified prior to com­ puter data analyses. The statistical hypotheses were tested utilizing chi-square tests of two-factor analysis of variance, independence, and multiple regres- sion analyses with a .05 level of significance. Chapter 4 INTRODUCTION DATA ANALYSIS The problem of this study was to identify and compare selected personality, demographic, and attitudinal variables of teachers who remained employed (stayers) and who left employment (leavers) in res­ ervation and off-reservation schools during the 1978-1979 school year. This chapter contains: (I) descriptive statistics about the demographic, personality, and attitudinal characteristics of the popu­ lation studied, and (2) inferential statistics derived from chi-square tests of two-way analysis of variance, independence, and multiple re­ gression analyses procedures, and (3) a summary. DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS Demographic Characteristics The demographic characteristics of 173 teachers included in this study are presented in this section. Table 4 indicates the number and percentage of teachers included in this study by school. 55 Table 4 Number and Percentage of Teachers by School School Number Percentage Reservation Busby School 38 22.0 Lame Deer School 35 20.2 Labre School 31 17.9 Off-Reservation Wibaux Schools 24 13.9 Broadus Schools 45 26.0 Total 173 100.0% Of the 173 teachers indicated in table 4, 104 or 60.1 percent were Reservation teachers and 39.9 percent or 69 teachers were off- reservation teachers. The 173 teachers included in this study were grouped according to their membership in the group of teachers who remained employed for the 1979-1980 school year (stayers) and those that left their teaching positions at the end of the 1978-79 school year. Table 5 indicates the number and percentage of .the teachers in the study who were stayers and leavers. 56 Table 5 Number and Percentage of Teachers Who were Stayers and Leavers - Combined Reservation Schools Off-Reservation Group N % N % N % Stayers 124 71.7 71 68.3 53' 76.8 Leavers 49 28.3 33 31.7 16 23.2 Totals 173 100% 104 100% 69 100% As indicated in table 5, there were a total of 124 teachers who were classified as stayers (71.7%) and 49 (28.3%) teachers who were classified as leavers. Of the one hundred twenty-four teachers who were classified as stayers, 71 were reservation teachers repre­ senting 68.3 percent of the total number of reservation teachers. The other 53 teachers who were classified as stayers were off-reservation teachers, who accounted for 76.8 percent of the off-reservation teach­ ers in the study. Thirty-three (31.7%) of the 104 reservation teachers were classi­ fied as leavers, while 16 teachers (23.2%) were leavers from the off- reservation school. Table 6 indicates the number and percentage of the teachers in the study who were males or females. 57 Table 6 Number and Percentage by Sex of Teachers Combined Reservation Schools Off-Reservation Schools Sex N % ' N % ' N % Males 62 35.8 37 35.6 25 36.2 Females 111 64.2 67 64.4 44 63.8 Totals 173 100% 104 100% 69 100% One hundred and seventy-three teachers were included in this study and of these teachers, 62 (35.8%) were males and 111 (64.2%) were females. In the reservation schools, 37 or 35.6 percent of the reservation teachers were males and the remaining 67 teachers (64.4%) were females. The off-reservation schools had 25 males for 36.2 per­ cent of the off-reservation teachers and 44 females (63.8%). Table 7 presents the number and percentage of teachers according to their ethnic group membership. 58 Table 7 Number and Percentage of Teachers According to Ethnic Membership Reservation Off-Reservation Combined Schools Schools Membership N % N % N % Native American 6 3.5 6 COLO 0 0 Caucasion 164 94.8 95 91.3 69 100.0 Other 2 1.2 2 1.9 0 0 Unknown I . 6 __I 1.0 0 0 Totals 173 100% 104 100% 69 100% As is indicated in table. 7, there were six teachers in the study who were Native Americans (3.5%), and all six of the Native American teachers were employed in the reservation schools, accounting for 5.8 percent of the reservation teachers. One hundred and sixty four teachers (94.8%) were Caucasian. Ninety-five of the Caucasian teach­ ers were employed in the reservation school, representing 91.3 percent of the reservation teachers and the remaining sixty-nine were employed in the off-reservation schools. The off-reservation schools had a total of 69 teachers, all of whom were Caucasion. There were two teachers who were grouped under the heading of "other" which accounted for 1.2 percent of all of the teachers. The two teachers classified as "other" were employed in the reservation schools where they ac­ counted for 1.9 percent of the reservation teachers. Finally, one 59 teacher in the study did not indicate an ethnic membership. This teacher was a reservation teacher and accounted for one percent of the reservation teachers. Table 8 presents the number and percentage of teachers according to their marital status. Table 8 Number and Percentage of Teachers According to Marital Status Combined Reservation Schools Off-Reservation Schools N % N % . N % Married 108 62.4 56 53.8 52 75.4 Single 64 37.0 47 45.2 17 24.6 Unknown I . 6 I 1.0 _0 0 Totals 173 100% 104 100% 69 100% One hundred and eight of the teachers (62.4%) were married and sixty-four (37.0%) were single. The marital status of one teacher was unknown. Of the reservation teachers, 56 or 53.8 percent were married and 47 or 45.2 percent were single. The marital status of one reser­ vation teacher was not known. In the off-reservation schools, 52 of the 69 teachers (75.4%) were married, while 17 were single (24.6%). Table nine presents the number and percentage of the teachers according to their highest academic degree attained. 60 Table 9 Number and Percentage of Teachers According to Degrees " Combined Reservation Schools Off-Reservation Schools Degree N % N % N % Bachelor's 147 85.0 84 80.8 63 91.3 Master's 23 13.3 17 16.3 6 8.7 Doctorate I .6 I 1.0 0 0 Unknown 2 1.1 " 2 1.9 0 0 Totals 173 100