Date of Award

Fall 2024

Language

English

Embargo Period

12-5-2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

College/School/Department

Department of Educational Policy and Leadership

First Advisor

Kristen Wilcox

Committee Members

Hal Lawson, Kathryn Schiller

Abstract

Utilizing interview data collected from six urban secondary special education teachers (SETs), this qualitative study explored why these individuals chose a teaching position in special education in urban secondary schools and why they remained in those positions despite the challenges inherent to that setting. From role and organizational theory, we know that retention is the result of a complex set of socialization factors that either support successful integration into the SET role or impede the individual’s efforts to achieve fit within the given organization. This study sought to understand how these six SETS experienced the socialization process and which factors within the process were most critical when making their decisions to stay. Research sought to identify: What best explained the relationship between anticipatory, professional, and organizational socialization and the urban secondary SET’s decision to stay in the field? Did these urban secondary SETs experience entry shock and if so, how did it influence their intent to stay or leave? What was the relationship between urban secondary SETs’ initial role learning and their respective role identities and preferences? And how did their identities and preferences shape their decision to stay? This study found that the socialization process was effective, but not strictly because of organizational efforts to address the SETs’ needs. The defining factor leading to retention was that each of these individual teachers possessed an innate sense of self-efficacy and agentic ability to utilize their organizational setting to achieve their stated goal of “making a difference.” The study found that most participants were a particular kind of late decider who had other careers and chose this profession purposively to fulfill their personal mission. The successful integration and the achievement of person-organizational fit by these SETs was due primarily to their own ability to strategically use their skills from prior work experiences to build the collegial support structures that addressed their informational and practice needs. SETs viewed their special education career as a means for carrying out their life calling and not as a routine job. The teaching role became part of their identity, unifying their personal and professional sense of self. Rather than being role takers that complied strictly with organizational role expectations, they were active agents in role making and the shaping of the SET position to achieve their personal professional goals. Each of the participants possessed high levels of motivation and the agency with which to act autonomously in achieving fit within the organizational structure—despite a less than ideal induction process. This study provides insight into the role that autonomy plays in the socialization process and the degree to which the socialization process can facilitate or impede the SET’s utilization of that autonomy to achieve a person-organizational fit. Building off concepts presented by Lawson and Claiborne (2005) around retention planning, a framework for understanding person-organizational fit as a function of the socialization process is presented. These findings indicate that a one-size-fits-all induction program to facilitate role learning and fit within an organization may be ineffective. Induction activities to support the achievement of role and organizational centrality (i.e., integration into the role and organization) should be targeted to the individual’s strengths and needs.

License

This work is licensed under the University at Albany Standard Author Agreement.

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