Volume 3 - Issue 1 - DBU Journal for K-12 Educational Research - Page 39

Journal of K-12 Educational Research 37 THE IMPACT OF LEADERSHIP BEHAVIORS ON TEACHER ENGAGEMENT Jennifer Wilson, Ed.D. Introduction Students’ chances of success increase when their education is guided by a strong, qualified teacher (Clotfelter, Ladd, & Vigdor, 2010; Darling-Hammond, 2000). When schools retain their teaching faculty, their knowledge and experience stays within the school organization (El Badaway & Baissouny, 2014). However, research shows teachers are leaving the field in large numbers. Both Gallup (2014) and Hoigaard, Giske, and Sundsli (2012) found 40-50% of new teachers leave within their first five years. When school organizations face high teacher turnover rates, school budgets and student achievement are impacted (El Badaway & Baissouny, 2014). School leaders need to find ways to retain their top-tier teachers. Recent research has shown a connection between engaged workers and multiple positive outcomes for organizations (Schaufeli & Salanova, 2007; Shuck & Wollard, 2010). Teacher engagement or the lack of engagement impacts schools in the areas of finance, job satisfaction, teacher retention, student performance, student engagement, and innovative practices (Alberta Teachers’ Association, 2013; Hastings & Agrawal, 2015, Klassen et al., 2012; Parker, Lim, & Ju, 2012). Although research shows the benefits of teacher engagement, Gallup’s 2015 study of teacher engagement shows an alarming percentage of teachers are disengaged. Only 30% of teachers could be categorized as engaged in their work, and 13% were actively disengaged and undermining the efforts of the school (Hastings & Agrawal, 2015). Multiple research studies have demonstrated a link between leadership and engagement (Christian, Garza, & Slaughter, 2011; Macey & Schneider, 2008; Shuck & Herd, 2012). While many leadership styles have been linked to employee engagement, the research does not identify which specific behaviors can impact teacher engagement (Shuck & Herd, 2012; Sokolov, 2017). School leaders would benefit from knowing how their specific actions positively or negatively impact teacher engagement. Literature Review Overview: Teacher Engagement Several research studies have investigated how the construct of teacher engagement might differ from employee engagement in corporate settings. Employee engagement is “an individual employee’s cognitive, emotional, and behavioral state directed toward desired organizational outcomes” (Shuck & Wollard, 2010, p. 103). While most careers require employees to invest physically and cognitively in their work, teaching also requires teachers to engage emotionally with their students (Choochom, 2016). Additionally, school settings require teachers to engage socially with both students and colleagues (Klassen, Yerdelen, & Durksen, 2013). When teachers are engaged, innovation increases, students perform better, and teachers stay at their schools (ATA, 2013). High levels of teacher engagement lead to positive effects for students and employees (Parker et al., 2012). Leadership and Engagement Effective leadership is consistently cited as a key driver of employee engagement (Cardus, 2013; Gallup, 2013; McShane & Von Glinow, 2015; Meyer, 2013; Wang & Hsieh, 2013). In fact, when employees leave, they are often leaving their leader and not the organization (Buckingham & Coffman, 2005). Researchers have worked to identify which leadership behaviors have a positive impact on employee engagement. A definitive list of drivers does not exist, but several leadership behaviors Journal of K-12 Educational Research 2019, VOL. 3, ISSUE 1 www.dbu.edu/doctoral/edd