MOVING MOUNTAINS: A CASE STUDY OF TEACHER ENTRY AND RETENTION IN THE REMOTE HIGHLANDS OF UPPER SVANETI, GEORGIA

Abstract

Mountain ecosystems and mountain residents play a critical role in environmental sustainability, in both mountainous regions and in the lowland communities that are reliant upon their resources. However, mountainous regions experience significant social, economic, and environmental challenges, and mountain residents frequently experience marginalization due to the increased poverty and decreased resources and opportunities common in these communities, as well as their physical distance and isolation from urban centers of economic and political power. Among these challenges is the provision of quality education in mountainous areas, including difficulties recruiting and retaining effective and qualified teachers. Thus, this qualitative case study explores the challenges teachers face in mountainous regions and the factors that impact teacher entry and retention from the perspectives of educators living and working in communities throughout the historical-geographic high mountainous region of Upper Svaneti, Georgia. This study was informed by teacher recruitment and retention theories, geographical perspectives and spatial theories, the sociological concepts of Critical Rural Theory and urbanormativity, and social-ecological conceptualizations of mountain communities. It employed semi-structured interviews and focus groups with 14 teachers and school leaders representing six communities and schools throughout Upper Svaneti and used a combination of inductive and deductive approaches to data analysis. The findings reveal myriad challenges experienced by teachers in mountainous communities, illuminate the ways teachers perceive living and working in mountainous areas to differ from teaching in urban or lowland areas, and identify key factors that contribute to teacher entry, retention, and attrition decisions in rural, mountainous areas. Additionally, the use of geographical concepts, Critical Rural Theory, and social-ecological conceptualizations of mountain regions highlights the importance of attending to spatial dynamics in educational research and policymaking, providing deeper insight into the complex realities that impact teachers’ paths in rural and remote mountainous areas.