A Case Study Analysis of Middle School Principals' Teacher Selection Criteria
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Title of Dissertation: A CASE STUDY ANALYSIS OF MIDDLE SCHOOL
PRINCIPALS' TEACHER SELECTION CRITERIA
Jane Lai Woodburn, Doctor of Philosophy, 2012
Dissertation directed by: Professor Carol Parham, Chair
Department of Education Leadership, Higher Education
and International Education
The hiring of middle school teachers to positively impact student achievement--is this a
process of teacher selection or teacher attraction for schools, respectively, with low teacher
turnover and schools with high teacher turnover? Since research indicates that the most
important variable influencing student achievement is having a highly qualified and effective
teacher in the classroom, principals need to have an understanding of their criteria and process
for hiring the best teachers for their schools. This qualitative multiple case study investigated the
teacher selection criteria and process used by middle school principals so that the findings could
add to the body of knowledge that enables principals to make better hiring decisions.
Using John Seyfarth's Model of the Selection Process as a guiding conceptual framework,
this research study sought to answer the questions: What characteristics do middle school
principals look for in hiring teachers? How do the unique characteristics of schools influence
principals' teacher selection criteria? What process do principals use to select teachers using their
criteria for selection? What facilitates principals' ability to select teachers who meet their
selection criteria?
Six middle school principals in a large suburban public school district--three from
middle schools with high teacher turnover and three from middle schools with low teacher
turnover--were interviewed. Collected interview data were analyzed using a manual coding
process and NVivo, a Computer-Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software. For validation, an
external auditor conducted a review of the qualitative data analysis and methodology.
A summary of the findings revealed that the principals' teacher selection criteria included
job-specific (content knowledge, pedagogy, adolescent learner characteristics, ability to scaffold
instruction/use data) and nonjob-specific (ability to build relationships, be collaborative,
kid-oriented, flexible, enthusiastic, professional, committed to student learning) factors; unique
characteristics of the school did not generally appear to influence the principals' teacher selection
criteria; principals selected teachers through an interview panel process; and principals identified
how central office, institutions of higher education, colleagues, and panel members could help
facilitate hiring the best matches for their schools. The findings and analysis of data led to the
conclusions and recommendations in Chapter V.
Knowledge of the principals' teacher selection criteria provides insight as to what
principals are looking for so human resources staffers can create pools of candidates that match
the principals' criteria. Future research can focus on the relative importance of job-specific and
nonjob-specific factors, whether principals are actually using their espoused criteria for
selection, and the impact of their hiring decisions on the longevity and effectiveness of the
teachers they select using their criteria.