Technology and Engineering Education Teacher Commitment: An Analysis of Educator Supports and Demands

In Technology and Engineering Education, teacher retention has been consistently highlighted as one of the foremost issues facing the discipline (Moye, 2009; Moye, 2017; Newberry, 2001; Ritz 1999, 2006; Weston, 1997), and understanding variables impacting teacher commitment to the profession is necessary to retain a prepared and expert educator workforce. This research employs the 2011-2012 Schools and Staffing Survey Teacher Questionnaire to assess variables that may influence Technology and Engineering Education teachers’ commitment to teaching. Variables examined include leadership support, peer support, student problems, resources, paperwork, new teacher status, teacher certification route, caseload of English language learners, caseload of students with individualized education plans, poverty, and urbanicity. Findings show four variables to be statistically significant predictors of commitment: principal support, student problems, paperwork, and the caseload of students with individualized education plans. These four variables accounted for approximately 33 % of variance in teacher commitment.