Announcing the Final Examination of Coralis Solomon for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy
Date of defense: 3/29/2017
Time and room: 10:00am, Teaching Academy (TA) 420B
Dissertation Title: Hispanic Teachers’ Experiences with Stressors While Working in Title I Elementary Schools: A Phenomenological Investigation Using a Self-Compassion Framework
The purpose of this exploratory phenomenology investigation was to understand what were Hispanic teachers’ experiences with their occupational stressors while working in Title I elementary schools. Specifically, this investigation used a self-compassion theoretical framework to explore the emotional stressors of the participants (N = 19) and how they cope to mitigate their feelings of burnout. Purposeful sampling was used to recruit Hispanic teachers from three Title I elementary schools within the same school district in Central Florida. The data were collected through individual interviews with the Hispanic teachers who volunteered to participate in the study. All data were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed for themes following Colaizzi’s (1978) methods. Trustworthiness measures employed throughout the investigation included the use of (a) clear articulation of methods in order to protect the integrity of the data, (b) reflection on the researcher’s positionality and pre-conceived notions about the participants’ experiences by using bracketing, (c) analyst triangulation of the collected data with peer debriefers, (d) member checking, and (e) a thorough description of previous literature (Creswell, 2013; Marshall & Crossman, 2006; Moustakas, 1994; Patton, 2015).
Five themes emerged from the data analyses: (a) emotional stressors, (b) general stressors, (c) cultural stressors, (d) coping skills, and (e) teachers’ recommendations for school administrators. The five themes aligned with previous research findings, offering significant implications for future research, teacher and counselor educators, and school personnel. Specifically, findings from this investigation contribute to the literature by providing an increased understanding of cultural and emotional stressors experienced by Hispanic teachers in Title I elementary schools.
Committee in charge:
Dr. Glenn W. Lambie
Dr. Carolyn W. Hopp
Dr. J. Richelle Joe
Dr. M. Ann Shillingford-Butler
Outline of Studies
Major: Ph.D. in Education—Counselor Education
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