The Relationship between Teachers’ Turnover Rate and Career Decision in South Korea: A Study of Private Educational Academies

South Korea is one of the most popular destinations for foreign language teachers wanting to start developing a career. Due to the rapid development and demands of foreign language teachers, the human resources department of the educational system is facing challenges. Many schools, including the private educational academies, always recruit language teachers for their afterschool preparational programs. However, the turnover rates for these teachers is significantly high for various reasons. This study employed the lens of the Model of Retention, Turnover, and Attrition for the exploration of 55 foreign language teachers who decided to leave their teaching position after the completion of their first-year contract. The results indicated that all participants had an unpleasant or negative experience in their social atmosphere and school environment stemming from discriminations, negative managerial styles from school administrators, and impolite practices from parents and students. Researchers, school leaders, parents, students, human resource professionals, policymakers, and government agencies should take this opportunity to reform and improve the educational environment and human resource management in South Korea

Exploring International School Teachers and Professional School Staffs’ Social Cognitive Career Perspective on Lifelong Career Development: A Hong Kong Study

Teaching in international schools is challenging for teachers and professional school staff due to language barriers, cultural shocks, teaching and learning expectations, support and even living standards. As a result, international schools often organise recruitment fairs to recruit professionals and prevent them from frequent departures. Such departures always cost resources and reduces the performance and morale of the schools. To understand this issue and provide a solution, the researcher collected data from 28 qualified international school teachers and professional school staff who have provided education services for more than 20 years in Hong Kong. The participants used terms such as “bridging the future leaders”, “connecting both local students and international expatriates in a safe environment”, “transferring foreign, home and essential knowledge to local and international students” to describe their current positions for lifelong career decisions and career development. The results of this study outlined areas on how to improve the managerial styles and teachers’ professional development plans in order to retain staff population and increase the morale of incoming and junior-level teachers

Becoming a Pre-School and Elementary School Educator: How do Male Teachers Describe their Career Decision and Career Development from the Perspective of the Social Cognitive Career Approach and Human Resource Management

This study investigated the sense-making process and career decision and development of male pre-school and elementary school teachers in the New England region in the United States through the perspective of Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT). Two research questions guided this study. First, why male teachers decided to join the pre-school and elementary school profession as their life-long career development, and second, how do male teachers describe their position and the sense-making process of their profession. Based on the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), the researcher invited and collected rich and in-depth data from ten participants. The results indicated that male pre-school and elementary school teachers believed their gender status and role could provide unique modelling for young children, particularly those from a single-parent family. Also, many believed that human resource professionals and school leaders should pay attention to gender diversity and gender inequality issues in the areas of the pre-school and elementary school environments. Based on the in-depth sharing, the results of this study could become a blueprint for school leaders and human resource professionals to direct their workplace and gender inequality issues toward male professionals in the current K-12 educational environment

Textbook Evaluation of a General English Textbook for Senior Foreign Language Learners: Application of a Textbook Evaluation Checklist

English language learning is one of the most famous and popular learning destinations and interests for many adults and returning students in the East Asian region, particularly for senior citizens who want to expand their horizon during late adulthood. Although there are many foreign language learning schools, self-learning books, video-oriented materials, and even social media channels for students who want to study an additional language during their leisure time, locating a useful and appropriate textbook or related material is the most important step to increase learner’s interests and overall performance. The current study employed a textbook evaluation checklist of a well-known General English textbook material in South Korea. The results of this study indicated the learning behaviours of Korean senior citizens, outlined the application of a textbook evaluation checklist, and evaluated the effectiveness and usefulness of a General English textbook. School leaders, teachers, and department heads can employ this textbook evaluation checklist to evaluate their teaching and learning materials for the appropriateness

Becoming University Language Teachers in South Korea: The Application of the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis and Social Cognitive Career Theory

Due to the developments of globalisation, the international reputation, the entertainment industry, and Korean pop culture, a large number of language teachers, international schoolteachers, and professional school staff decided to travel to South Korea for career development and enhancement. However, due to a constant shortage of teachers through high turnover, many South Korean schools and universities are facing recruitment issues. The purpose of this study was to investigate two problems. Why do individuals decide to come to South Korea as foreign language university teachers, and how do individuals describe their teaching experiences as foreign language teachers at one of the university teaching and learning environments in South Korea. From the perspective of the Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT), the results indicated that all participants travelled to South Korea for financial and career development goals. Also, all faced negative experiences and discrimination due to their skin colours and nationalities. The researcher hopes the appropriate personnel can take this study as an opportunity to improve and enhance their current workplace and community for a better environment and development

How do for-Profit Colleges and Universities Maintain Enrolment Rates to continue their Financial Health

For-profit, post-secondary institutions significantly increased in numbers within the last two decades. In the United States, many for-profit colleges and universities offer distance-learning-based and self-paced-based academic and vocational programs from certificate to doctoral degree level to non-traditional, returning, evening and adult students who cannot enrol at one of the on-campus, day-time programs for traditionally-aged and full-time students. A large number of for-profit colleges and universities employ different strategies to maintain effective numbers of student enrolment and collect enough budget for financial health. This literature paper explains the overview of for-profit colleges and universities in the United States including donation and income sources, enrolment management, employment management and customer-oriented service with the question of how for-profit colleges and universities can survive in the current, rapidly changing environment containing many different competitors. The literature review also provides a brief section about how nursing programs at the for-profit colleges and universities continue their operation in the current financial and educational environment

Textbook Evaluation of a General English Textbook for Senior Foreign Language Learners: Application of a Textbook Evaluation Checklist

English language learning is one of the most famous and popular learning destinations and interests for many adults and returning students in the East Asian region, particularly for senior citizens who want to expand their horizon during late adulthood. Although there are many foreign language learning schools, self-learning books, video-oriented materials, and even social media channels for students who want to study an additional language during their leisure time, locating a useful and appropriate textbook or related material is the most important step to increase learner’s interests and overall performance. The current study employed a textbook evaluation checklist of a well-known General English textbook material in South Korea. The results of this study indicated the learning behaviours of Korean senior citizens, outlined the application of a textbook evaluation checklist, and evaluated the effectiveness and usefulness of a General English textbook. School leaders, teachers, and department heads can employ this textbook evaluation checklist to evaluate their teaching and learning materials for the appropriateness

The Relationship between Teachers and School Professional Staff’s Retention and Managerial Styles

The retention of teachers and school professional staff is a challenge for the development and management of schools, particularly for international schools with difficulties in recruiting qualified teachers and school professional staff from overseas. However, only a few research projects have focused on how administrative styles influence the turnover of international school teachers and school professional staff. The researcher collected data from two semi-structured interview sessions with 51 international school teachers who have taught at an international school for more than a decade in one of two metropolitan districts in mainland China. This project aims, through the lens of Social Cognitive Career Theory, to understand why international school teachers and school professional staff decide to stay in a particular international school for their teaching career development. The participants indicated “acknowledgement from upper leadership”, “classroom/workplace authorities”, and “well-established facilities” to explain their current occupation as experienced international school teachers. The findings also outline potential solutions which could control the high turnover rate in international schools and local schools in the East Asian regions

Pre-service teachers’ pedagogical development through the peer observation professional development programme

Student-teaching internships in a teacher-preparation programme are a significant way for teachers to gain practical skills and transfer their textbook knowledge into classroom practice. One of the outcomes of student-teaching internships is that pre-service teachers can observe experienced teachers’ teaching pedagogy and strategies for implementing their skills. The purpose of the research study reported on here was to explore how pre-service teachers acquire and improve their teaching pedagogy through the peer observation training model at the secondary school at which they intern, with a focus on pre-service teachers with an interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) teaching. The results indicate that most of the participants could learn and improve their teaching pedagogy through the peer observation professional development programme – particularly young teachers without significant work experience. More importantly, the research proved how a peer observation cycle programme may apply to different educational systems with similar structures internationally, particularly in former European colonised countries with similar backgrounds. Keywords: peer observation cycle programme; pre-service teachers; student-teaching internship; teacher preparation programme; teachers’ professional developmen