Introduction
The educational sphere has one of the most important values in society. Its further development, formation, and functioning depend on it. Teachers are the most valuable agents who contribute to the transfer and assimilation of knowledge from future generations. However, despite their importance, one of the most permanent problems in the educational sphere is the insufficient remuneration of these specialists. Thus, as a result of this issue, such negative consequences arise as a decrease in the level and quality of education, professional burnout of teachers, an unfavorable atmosphere in the workplace, and in some cases, high turnover rates. In addition, studies emphasize that this issue is not being adequately addressed (Hanushek, 2020). Therefore, this research paper emphasizes the need to conduct an examination of the problem of insufficient remuneration of providers of the educational system and find ways to eliminate the existing adverse circumstances.
Purpose of the Study
Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore the problem of insufficient remuneration for teachers as the most valuable specialists in educational institutions. Gaining an understanding of what the sources of the issue are, how it is reflected in modern realities and what consequences it causes becomes one of the tasks of conducting research. Furthermore, need for this study is to provide information to stop the decline of motivation of teachers, lower academic performance, and increasing teacher turnover. The purpose of the research lies in the aim to add new information to the existing knowledge about teachers being severely underpaid and propose effective methods for addressing the problem in educational sphere. It is worth noting that conducting such a study can be helpful not only for institutions providing educational services but also for drawing public attention to the problem. Thus, it will become more widespread, which contributes to the use of more conscious and active measures to limit it.
Research Question
The definition of the question of the research is a critical component that seriously affects the further progress of the work. This aspect can provide an opportunity to define the research methodology, population further and sample, and gain an understanding of what information and data researchers should use to draw conclusions about scientific work. Moreover, the correct definition of questions directly affects future outcomes and should align with the purpose of the study. Based on these indicators, the following research question and sub-questions were determined for this work.
Research question: What are the most effective measures in addressing the problem of teachers’ underpayment?
There will also be three sub-questions that will allow defining the necessary prevention steps:
- What are the key causes of the identified issue?
- Which adverse effects can be considered the outcomes of teachers being severely underpaid?
- What are the teachers’ attitudes, and how can they describe the identified situation?
Limitation
The next step is to determine the limitations that may arise during the study. The peculiarity of this aspect is that they are independent of researchers and can have a serious impact on the work process and its outcomes. Therefore, the insincerity and unreliability of data that can be provided by participants become one of their limitations within this examination. This is due to the fact that not all individuals will be willing to share information that may seem too personal or exposed to them.
Delimitation
Delimitation is the aspect that is responsible for the transferability of qualitative research. In other words, it is responsible for the extent to which the knowledge gained in the course of work can be used in other scientific research. In addition, it is closely related to the relevance and accuracy of the work being done. Transferability “is established by providing readers with evidence that the research study’s findings could be applicable to other contexts, situations, times, and populations” (“What is transferability in qualitative research and how do we establish it?,” n.d., para. 1). Henceforth, research should provide the most valuable and appropriate information that is not centered around a specific narrow topic and can be used within other scientific papers.
Significance of the Study
Significance of the research paper concerns all the entities that would benefit from the findings of the study and ways the can gain advantage from it. Firstly, it will be expressed by focusing on possible outcomes that may arise if the problem of insufficient remuneration of teachers is left untouched. Hence, the main adverse consequence is that decreased motivation of teachers leads to the worse and lower academic performance of students across the nation (Hanushek, 2020). Another undesirable outcome is the increasing teacher turnover, which again significantly reduces students’ good academic achievements (Qin, 2021). Therefore, the need to solve the issue becomes more apparent, and in order to do that, it is vital to conduct a study and gather all essential information about this problem. Moreover, the work will be useful for local school districts and other stakeholders in this area (Bracic et al., 2020). The significance of the study is to provide valuable information for teachers to increase their motivation and desire to continue working in the field of education.
Conceptual and Theoretical Framework
A significant role in conducting qualitative research is played by the definition of underlying concept and theories that undergird the topic of the research. Additionaly, they are necessary for the explanation of the variables being examined, such as teacher motivation and the effect of the teacher’s underpayment problem on learning outcomes. The literary review showed that the principal agency theory has a special connection with the problem of insufficient remuneration of teachers. This approach “is an analytical framework used for analyzing the contractual relationship between two parties” (Yallew et al., 2018, p. 80). Within the framework of a researched problem, the principal agency of theory can assist in understanding its sources and provide awareness of what measures should be applied to limit it (Cheng et al., 2019). The need for these actions is due to the fact that reasonable and correct remuneration of teachers has a significant positive effect on the effectiveness of training (Pham et al., 2019). Thus, based on the postulates and basic concepts of the derived theory, the educational system can correct the issue that has arisen.
The theoretical framework that can be useful for studying the presented issue is the study of the influence of monetary motivation. According to Mallah (2018), “it focuses on the question of how policymakers and education leaders can improve teacher effort towards the outcome of interest, specifically improving student achievement” (p. 29). The proposed framework suggests that the monetary support of teachers predominantly affects the outcomes of the learning process. Research stated that “across the nation, educator pay continues to erode, expanding the large pay gap between what teachers earn and what similarly educated and experienced professionals in other fields earn” (Long, 2019, para. 6). Thus, it is proposed to link the level of teachers’ remuneration with the results of their students (Fryer et al., 2018). However, this initiative should be treated carefully, as it largely depends on the level of teacher training and the state of the educational system.
Literature Review
First of all, it is worth noting that a relatively limited number of scientific papers would raise the issue of insufficient teacher remuneration. Within the framework of this research paper, several articles were examined that provided precious information. All of them were based on a qualitative analysis of information and provided statistical data on the level of teachers’ earnings. In particular, they helped in determining the variables for this study.
Not a New Problem
During the literary review, it was determined that the problem of insufficient salaries of educational specialists is not only relevant but also entrenched. Thus, this area has been suffering from this issue for a long time and requires finding ways to solve it. According to Strauss (2016), the problem is not new: “in 2015, the weekly wages of public-school teachers in the United States were 17 percent lower than comparable college-educated professionals” (para. 2). These statistics confirm the need for a deeper study of the topic.
Consequences of the Problem
The researched issue can cause such consequences as a decrease in teacher motivation, burnout, and a decrease in the quality of education. Literary research showed that “financially strapped, many teachers either leave the profession or move or commute to areas where the pay is higher” (Long, 2019, para. 21). Therefore, losing the desire to work for a small financial reward, many specialists leave their jobs, which is also reflected in need for new professionals. In addition, a decrease in motivation occurs due to the fact that “nationally teachers are paid 22 percent less than they could expect to earn outside of teaching” (Hanushek, 2020, p. 72). This is reflected in the quality and effectiveness of educational programs.
Research Design
The ethnographic research design was chosen as the basis for this work, which is based on conducting interviews with teachers. This type of design consists in collecting direct data and opinions from individuals, which, despite its advantages, has such a significant disadvantage as a possibly high level of bias (Shagrir, 2017). At the same time, the main advantage of this method of conducting research is the provision of valuable information that comes from a direct group of people exposed to the problem. Researchers are provided with the direct opinion and point of view of teachers and can gain data on their understanding of the causes and ways of solving the issue.
Further, the first stage will be the precise definition of questions for future interviews and their testing. Meetings will be conducted with different teachers in order to get an idea of their own views on the situation. Therefore, researchers get the opportunity to get the most reliable information. At the same time, it is worth considering such aspects as bias and personal judgments, which can interfere with the results of research. First of all, it is necessary to obtain approval from the institution where the study is to be conducted. Further, it is also important to get IRB approval and consider all possible ethical considerations and make informed consent.
Population and Sampling
The effectiveness and usefulness of the research results depends on the selection of the population and sampling, both for finding an answer to the research question and for contributing to further scientific work. This study requires to conduct interviews with a vast number of different teachers who would help gain an understanding of the identified issue. For the sample in this research paper, a non-probability method will be utilized. Research stated that “since it does not require a complete survey frame, it is a fast, easy and inexpensive way of obtaining data” (“Non-probability sampling,” n.d., para. 1). It is vital to understand that the none of the probability methods can guarantee the required variety in the selected participants. Henceforth, it makes it possible to increase bias and personal judgment and limit the possibility to get the most reliable and valuable information. The population will be formed based on the specific school district. In order to be selected for the study, the participants will need to work in public rather than private schools and have at least seven years of teaching experience. Moreover, for this particular research, interviews will be conducted with former and current teachers of different ages, genders, races, and courses.
Data Collection Tools and Methods
The main way to collect information in this work is to conduct interviews. Interview list with all the questions is presented in the Appendix A. Therefore, the meetings will conducted face-to-face to exchange information with the help of questions and detailed responses (Gill & Baillie, 2018; McGrath et al., 2019). The advantages of this method is its informativeness, clarifying, and more personalized nature that allows to receive in-depth data and knowledge, has a high response rate, and makes it easier to reach various persons. The second method that will be used in the work is document review, implying exploration and evaluation of various external and internal sources. This will provide an opportunity to track the dynamics of teachers’ salaries. Beta testing showed the effectiveness of interview questions; thus, they did not need changes.
Research Procedure
Any qualitative research should follow a specific plan to ensure that it is organized and consistent. First of all, it is necessary to obtain approval from the institution where the study is to be conducted. Further, it is also important to get IRB approval and consider all possible ethical considerations and make informed consent. This will ensure the security of the data provided by the participants and a more comfortable interview experience. Furthermore, strategies to ensure validity and reliability are important for achieving the highest quality results.
The study requires to develop adequate questions in advance and make sure that they align with each research sub-question. Meetings will be conducted with different teachers in order to get an idea of their own views on the situation. Therefore, researchers get the opportunity to get the most reliable information. At the same time, it is worth considering such aspects as bias and personal judgments, which can interfere with the results of research. To ensure these aspects the triangulation strategy and researcher reflexivity will be implemented.
Data Analysis
The greatest effectiveness within the framework of this qualitative research is the use of the thematic analysis. It implies familiarization with the data, themes search, review, naming, and report production. This method of studying the obtained data will contribute to the organization and ordering of the received information. Their grouping will provide an opportunity for a more detailed examination of the participants’ answers and the formation of sufficient responses to the research questions and sub-questions. There will be a search for repetitions, identification of items of interest, an exploration of whether the topics provide an answer to the research question and create a report. The analysis will be carried out following the strategies of triangulation and researcher reflexivity.
Validity and Reliability
The first strategy to ensure validity and reliability will be triangulation. This method is one of the most effective as it provides an opportunity to use mixed approaches to study the problem (Flick, 2018). Another strategy that has value to ensure more excellent trustworthiness and credibility of the study is to conduct researcher reflexivity. The peculiarity of this process is that it pays attention to and analyzes all the study components and its relations with the participants (Whitaker & Atkinson, 2019). With the help of these actions, a high degree of validity and reliability can be achieved.
Researcher Bias and Researcher Role
Researcher bias may affect the reliability, objectivity and effectiveness of the study. The main bias in this scientific work may be the expression of the researchers’ personal opinions. To limit this aspect, it is necessary to train specialists in the research and ensure the greatest objectivity. In addition, bias can occur from the participants themselves, who may express inappropriate or untruthful opinions about the problem.
Trustworthiness
The importance of trustworthiness lies in providing the most reliable, credible, and qualitative research results and outcomes. To ensure credibility, it is necessary to correctly formulate the methods of collecting information and provide a method for determining the sample (Amin et al., 2020; Stahl & King, 2020). To ensure this aspect, it is necessary to correctly formulate the methods of collecting information and provide a method for determining the sample (Amin et al., 2020; Stahl & King, 2020). Giving other researchers the opportunity to transfer the results of the study to other cases is an example of this aspect.
Conclusion
Addressing ethical considerations in this study requires a clear understanding of its concepts and core values. To ensure the ethics of the study, participants will be provided with informed consent describing all the procedures, limitations, and subtleties of the work. This concerns the issues of conducting research, gathering and analyzing data, and getting rid of them.
References
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Appendix A
Interview List
Research Sub-Question One
- How many years have you worked in the educational field?
- Have you ever asked your superiors why your salary is low, and if you have, what was their explanation?
- Do you have any health issues?
- Have you ever noticed after what events or changes your salary becomes higher or lower?
- Have you ever experienced professional burnout? If so, what do you think influenced it?
- What do you think affects the level of teachers’ salaries? Can you please name three external factors that affect your payment?
Research Sub-Question One
- Do you feel that you lose the motivation to work better because of not being paid enough?
- What are your thoughts about the connection between your efforts and salary and students’ performance?
- Is there a shortage of teachers in your school?
- Has your salary changed during your work?
- How would you describe the current situation with unfair payment for teachers?
Research Sub-Question Two
- Do you feel that you receive an appropriate reward for your efforts?
- Do you want to lower the quality of your work because of not being paid enough?
- May you kindly describe some negative effects low payment has on your life and emotional state?
- What, if any, are your active attempts to receive more money?
- Do you think that the work of teachers is not appreciated by society, and this is directly reflected in low salaries?
- What consequences can underpayment of healthcare providers lead to?
- What ways do you think can contribute to solving the problem?
- Are you satisfied with the level of your salary?
- Do you think that your salary affects the effectiveness of your work?