6 INTEGRATING FAITH AND WORK: WORKPLACE SPIRITUALITY, TEACHER EFFICACY, JOB PLACEMENT, AND GRIT Cynhea Cyndy Chang, Ed.D. Introduction According to research conducted in the 1980s and 1990s, teachers make about three educational decisions per minute; in an 8-hour workday, teachers answer around 1,500 questions (Klein, 2021). As teachers develop meaningful relationships with their students, teachers often assume responsibility for students’ overall wellbeing. Consequently, teachers become the trusted friends, counselors, and mentors of the students. As the COVID-19 pandemic further diversified and broadened the array of problems, teachers now help solve technological difficulties, bridge academic gaps, and support students in social-emotional crises. As a result, teachers are at a greater risk of fatigue and burnout caused by occupational stress, leading to an unforeseen rate of teacher turnover and attrition. While it has been a few years since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, a 2022—2023 study reports that 68% of educational professionals still struggle with burnout despite their perception of meaningful work (Ascione, 2024). Ascione (2024) found that 75% of the 400 participants, which includes teachers, special education teachers, school-based counselors, speechlanguage pathologists, and occupational therapists, believe post-pandemic staffing shortages have impacted them. Due to long hours, tasks outside of their duties, and stress, more than half of the participants planned for a career change. Reports of burnout for educational professionals are nearly 10% more than for professionals in other industries. Yet, solutions that address the heavy workload, lack of support, and high levels of occupational stress are still to emerge (Ascione, 2024). Consequently, the researcher took an interest in improving the sustainability of the teacher community through educational research on faith and teacher resilience. Introduction to the Problem The recent statistics display apparent chain reaction or the cumulative effect of occupational stress. Teacher burnout leads to low job satisfaction, which leads to teacher turnover, which leads to the teacher shortage, which then again drives the remaining teacher population to exhaustion. When confronted by teacher shortages, school leaders make many compromises, directly impacting student success. To help solve the prevailing problem of teacher turnover, the current study examined the effects of faith integration on Christian teachers’ grit. By identifying workplace spirituality, teacher efficacy, and job placement in religious and secular schools as important factors impacting Christian teachers’ work, the researcher further investigated why and how Christian teachers press on in their roles. Literature Review The current study includes a literature review of today’s teachers, today’s schools, reasons for teacher burnout, teacher mobility and retention, motivation and goals, similar studies on workplace spirituality, and teacher empowerment. The literature review began by creating an understanding of today’s teachers and schools. It helped establish the basis for the current study, encompassing many generations of teachers currently providing education to K–12 students in post-pandemic schools. By Journal of K-12 Educational Research 2024, VOL. 8, ISSUE 1 dbu.edu/doctoral/edd
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