Exploring the Principal’s Role in the Retention of the Novice Teachers: A Study in an American School in Dubai, UAE

Abstract

Schools commonly face educational challenges due to in-part novice teachers’ turnover. The purpose of this study was to understand the principal's perception on how he/she perceives his/her role in novice teachers’ retention, and to explore how the principal's perception plays a part in understanding how he/she endeavors to support the professional growth of novice teachers. The study adopted a qualitative research approach using in-depth semi-structured interviews. The study participants were eleven school leaders along with the human resources department in an American Private School in Dubai, UAE. The collected data were interpreted into various themes, including responsibilities to hire a new candidate, basis of hiring new teachers, inspection visit of Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) and conducting professional development sessions. Data revealed that giving the leaders the opportunity to inspect the needs of every individual novice teacher, thus, allowing for particular needs of each teacher to be met through specific learning opportunities, would be more effective than espousing holistic plans designated for all beginner teachers. The significance of this study lies in its focus on the necessity to retain novice teachers.