Term of Award
Fall 2025
Degree Name
Doctor of Education in Curriculum Studies (Ed.D.)
Document Type and Release Option
Dissertation (restricted to Georgia Southern)
Copyright Statement / License for Reuse
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Department
Department of Curriculum, Foundations, and Reading
Committee Chair
Daniel Chapman
Committee Member 1
Robert Lake
Committee Member 2
Dina Walker-DeVose
Committee Member 3
Peggy Shannon-Baker
Abstract
Retaining educators in the field of education is becoming more and more challenging. Much of the research on educator retention focuses on pay and job dissatisfaction (Carver-Thomas & Darling- Hammond, 2017). In this study, I propose the concept of belonging as a tool to retain educators, but because belonging is a term with many implications and usages, there is a lack of understanding sense of belonging. Desiring a sense of belonging is a natural process that all people face in life. The lives of educators are no different. In this dissertation I explore the influence that hegemony, intersectionality and identity have on teachers in the United States when gaining a sense of belonging in schools as a workplace. In this qualitative research study, I use speculative essays to examine this phenomenon of belonging as a complicated conversation and how belonging can be a tool in teacher retention efforts. The findings of this study conclude that systemic, hegemonic, and intersectional issues can hinder one’s ability to belonging but operating from a space of collective identity can build bonds and form connections.
Recommended Citation
Morris, LaShunda, "A Complicated Conversation Concerning Hegemony, Intersectionality, and Identity in Relation to Sense of Belonging and Educator Retention in Schools as a Workplace" (2025). College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations. 3052.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/3052
Research Data and Supplementary Material
No
