A study of pre-tenured teachers' perceptions of communication barriers: Assimilation into the school communication network

Statistical prognostication indicates a mass exodus of teachers within the next 10 to 15 years. The two highest attrition groups are anticipated to be retirement-eligible teachers and those teachers with less than four years experience. Attrition of newer teachers raises concern regarding the professional induction of these new staff members into the educational organization. Previous studies indicate that teacher attrition is not substantially linked to issues of money, but more directly linked to issues of professionalism, collegiality, communication, and administrative support (Marlow, 1997).;Assimilation into the school communication network is a major change facing new teachers. Schools are traditionally formal and hierarchal in design, placing emphasis on dissemination of information. Communication interaction patterns become part of the school communication network process, and understanding this process would inform practice in highlighting issues facing new teachers.;The research reported here discusses pre-tenured teachers' perceptions of communication concerns and barriers that may negatively influence this assimilation process. The Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) (Fuller, 1969) provided the theoretical framework to measure progress during change. Specifically, teachers were asked what barriers they felt were present that may negatively influence the school communication network assimilation process.;Data was obtained by administering the CBAM survey to 48 pre-tenured teachers in eleven school districts ranging in district size from A to D, with a 71% return rate. Potential communication barriers were identified in short answer responses. A list of communication issues identified by respondents was developed after reduction analysis. The listed concerns and barriers provided the basis for subsequent questions put forth to a focus group of volunteers from the survey group. A phenomenological approach to answer the three research questions used triangulation of the data to develop emergent themes. Emergent themes regarding communication barriers include: fear, lack of time, and unknown boundaries and expectations. These themes validated the pre-tenured teachers' perceptions of communication barriers and concerns found in survey responses. The findings of this study aided in the development of an Administrative Practice Strategies Model, providing a new administrative lens for assessing current pre-tenured teachers induction programs, with interventions designed to improve this process.