Program
K-12 Administration Ed.D.
Number of Pages
135
Year Approved
2026
First Advisor
Tracy Reimer
Second Reader
Erica Hering
Third Reader
Joel Frederickson
Abstract
Teacher attrition, particularly among experienced educators, significantly impacts school stability and student outcomes. This quantitative study examined the relationship between mid-to-late-career elementary teachers’ perceptions of their principals’ servant leadership behaviors and their own retention decisions within Minnesota public schools. Grounded in servant leadership theory, the research also explored whether perceptions of leadership varied significantly based on teacher gender or teaching position. Utilizing a non-experimental, correlational design, data were collected via an online survey administering the Servant Leadership Scale and the Turnover Intention Scale (TIS-6). The final sample consisted of 410 experienced elementary teachers. Data were analyzed using JASP employing descriptive statistics, Cronbach’s alpha for reliability, Pearson correlation coefficients, independent t-tests, and one-way ANOVAs. Results indicated a statistically significant, strong inverse relationship between perceptions of principal servant leadership and teacher turnover intention; specifically, as teachers’ perceptions of servant leadership increased, their reported intention to turnover decreased. Conversely, demographic analyses revealed no significant differences in leadership perception based on gender or teaching position. The findings offer implications for principal preparation programs and district-level policies aimed at improving retention of experienced educators through relationally driven leadership practices. Recommendations for future research include longitudinal studies to track actual turnover behavior and quasi-experimental design to test the efficacy of specific servant leadership training interventions. Keywords: servant leadership, teacher retention, turnover intention, principal influence, mid-to-late-career teachers, elementary education, quantitative research, Minnesota, educational leadership
Degree Name
Education Doctorate
Document Type
Doctoral dissertation
Recommended Citation
Widen, T. (2026). The Relationship Between Principals' Servant Leadership and the Retention of Mid-to-Late-Career Elementary Teachers in Minnesota Public Schools [Doctoral dissertation, Bethel University]. Spark Repository. https://spark.bethel.edu/etd/1256
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