Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological research study was to identify the motivational factors of online high school teachers. Because very little if any research has been conducted relevant to K-12 online teachers, this study will contribute to the understanding of those teachers’ motivations to teach exclusively online. This may be helpful to the field of online education and to the relatively new arena of online education providers. Understanding what motivated online high school teaching staff will provide school administrators with insight into areas of focus for teacher hiring, professional development, and online teacher retention.

1. Dr. Therese Letourneau and Dr. Joseph Maddox

2. “ Online learning through virtual schools is one of the most important advancements in attempting to rethink the effectiveness of education in the United States” (NACOL, 2006)

3. In 2007-2008 1,030,000 K-12 students were enrolled in online learning Picciano, A. G. & Seaman, J. (2009). K-12 Online Learning: A 2008 Follow-up of the Survey of U. S. School District Administrators. Needham, MA: The Sloan Consortium.