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IS IT THE RIGHT “FIT?” FLORIDA TEACHERS’ MOTIVATIONS FOR CHOOSING A TEACHING CAREER USING THE FIT-CHOICE SCALE By NATALIE RIDGEWELL A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2018 © 2018 Natalie Ridgewell I dedicate this dissertation to my mother, “Gigi;” my husband, Ross; my son, Khoury, my best friend, Ashley; and my Socrates, “D.R.E.,” for your unconditional and unyielding love and support, and for loving me just the way I am. I love all of you to the moon and back. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank and acknowledge the following for their guidance in support of this dissertation. First and foremost, from the bottom of my heart, I would like to thank my amazing, loving, intelligent, kind, and absolutely beautiful husband, Ross. We have been through so much over the last twelve years. As you once reminded me: “21,000 miles, over a dozen cities, five states, two countries, two continents, countless hours of lost sleep, stranded car-less, mountains of stress, moments of pure bliss, a wonderful baby boy, massive life changes, and imminent changes yet again. Oh, wait, that’s just the last 30 days.” I cannot think of a more eloquent or accurate description of our beautiful life together, except that we must now add Paris and Nice, France to the list (finally!). You have given me unconditional love and support, and you have the innate ability to make me smile. You always convince me that I can achieve anything I put my mind to, and you keep my feet steadily on the ground. Without your support over the last twelve years I would definitely have lost my sanity many, many, years ago, quit graduate school, and would probably be living in France right now (maybe now you would come with me?)—but you gave me a reason to stay. You also gave me and take care of our beautiful baby boy, Khoury. You are the best father and husband anyone could ever ask for, and I love you to the moon and back. Khoury, you will never know what a blessing you are and how much love you have given me ever since the day you were born. You are my favourite, and you “are the best around, nothing’s ever going to keep you down.” I would like to thank my best friend, Ashley Hunnicutt. You have provided me with a steadfast friendship for over thirty years, always supporting and always encouraging me every step of the way. You have served as my Chief Editor for anything and everything in print— without your sharp eye for grammar and other such talents I surely would have never made it this far. Thank you for our many fun-filled adventures and road trips from Panama City, Florida to 4 Barcelona, Spain, and especially to the magical world of Harry Potter—where would I be without that in my life? I am so thankful and grateful we have walked, ran, laughed, cried, and journeyed through this life together through (almost) every stage of our lives. You were right when you said a while back that our “pics don’t look quite the same, we (thank the Lord above) don’t act quite the same, and we dang sure don’t feel the same” as we used to when we were younger, because this is where we are, and that is a long way and so different from where we used to be. You always remind me that I am stronger than I think I am and help me discover joy in those “new, unexpected places.” Most recently, thank you for being the most amazing Godmother to our sweet boy Khoury; Ross and I are all so grateful for the unconditional and unyielding love you give to Khoury. It means more to us than you will ever know. Finally, I will never forget the day you said, “all new life starts in the dark,” and what that has meant every day since then. You are the Bestest best friend, ever. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Dr. David Evans, (DRE), who, over the last eighteen years, has been my “Socrates:” from your first role as my advisor to my mentor, sage, confidant, to my dear friend. You made my undergraduate college experience one of the best times of my life and opened my eyes to all of the beauties and complexities of literature, culture, and learning. You helped guide my passion, and I hope that I have made you proud. Without your support, I would not have ever come close to reaching my highest potential. Thank you, and your beautiful, kind, and brilliant wife Ursula McCarty for always having an open door for me, even now, and providing wisdom and guidance every step of the way, especially most recently when you reminded me: “If winter comes, can spring be far behind?” Khoury David could not have a better namesake. 5 I would like to thank my Chair, Dr. Alyson Adams for your support and guidance through my dissertation. I would also like to thank Dr. Sevan Terzian, Dr. Corinne Huggins- Manley, and Dr. Elizabeth Bondy who so graciously agreed to participate on my Committee, and who allowed all of my “enthusiasm” in their classes. I would like to express a deep and heartfelt message of thankfulness and gratitude to Dr. Karla Shelnutt, who not only served as my External Committee member, but also my constant “cheerleader,” soundboard, advocate, and kind-hearted kindred spirit. I would like to give a huge thank you to all of the thousands of amazing Florida public K- 12 teachers who took the time to participate in my study and complete probably one of the longest and most in-depth surveys you have ever taken. The “funds of knowledge” you all possess, as well as shared, is a wealth of knowledge beyond compare, and I have only begun to scratch the surface. Your thoughts, beliefs, and perspectives not only helped me successfully complete my dissertation, but also provided a rare opportunity to explore what motivated so many of you to become teachers. You have a profound effect on the lives of thousands of students across the state of Florida, and I thank you for your commitment, passion, and tenacity. I would like to thank my beautiful family for all of their love and support through the years. I would like to thank my parents and sister—Mama, Daddy, and Andrea—for your love and support. I know that you have no idea what I have been doing most of the time in graduate school, but you have always wanted the best for me. You have seen me grow and mature throughout the years and have always stood beside me. Mama, you helped motivate me to become a teacher, and you positively changed the lives of hundreds, if not thousands of students over twenty years. I know you are smiling and sending your love from Heaven. I love you to the 6 moon and back. “Always.” Thank you, Daddy, for your love through this journey, and for bringing your big, booming laughter and heart into our lives. Andrea, we have had so many wonderful memories filled with laughter, joy, and mischief from little Polynesian Princesses to grown “Khoury Girls.” Unfortunately, we have also shed many tears together, especially over the last few years, but no matter where we go or what life may bring, I will always love and be here to support my “Sissy Bear.” I would like to thank my grandmother, Mimi (aka General), and grandfather, P-pa, who are like second parents to me, and have helped raise me for most of my life. You have not only provided moral and financial support, but also always encouraged me even when you had no idea what in the world I was talking about. Without your help, I could not have continued my education, especially through studying abroad in Paris. I never would have seen Paris the way I was able, allowing me to see the world as I do now. Even though P-Pa never believed it possible, and never lived to see it, I am finally going to be finished with school. While I will always be a life-long learner, this will be my terminal degree. I promise. Thank you forever for always being there for me. To Sharon, thank you for all of the encouragement and support you have given me over the last year and for opening your heart to our family. To Dr. Natalie King, thank you for walking, supporting, and praying with me through our entire PhD program, starting on day one and continuing even after you left—I cannot wait to see how the next adventures of “Natalie Squared” will unfold in our lives. I am so thankful for you, your family, and for giving Ross and I the honor of being the Godparents to your beautiful son, Angelo. I know Khoury and “Lo-Lo” will be forever friends! To my wonderful Pastors Willie and Linda King: Thank you for constant prayers, love, faith, and leadership through this season and restoring my faith that the “Impossible is possible.” Thank you to Dr. Thomasenia Adams 7 for always being there for me and my family. Your support, logic, and faith have helped us through every kind of obstacle over the past several years. I would like to thank Dr. Selçuk Dogan for all of your support guiding me through the world of quantitative analysis and having the patience, compassion, and kindness to continually help probably one of the most stubborn peers with whom you have ever collaborated.

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