“Maybe I Should Try Out Becoming a Teacher”: Why Science Majors Enter Science Teaching

Ashley N. Coon

doi:10.29333/ijese/7817

Full Text (PDF)

Ashley N. Coon ¹ ^*

More Detail

¹ University of Maryland, UNITED STATES^* Corresponding Author

Abstract

This multiple-case study was conducted to evaluate claims that the literature on the recruitment of science majors into science teaching is sparse and unable to adequately explain why undergraduates decide to pursue science teaching. I interviewed six undergraduate science majors who have committed to an initial science teacher preparation program to ascertain their motivations for choosing a career in teaching. This analysis reveals that the literature has not adequately identified all the reasons why a group of science majors decided to pursue science teaching. Four novel motives were identified which should inform future research into science teacher recruitment.

Keywords

teacher recruitment
science education
science teacher education
secondary science
career choice
teacher identity

License

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Research Article

INTERDISCIP J ENV SCI ED, 2020, Volume 16, Issue 2, Article No: e2213

https://doi.org/10.29333/ijese/7817

Publication date: 26 Feb 2020

Article Views: 2432

Article Downloads: 1902

Open Access References How to cite this article

References

Allen, M. B. (2005). Eight questions on teacher recruitment and retention: What does the research say? Denver, CO: Education Commission of the States. Retrieved from: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED489332.pdf
Borgerding, L. A. (2015). Recruitment of early STEM majors into possible secondary science teaching careers: The role of science education summer internships. International Journal of Environmental and Science Education, 10(2), 247-270.
Bull, K. S., Marks, S., & Salyer, B. K. (1994). Future teacher scholarship programs for science education: Rationale for teaching in perceived high-need areas. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 3(1), 71-76. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01575818
Campbell, J. L., Quincy, C., Osserman, J., & Pedersen, O. K. (2013). Coding in-depth semistructured interviews: Problems of unitization and intercoder reliability and agreement. Sociological Methods & Research, 42(3), 294-320. https://doi.org/10.1177/0049124113500475
Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (2013). CAEP 2013 standards for accreditation of educator preparation. Washington, DC. Retrieved from: http://caepnet.org/standards/standards/
Creswell, J. W. (2002). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall.
Cross, F. (2017). Teacher shortage areas: Nationwide listing, 1990-1991 through 2017-2018. Office of Postsecondary Eduation, U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC. Retrieved from https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/pol/ateachershortageareasreport2017-18.pdf
Dawson, V. (2007). Factors influencing pre-service teachers’ decisions to become secondary science and mathematics teachers. Teaching Science: The Journal of the Australian Science Teachers Association, 53(4), 28-31.
Dominguez, C. R. C., Viviani, L. M., Cazetta, V., Guridi, V. M., Faht, E. C., Pioker, F. C., & Cubero, J. (2015). Professional choices and teacher identities in the science teacher education program at EACH/USP. Cultural Studies of Science Education, 10(4):1189-1218. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11422-014-9650-8
Eick, C. J. (2002). Studying career science teachers’ personal histories: A methodology for understanding intrinsic reasons for career choice and retention. Research in Science Education, 32(3), 353-372. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1020866111670
Elo, S., & Kyngäs, H. (2008). The qualitative content analysis process. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 62(1), 107-115. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2648.2007.04569.x
Espinet, M., Simmons, P. E., & Atwater, M. A. (1992). Career decisions of K‐12 science teachers: Factors influencing their decisions and perceptions toward science teaching. School Science and Mathematics, 92(2), 84-91.
Evans, R. H. (1987). Factors which deter potential science/math teachers from teaching; changes necessary to ameliorate their concerns. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 24(1), 77-85. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.3660240108
Hodson, R. (1999). Analyzing documentary accounts (No. 128). Sage.
Hoff, D., & Lee, C. (1986). Exploring science teaching as a career. Journal of College Science Teaching, 15, 457.
Hsieh, H. F., & Shannon, S. E. (2005). Three approaches to qualitative content analysis. Qualitative Health Research, 15(9), 1277-1288. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732305276687
Ingersoll, R. M., & May, H. (2012). The magnitude, destinations, and determinants of mathematics and science teacher turnover. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 34(4), 435-464. https://doi.org/10.3102/0162373712454326
Kahle, J. B., & Kronebusch, M. (2003). Science teacher education: From a fractured system to a seamless continuum. Review of Policy Research, 20(4), 585-602. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1541-1338.2003.00040.x
Kilinç A., & Seymen, H. (2014). Preservice teachers’ motivations for choosing science teaching as a career and their epistemological beliefs: Is there a relationship? Journal of Turkish Science Education, 11(1), 115-132.
Liou, P. Y., Kirchhoff, A., & Lawrenz, F. (2010). Perceived effects of scholarships on STEM majors’ commitment to teaching in high need schools. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 21(4), 451–470.
Luehmann, A. L. (2007). Identity development as a lens to science teacher preparation. Science Education, 91(5), 822-839. https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.20209
Luft, J. A., Wong, S. S., & Semken, S. (2011). Rethinking recruitment: The comprehensive and strategic recruitment of secondary science teachers. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 22(5), 459–474. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10972-011-9243-2
Meyrick, J. (2006). What is good qualitative research? A first step towards a comprehensive approach to judging rigour/quality. Journal of Health Psychology, 11(5), 799-808. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105306066643
Moin, L. J., Dorfield, J. K., & Schunn, C. D. (2005). Where can we find future K-12 science and math teachers? A search by academic year, discipline, and academic performance level. Science Education, 89, 980-1006. https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.20088
Neuendorf, K. A. (2016). The content analysis guidebook. Sage.
Sarason, S. B. (1974). The psychological sense of community: Prospects for a community psychology. Jossey-Bass.
Saxman, L. J., Gupta, P., & Steinberg, R. N. (2010). CLUSTER: University-science center partnership for science teacher preparation. New Educator, 6, 280–296. https://doi.org/10.1080/1547688X.2010.10399606
Schuster, D. (2013). In pursuit of sustainable STEM certification programs. Journal of College Science Teaching, 42(4), 38–45.
Shugart, S. S., & Hounshell, P. B. (1995). Subject matter competence and the recruitment and retention of secondary science teachers. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 32(1), 63-70.
Sutcher, L., Darling-Hammond, L., & Carver-Thomas, D. (2016). A coming crisis in teaching? Teacher supply, demand, and shortages in the US. Learning Policy Institute.
Tomanek, D., & Cummings, K. E. (2000). The use of secondary science classroom teaching assistant experiences to recruit academically talented science majors into teaching. Science Education, 84(2), 212-227. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1098-237X(200003)84:2<212::AID-SCE5>3.0.CO;2-P
Wang, H.H. (2004). Why teach science? Graduate science students’ perceived motivations for choosing teaching as a career in Taiwan. International Journal of Science Education, 26(1), 113–128. https://doi.org/10.1080/0950069032000070243
Westerlund, Julie F., Radcliffe, Rich, A., Smith, Daniel A., Lemke, Maureen R., & West, S. S. (2011). Profiles of U.S. science teacher candidates: Safeguards amidst the gathering storm. International Journal of Environmental and Science Education, 6(3), 213–227.
Wilson, S. M., Bell, C., Galosy, J. A., & Shouse, A. W. (2004). “Them that’s got shall get”: Understanding teacher recruitment, induction, and retention. Yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education, 103(1), 145-179. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-7984.2004.tb00033.x
Worsham, H. M., Friedrichsen, P., Soucie, M., Barnett, E., & Akiba, M. (2013). Recruiting science majors into secondary science teaching: Paid internships in informal science settings. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 25(1), 53-77. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10972-013-9360-1

How to cite this article

APA

Coon, A. N. (2020). “Maybe I Should Try Out Becoming a Teacher”: Why Science Majors Enter Science Teaching. Interdisciplinary Journal of Environmental and Science Education, 16(2), e2213. https://doi.org/10.29333/ijese/7817

Vancouver

Coon AN. “Maybe I Should Try Out Becoming a Teacher”: Why Science Majors Enter Science Teaching. INTERDISCIP J ENV SCI ED. 2020;16(2):e2213. https://doi.org/10.29333/ijese/7817

AMA

Coon AN. “Maybe I Should Try Out Becoming a Teacher”: Why Science Majors Enter Science Teaching. INTERDISCIP J ENV SCI ED. 2020;16(2), e2213. https://doi.org/10.29333/ijese/7817

Chicago

Coon, Ashley N.. "“Maybe I Should Try Out Becoming a Teacher”: Why Science Majors Enter Science Teaching". Interdisciplinary Journal of Environmental and Science Education 2020 16 no. 2 (2020): e2213. https://doi.org/10.29333/ijese/7817

Harvard

Coon, A. N. (2020). “Maybe I Should Try Out Becoming a Teacher”: Why Science Majors Enter Science Teaching. Interdisciplinary Journal of Environmental and Science Education, 16(2), e2213. https://doi.org/10.29333/ijese/7817

MLA

Coon, Ashley N. "“Maybe I Should Try Out Becoming a Teacher”: Why Science Majors Enter Science Teaching". Interdisciplinary Journal of Environmental and Science Education, vol. 16, no. 2, 2020, e2213. https://doi.org/10.29333/ijese/7817