The Timing of Career Choice for Minority Students in Arizona State University's 2+2+2 Future Teacher Program
Date
2001-08
Authors
Jones, Alonzo
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Abstract
The American K-12 public educational system is facing a major minority teacher shortage. Recent statements by the Department of Education indicate a need to hire two million teachers over the next decade (Bradley, 1999). As we began the millennium, one-third of K-12 enrollment were minority students and less than 10% of the teaching force were minorities. Teacher preparation programs and education policy makers must consider how new and existing teacher recruitment efforts can effectively address the minority teacher/student ratio disparity.
The purpose of this study was to examine data offering potential insight about when minority students begin to consider careers as teachers. The research questions for the study were designed to explore the relationship between gender, race, first-generation college attendance status, history of teachers in one's family, grade level desired to teach, and attendance at a majority-minority school and when one begins to consider teaching as a career choice. An 18-item telephone survey questionnaire was administered to 52 student participants in a collaborative teacher recruitment program sponsored by ten high schools, six community colleges and one Carnegie-classified Research I University. Results of this exploratory study indicated that students’ thinking related to teaching careers began much earlier than the time when students were targeted by the teacher recruitment program.
Description
Keywords
minority students, occupations, teachers, recruiting, race, vocational guidance
Citation
Jones, A. B. (2001). The timing of career choice for minority students in Arizona State University's 2+2+2 future teacher program (Unpublished thesis). Southwest Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas.