Date of Award

7-1-1993

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Education, Health & Behavior Studies

Abstract

This country has a great need for qualified high school mathematics and science teachers. The shortage has been attributed to low pay and low public esteem for teachers among other factors. To meet the need for these teachers, perhaps consideration should be given to students and to former students who majored in mathematics or one of the sciences while in college. A central purpose of the present study was to learn about these cohorts.The study reports the results of a survey of students and alumni from a single, medium-sized, public university--the University of North Dakota--who majored in mathematics or one of the sciences regarding their opinions of the teaching profession. The response rate to the survey was 58.9 percent (262 of 445) for current students and 55.3 percent (78 of 141) for alumni. Resulting data were statistically tested using one-way and two-way chi-square tests. Significant differences were assigned at the.05 level.The study showed that many students and alumni who did not take any education courses while in college were nevertheless interested in pursuing a teaching career. This group had high opinions of the teaching profession. Those who were not willing to take a job teaching had negative feelings about the profession. A strong majority of respondents in all groups felt that they had the ability to teach if they wanted to do so.Therefore, there is a pool of candidates who would consider a teaching career if an avenue were available to them. Many of these people have good academic preparation, are willing to relocate, want to help others, and believe that teaching could be a rewarding career.

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