Recruiting Future Physics Teachers through a Field-Based Summer Enrichment Program
The study that informed this chapter proposed to determine whether any aspect of a Noyce program intervention, in particular a summer program, affected students’ decisions to teach or not teach physics in a high-need school. Research questions were: (1) In what ways does the program compare to Noyce programs being conducted at other universities for similar purposes? (2) How do physics majors’ ideas about education shift as a result of participating in a summer physics teaching program?
Educating Effective Science Teachers: Preparing and Following Teachers into the Field
This chapter presents findings from several investigations connected to the preparation of secondary-level science teachers, comparing two secondary science teacher preparation programs (undergraduate and graduate) at a large Midwestern university. The different program designs resulted in a greater use of reform-based science instructional practices by graduate level candidates with science degrees.
Recruiting Science Majors into Secondary Science Teaching: Paid Internships in Informal Science Settings
Over 3 years, 34 college science majors and undecided students were recruited into paid internships in informal science settings to consider secondary science teaching as a career. Analysis of interns’ subsequent career plans revealed the internships were not effective in recruiting the interns into the secondary science teacher education program.
In Pursuit of Sustainable STEM Certification Programs
This article investigates the impact of a prescholarship internship available to freshman and sophomore science majors exploring the possibility of becoming secondary STEM teachers. Based on positive results with a limited number of students, recommendations are made on how a university-based certification program can better accommodate STEM undergraduates who want to explore teaching as a career possibility.
