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A dearth of research exists examining variance in programs of study in teacher
preparation. It seems intuitive that disaggregating data by degree paths would be revealing.
Different programs of study (e.g., elementary education degree, secondary education degree)
may have varied requirements including the amount and types of coursework, hours of field
experience, and length and components of student teaching. Whether or not the graduate
concurrently completes a minor degree or second teaching field could also give insight to how
prepared a teacher is for the classroom. This would necessitate noting differences in the
outcomes of graduates with no minor, a minor related to working with diverse student
populations (e.g., English speakers of other languages [ESL] minor, special education minor), or
a minor in another field. The closer scrutiny of degree paths could shed light on why teachers
feel unprepared to work with students from diverse populations and become part of attrition
statistics.
Method
Concerns regarding early career teacher attrition attributed to preservice preparation
motivated this mixed methods case study which examined, via a survey design, the degree to
which teacher preparation impacts post-graduation outcomes, particularly career retention. To
accomplish this, the study explored variables identified from teacher attrition research:
coursework and clinical practice (both field experience and student teaching). Targeted variables
included coursework adequacy, hours of field experience, and length of the professional
semester. Since much of the literature on teacher attrition includes concerns of effectively
teaching students from culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) populations, this topic was
also explored. The idea that education majors who successfully complete more coursework and
clinical perceive themselves as better prepared by their preservice programs, feel more effective
in the classroom, and plan to remain in the teaching profession beyond the induction period was
also explored.
Participants
Personal, educational, and professional demographics, perceptions of preservice
preparation, and post-graduation outcomes from a purposeful sample of graduates at a university
in the Midwest were analyzed. A unique feature of the research was the examination of
participants’ degree paths and additional endorsements received. Participants were 3 to 5 years
post-graduation. The professional retention was increased for graduates completing programs of
study with more emphasis on diversity. Determining which graduates received more emphasis on
diverse populations was achieved by disaggregating data among 9 programs of study:
Elementary/no minor, elementary/diversity minor, elementary/general minor; K-12, no minor, K-
12/diversity minor, K-12/general minor; secondary/no minor, secondary/diversity minor,
secondary/general minor.
In addition to an initial education foundations course, all programs of study required
successful completion of a 3-hour survey course in special education and 9 hours of psychology,
but elementary majors were also required additional credits in classroom management and
multicultural studies. Pedagogy-related coursework also varied among different secondary
content areas. For example, the BSEd in biology required one 3-hour methods course for
teaching biology while the BSEd in technology education required 10 hours of content teaching
methods.