Why Not Teach? Pilot Study Validity and Reliability Results for College Career Choices Survey

Abstract

Milner (2012) defines opportunity gaps as the uncontrollable factors such as race, language, or economic status that can impact students’ success in schools. Rather than placing focus on students’ achievement, examinations of opportunity gaps emphasize the systems and structures that may contribute to disparities in student outcomes. The researchers argue that one approach to closing the opportunity gaps is to increase the teaching pool with candidates who are prepared to meet the needs of today’s diverse K-12 population. As schools become more diverse, teacher candidates continue to be primarily White, monolingual, middle-class, women (U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education, 2022) and do not necessarily reflect the diversity or needs of today’s students. Therefore, the researchers created an instrument, ATE Teaching Profession Survey, to survey college students on their perspectives on the profession of teaching and their choice of academic majors. The researchers hope to gain insight on why individuals have opted to not enter the teaching profession as a first step in addressing the inequities present within the teacher workforce. By identifying barriers to entering the teaching profession, stakeholders can begin addressing disparities in ways that will enlarge and diversify the teacher workforce The purpose of this pilot study was to establish reliability and content validity of the survey instrument, including the seven subscales. The researchers also detailed procedures that will be used for a national administration of the survey.