Teaching Methods and Retention: A Conversation About the Purposes of Teacher Education

• In Event: Roundtable Session 1
  In Roundtable Session: An Investigation of Teacher Retention Plans Among Special Populations Using the 2007-2008 Schools and Staffing Survey

Abstract

The goal of this study was to look at a broad sample of teachers to determine the relationship between the number of methods courses taken by a teacher and their desire to remain in teaching. One common belief regarding teacher retention is that it could easily be solved by finding quality teachers to staff classrooms. Another belief surrounding teacher retention is that there is a teacher shortage. Ingersoll’s (2001) work shows that there is a “revolving door” of teachers. Teachers enter the profession and quickly leave the profession for reasons other than retirement.
Teacher education has many goals that may be related to teacher retention. According to Feiman-Nemsar (1990) there are five orientations to teacher education: “academic, practical, technological, personal, and critical/social” (p. 228). These orientations all have goals that would seem to prepare teachers for the realities of teaching, aiding their ability to continue teaching for extended periods of time, more so than people who have not had teacher education coursework. It is probable then, that teacher education courses would lead to being better prepared, leading to less burnout and less job dissatisfaction since teachers with specific training should have a better idea of what to expect as a teacher. Following this trajectory, the hypothesis for this study was as follows: Taking more teaching methods courses will influence teachers’ intention to teacher for longer periods of time.
This paper uses a secondary data analysis approach and a conceptual theoretical approach. Using data from the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) 2007-2008 survey, regression analysis is used to determine if the number of teacher education courses taken relates to teachers’ decisions to stay in the profession. Question 29b, “Have you ever taken any graduate or undergraduate courses that focused on teaching methods or teaching strategies? How many courses” was used to measure the amount of methods classes taken by teachers. Question 58b “How long do you plan to remain in teaching?” was used to measure teachers’ intent to stay in the teaching profession.

The overall model was significant (.000). However, only .001% of the variance in intention to stay in teaching is predicted by number of methods courses. The results of the secondary analysis prompted the author to review recent literature regarding the goals of teacher education. Given the low correlation between teacher education courses and intent to stay in teaching, the author includes a review of recent literature regarding the purposes of teacher education. Among teacher education researchers, there seems to be a broad awareness of the challenges of teacher education (Cochran-Smith, 2005; Darling-Hammond, 2006; Grossman, Hammerness, & McDonald, 2009). It is not enough for teacher education researchers to know this information. Teacher education needs to engage in more frequent conversation with K-12 schools and the public regarding the relationship between teacher preparation, retention, and the desire to improve education more broadly (Swars, Meyers, Mays, and Lack, 2009).

Author

• Corliss Brown, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill