Unlocking STEM pathways: A person-centred approach exploring a teacher recruitment intervention

Abstract

This research employed a person-centred approach to evaluate the effectiveness of a recruitment intervention aimed at attracting STEM undergraduate students to the teaching profession. The study aimed to identify participant profiles based on changes of interest in teaching, examine the demographic factors associated with these profiles, and explore the outcomes associated with the identified profiles. A total of 267 participants from 18 universities in England were recruited for the study. The intervention involved presenting 12 vignettes that depicted different motivations for choosing teaching as a career. Participants rated their change of interest in teaching after reading each vignette. The latent profile analysis revealed four distinct profiles: dissuaded participants, unpersuaded participants, moderately persuaded participants, and highly persuaded participants. The highly persuaded profile reported the highest levels of self-efficacy, interest, perceived fit, and enjoyment in teaching. Participants from higher socioeconomic backgrounds were more likely to be persuaded by the recruitment intervention, but gender, ethnicity, or program levels did not significantly affect profile membership. The findings demonstrate the potential of recruitment interventions to influence the interest of STEM undergraduate students in teaching and underscore the importance of considering individual characteristics and motivations when attracting prospective teachers to the profession.