Teaching as a career choice: A case study on the perceptions of emerging teachers

As fewer and fewer students choose teaching as a career, the teaching profession struggles to understand how to recruit more students into the field, and prevent current teachers from leaving. Data shows the need for new teachers will continue to increase (Sutcher, Darling-Hammond and Carver-Thomas (2016), while almost 70% of schools reported at least one unfilled vacancy to begin the 2011-12 school year (Malkus, Hoyer, & Sparks, 2015). Teacher preparation programs are also graduating fewer students into teaching (2016). This qualitative case study investigated the perceptions and beliefs of undergraduate students enrolled in an introductory course on teaching. Data from this case study is expected to confirm prior research on the reasons why students choose teaching as a profession, and help teacher preparation programs investigate if students’ perceptions about becoming a teacher have changed. Results from this study support prior research on why students choose to become teachers, but also explores students views on how society views teaching, the continued salary gap with other professions, and the future of teaching.