Commitment to Teach in Under-Resourced Schools: Prospective Science and Mathematics Teachers’ Dispositions
Source: Journal of Science Teacher Education, Volume 23, Issue 1, p. 87-110. February 2012
In this study, the authors sought to gain an understanding of what motivates prospective teachers who are Noyce Scholars at a research-intensive southeastern US university to commit to teaching secondary level science or mathematics in school districts that have a high proportion of students who come from low-socioeconomic households.
An interpretive methodology revealed three themes associated with Noyce Scholars’ motivations to teach
(1) awareness of educational challenges,
(2) sense of belonging to or comfort with diverse communities, and
(3) belief that one can serve as a role model and resource.
The article describes and compares the significance of each theme among six prospective teachers who identify with the schooling experiences of students who came from low-income or poor households and nine prospective teachers who identify with the schooling experiences in a middle-income school or district.