Morale of Beginning Secondary Science Teachers: A Comparative Analysis of Teacher Preparation Programs

Abstract

This paper examines the morale of beginning secondary science teachers who attended one of three types of teacher preparation programs: 1) traditional undergraduate, 2) post-baccalaureate certification, or 3) alternative route to certification. One-hundred one secondary science teachers (grades 7-12) who were completing their second year in a Connecticut public middle or high school were surveyed to determine their levels of morale using the Purdue Teacher Opinionaire. Findings indicated that teachers trained via alternative route certification and post-baccalaureate programs were significantly less satisfied with their salary and their status as teachers compared to those trained at traditional undergraduate programs. The results of this study have implications for public school administrators hiring beginning science teachers and institutions certified to prepare them, particularly in terms of how to recruit, select, train, and retain them in the teaching profession.