Introducing STEM Majors to the Teaching Profession Through Authentic Experiences as Tutors

Authors

  • Grinell Smith San José State University

Keywords:

Tutoring, STEM teaching, science education, mathematics education, teacher motivation, teacher recruiting, career satisfaction, intrinsic motivation, teaching as complex

Abstract

Recruiting people with rich backgrounds in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) into the teaching profession has historically been difficult and remains so today. In this bounded instrumental case study, undergraduate STEM majors were trained and placed as science and math tutors in grades 9-12, with an overarching goal of encouraging them to consider teaching as a possible career path. Several themes emerged from the tutorsâ experiences as significant in their willingness to consider a career in teaching, including altruism from helping others, satisfaction from tuteesâ improved academic performance, and a more nuanced understanding of the complex nature of teaching.

Author Biography

Grinell Smith, San José State University

Assistant Professor, Department of K-8 Education, College of Education, San José State University

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Published

2010-12-22

How to Cite

Smith, G. (2010). Introducing STEM Majors to the Teaching Profession Through Authentic Experiences as Tutors. Current Issues in Education, 13(4). Retrieved from https://cie.asu.edu/ojs/index.php/cieatasu/article/view/709

Issue

Vol. 13 No. 4 (2010)

Section

Spring/Fall Issue

License

Authors retain copyright without restrictions. Unless otherwise indicated, from 2021 all articles are published under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA license. For more information visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/. Articles published prior to 2021 used a CC-BY-NC-SA license.