Making teachers from students: How learning environments may foster an interest in teaching

• Main Authors: Coppola, Adam, Zastavker, Yevgeniya V., Goodman, Jeremy M., Christiansen, Rebecca J., Verso, Anne Lo, Auerswald, Cecelia, Lee, Doyung
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Subjects: Academic Culture; Collaborative work; Communities; Context; Educational institutions; Engineering education; Informal Peer Teaching; Knowledge engineering; Pedagogical Awareness; Recruitment of STEM Teachers; Teacher Motivation
• ISSN: 0190-5848
• DOI: 10.1109/FIE.2014.7044354

This paper presents an exploratory case study of the interest and participation in teaching, teaching related activities, and research on education among students and alumni at Celadon College, a small engineering school focused on education reform. Prompted by a lack of qualified STEM educators in the United States, this study investigates how to increase interest in education as a career path among STEM undergraduates. A mixed methods analysis of survey responses from 231 students and alumni reveals that, compared to the national average among engineering graduates, subjects at Celadon College are more than twice as likely to indicate interest in becoming K-12 teachers. Analysis indicates that two major factors influence students' position towards teaching and the desire to teach: the development of pedagogical awareness and participation in informal peer teaching. Our analysis suggests a link between institutional academic and non-academic cultures and students' interest in K-12 teaching. We conclude by sharing a set of questions for further investigation and discussion with engineering education community.