The Influence of Scholarships on the Recruitment of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Majors to

Teach in High Needs Settings

Pey-Yan LiouAllison KirchhoffFrances LawrenzChristina Madsen

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University of MinnesotaAcknowledgement:This project was funded by National Science Foundation (Grant#REC0514884)

Presentation Outline

Introduction Context

– Noyce Scholarship Program– STEM majors’ perceptions of the influence of the

scholarship Method Results Discussion

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Introduction Positive relationship between teacher quality in science and math

education and student achievement Shortage of qualified teachers in high needs areas Strategies employed by federal and state agencies as well as teacher

preparation institutions to recruit and retain qualified teachers: ― alternative certification routes ― financial incentives *National Defense Education Act (NDEA) of 1958 *27 states have some loan forgiveness or scholarship program(s) for prospective teachers (Jerald and Boser, 1999) Little research on the effects of scholarships, especially for high needs

settings

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Context

The National Science Foundation’s Noyce Scholarship Program (NSP) attempts to recruit qualified science and math teachers to high needs settings through financial incentives Scholars commit to two years of teaching in high needs settings for

each year of scholarship support

Research goal: We are interested in scholars perceptions of the influence of the NSP Scholarship

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Noyce Scholarship Programs Overview Generally teacher preparation programs use some screening criteria to

select Noyce scholars: – GPA (98.5%)– personal statement (97%)– letters of recommendation (91%)– upper level undergraduate status in science or mathematics major (82%)– structured interviews (73%)– bachelor’s degree in the candidate’s subject area (73%)– and previous work experience (69%)

Most programs provide opportunities for interactions with children from different cultures such as mentoring or tutoring, coursework relating to diverse cultures, and specific instruction about practicing in high needs schools.

High Needs or Diversity Opportunities in Programs

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Principal Investigators Perceptions about the Influence of the Scholarship(N=66)

Principal investigators=faculty in teacher preparation programs responsible for the operation of the NSP at their school

– Noyce funding greatly increased their ability to recruit a variety of students

– Noyce funding had a effect on relationships with community, districts, STEM faculty, and industry

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Survey Evaluation Scholar Survey administered online during the summer of

2007. http://www2.cehd.umn.edu/EdPsy/NoyceSurvey/NoyceScholar/surveySample.asp

Participants were asked to respond to a variety of items regarding their perceptions of and experiences with NSP

(a) project overview (b) program characteristics and organization (c) teaching environment and experience (d) the decision to become a teacher (e) background and experience (f) overall experience

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Sample (n=555)

Scholars had strong content backgrounds and reported taking several mathematics and science classes. ―about 50% of all scholars indicated taking 10 to 20 STEM courses ― majority of scholars specified that they had taken 1 to 8 teaching methods courses

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Category Characteristics

Gender Female 65% (329/507)Male 35% (178/507)

Race White 68% (319/469)Non-White 32% (150/469)

Intention to teach science

Yes 59% (301/507)No 41% (206/507)

Current educational

status

In a teacher certification program, not yet a full-term teacher 31% (171/555)Completed a teacher certification program, but never taught 8% (42/555)Did not complete a teacher certification program and will not return 1% (7/555)In a teacher certification program and teaching full-time as part of that program 13% (70/555)Teaching full-time or part-time 50% (255/555)Taught after being certified, and now working in education but not as a teacher 1% (5/555)Taught after being certified, and now not working in education 1% (5/555)

Outcome Variable “How influential is the Noyce Scholarship money in your commitment to:”

(a) become a teacher (b) complete the certification program (c) take a teaching job (d) teach in a high needs school (e) remain teaching in a high needs school for the full term of your commitment (f) remain teaching in a high needs school beyond the full term of your

commitment

The four-point scale: 1) not at all influential, 2) not very influential, 3) somewhat influential and 4) very influential

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Analyses

Hierarchical cluster analysis (performed with SPSS 16.0)

― Technique which statistically groups similar items together. Items included in the same cluster are considered more closely related to each other than items in other clusters

Confirmatory factor analysis (performed with AMOS 16)

― CFA was then performed to confirm the theories and provide additional data regarding patterns that emerged

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Dendogram from HCA

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Confirmatory Factor Analysis

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Influence of scholarshipon STEM majors

becoming high needsschool teachers

.76

become a teacher e1.65

complete the certification program e2.75

take a teaching job e3

.79

teach in a high needs school e4.81

remain teaching in a high needs schoolfor the full term of your commitment

e5.59

remain teaching in a high needs schoolbeyond the full term of your commitment

e6

.89

.90

.77

Influence of scholarshipon STEM majors

becoming a teacher

.87

.81

.87

.66

Factor name Item R2

Influence of scholarship on STEM majors becoming teachers(Cronbach’s Alpha=0.88)

Become a teacher 0.763

Complete certification 0.654

Take teaching job 0.749

Influence of scholarship on STEM majors becoming high needs teachers(Cronbach’s Alpha=0.90)

Full commitment 0.815

Teach in high needs 0.791

Beyond commitment 0.589

Conclusion & Future Research We found two underlying factors (Underlying constructs) of effects of the

NSP: ―(1) scholars’ commitments to teach in high needs settings ―(2) scholars’ commitments to finish their teacher preparation program

More data need to be collected to determine whether these teachers actually stay in high needs schools beyond their initial commitments (long-term retention) because it is beyond the NSP’s control

Recruitment strategies need to be considered when giving this kind of scholarship Strategies should seek to determine and award those most committed to high needs

settings

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Implications

Recruitment: scholarship application procedures need to be sensitive to recruiting and awarding candidates committed to teaching in high needs settings Those with lower commitment levels may not stay in high needs settings

beyond NSP requirements

Teacher preparation: provide extensive and positive high needs experiences Scholars who may not be very committed to high needs settings may be

positively influenced by such experiences and remain in high needs settings longer

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Questions

Thank you!

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