Zientek, Linda Reichwein (2003-05). Do teachers differ by certification route? novice teachers' sense of self-efficacy, commitment to teaching, and preparedness to teach. Doctoral Dissertation. Thesis uri icon

abstract

  • Alternative teacher certification (ATC) programs are one method created to help
    alleviate teacher shortages (Cox, Matthews, & Assoc, 2001; Hallinan & Khmelkov,
    2001). While much debate has arisen over ATC programs, very few have empirically
    examined their impact on the teaching pool (Darling-Hammond, Berry, & Thoreson,
    2001; Darling-Hammond, Chung, & Frelow, 2002; Goldhaber, 2000; Ingersoll, 1999;
    Shen, 1997, 1999). The present study was designed to explore differences by
    certification type and program characteristics based on novice teachers' demographics,
    educational attainment, sense of self-efficacy, and sense of preparedness to enter the
    classroom.
    Results from the present study suggest ATC programs are somewhat diversifying
    the teaching population by bringing in more minorities and science majors, but do not
    appear to be bringing in more experienced scientists and mathematicians nor do they
    appear to be alleviating the teacher shortage. In this sample, traditionally certified
    teachers felt better prepared than ATC teachers with the biggest differences on
    Promoting Student Learning. Regardless of certification route, prior classroom experience was a strong predictor of Overall Preparedness and a teacher's perception of
    his or her ability to be an effective teacher. For ATC teachers, a positive mentoring
    experience was a strong predictor of Overall Preparedness.
    The discussion of whether or not ATC programs should exist should now be
    replaced with a discussion of how to ensure that these programs produce better teachers
    and improve student learning. The underlying theme from the present study was that, in
    order to feel prepared and have high self-efficacy, novice teachers needed instruction in
    the majority of the components identified by research and by the National Commission
    on Teaching and America's Future (1996), including positive mentoring experiences,
    field based experiences, and curriculum based on child development, learning theory,
    cognition, motivation, and subject matter pedagogy. Results from the present study
    support the assertion that teacher preparation programs, program components, mentoring
    experiences, and field-based experiences do impact teacher effectiveness in the
    classroom.

publication date

  • May 2003