This study compared the characteristics of freshman teacher aspirants choosing to continue in or leave a teacher education program at the end of their first year. Personality characteristics of the freshmen (n=102) were assessed with the Personal Orientation Inventory which consists of 150 two-choice comparative value-judgment items reflecting the…

A comparative study was made of ways in which teacher candidates and their non-teaching counterparts in college differ in their academic and social backgrounds and in their bases for career decisions. Questionnaires were submitted to 146 non-teaching students and 258 teacher candidates. Analysis of survey findings indicated that: (1) the high…

The Early Bird Internship Program in Teacher Education at Union University was developed to give the sophomore student a general field orientation to the whole school program prior to the senior student teaching program. In partial fulfillment of the requirements for a beginning course for all prospective teachers taken near the end of the…

Physical education graduates' responses to a survey regarding their employment status and career plans indicated that less than half entered teaching. Many felt program weaknesses included lack of exposure to the reality of teaching; too few field experiences; and lack of preparation for coaching, special needs students, and classroom management.…

Examined perceptions of psychic and economic rewards for different occupations, perceptions of psychic and economic costs of preparation and perceived availability of jobs for college majors in business, education, and psychology. Found that different majors have quite similar perceptions despite major differences in occupational choices.…

The various motivations for individuals entering and remaining in the teaching profession are described. The extent of teacher commitment by sex, age, and grade level taught, and advantages and disadvantages of teaching are discussed, and factors relating to job satisfaction are explored. (JN)

Many teacher education graduates are successfully pursuing careers in the human service fields. This trend suggests that their teacher education experience is preparing them for careers outside of schools. This annotated bibliography cites a variety of books, ERIC documents, and journal articles that relate to these changes. (CJ)

This study was designed to supply data on career patterns of teacher education graduates of three Iowa Regent's Universities. The research was aimed at answering the following questions: (1) What full-time occupations have been pursued by the graduates of one, five, and ten years ago? (2) What factors influenced acceptance of employment in…

This article reviews findings from a study of preservice elementary education students (N=101) who were administered the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to determine the type of student who shows a preference for elementary teaching as an occupational choice. Implications of findings for preservice teacher education and classroom practice are…

Northern Arizona University's introductory coursework for prospective teachers was revised from a survey-type covering of various education topics to a field-experience-based course focusing on four areas of teaching as a career choice: motivation, rewards, commitment, and skills. (CB)

This study examined the quality of students who continue in teacher education programs after completing the introductory courses. The purpose was to compare their academic proficiency with a group of students who had completed the same courses but did not continue on to teacher certification. Subjects were 74 graduates who went on to complete…

This study sought to determine: (1) preservice teachers' perceptions of teaching as a career, and (2) differences in perceptions among groups of preservice teachers categorized on the basis of a variety of background variables. Subjects of the study were 101 education majors enrolled in a college in the Southeast. The survey instrument included 71…

Scores on standardized tests and high school grade point average are not always good predictors of the academic ability or potential success of students choosing to become teachers. An issue often overlooked when sampling the academic qualifications is the identification of students who are not education majors but who plan on becoming teachers.…

Preservice teachers could conduct indepth interviews with one or more experienced teachers during the undergraduate program to obtain realistic information about the first year of teaching and the personal and professional changes teachers undergo as they continue to teach. This information would be useful to the preservice teachers in confirming…

A survey of preservice and inservice teachers in ten southeastern states was conducted to identify perceptions of teaching as a career opportunity. Differences in perceptions were calculated on the basis of sex, race, and grade level certification. Discriminating factors associated with preservice and inservice teachers were categorized on the…