American educational leaders seek to educate children (regardless of race, class, or economic status) to become productive citizens. In order for our country to compete with other countries where students are well educated and highly motivated, we need to ensure that our educational system is equipped with the technology and tools that would allow our children to be as well or better prepared than students elsewhere. However, a series of downward trends in the achievement rate of U.S. students had policymakers concerned (NCEE, 1983). The role of teacher training remains central to this growing concern. In 1839, Horace Mann supported teacher-training institutions. More than 150 years later, teacher training and questions of quality were still at the forefront in federal, state, and local governments. Teachers remain the most important factor in a child's learning process, and specific concerns remained focused on teacher quality, recruitment, effectiveness, and retention. Indeed, the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, signed in January 2002 by President George W. Bush set minimum requirements needed by teachers to be considered highly qualified. NCLB championed teacher quality, reiterated the correlation between academic achievement and teacher quality, and required school districts to utilize Title I funds to improve teacher quality. This study was to determine if there is a relationship between major field of study and teacher dispositions and students' success at the secondary level. In order to examine the relationship between teacher preparation and student success, four research questions and four corresponding null hypotheses were ix addressed in this study. These questions and hypotheses were based upon the findings presented in the literature review in Chapter II. The questions and hypotheses are: "Research Question 1." Is there a difference in the perceptions of teachers in different content areas regarding how their dispositions contribute to a student's success? "Null Hypothesis 1." There is no difference in the perceptions of teachers in different content areas regarding which dispositions contribute to a student's success. "Research Question 2." What is the relationship between teachers' major (in mathematics versus education) and their perception of students' success? "Null Hypothesis 2." There is no statistical relationship between teachers' major (in mathematics versus education) majors and their perception of students' success. "Research Question 3." What is the relationship between teachers' major (in English versus education) and their perception of students' success? "Null Hypothesis 3." There is no statistical relationship between teachers' major (in English versus education) and their perception of students' success. "Research Question 4." What is the relationship between teachers' major (in English versus Mathematics) and their perception of students' success? "Null Hypothesis 4." There is no statistical relationship between teachers' major (in English versus math) and their perception of students' success. To address these questions, this study employed the Education Longitudinal Survey of 2002 (ELS:2002), a national survey conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) of the U.S. Department of Education. The survey population for the full-scale ELS:2002 consisted of spring-term 10th graders in 2002 who were enrolled in public schools, charter schools, private schools and Catholic schools in the United States. This research study employed casual-comparative research design procedures. This design helps to determine the causes, or reasons, for differences in the status of groups of individuals. The independent variable is a characteristic that influences another behavior or characteristic. The change in the characteristic that occurs as a result of the independent variable is the dependent variable. Casual-comparative research is an important form of educational research because it cannot, or should not, be manipulated (Gay, Mills, & Airasian, 2006). This study specifically used four questions from the ELS:2002 questionnaire (see Appendix). A combination of descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze and understand the data. Frequencies and percentages were obtained to provide descriptive information about teacher preparation and teacher dispositions. In the United States today, approximately 30% of new teachers leave the profession within the first 5 years of their careers. Research shows that this rate is due to inadequate preparation and support in the early years. These problems are compounded in low-income areas in both rural and urban America. In order for the United States to compete globally, active steps must be taken to combat these problems. To do so, there must be a more complete understanding of the factors that contribute to (and detract from) the success and achievement of both teachers and students. This study aimed to contribute to that understanding. Specifically, this study is significant, because it shows that there is a positive relationship between teachers' major area of study and perceptions of the sources of student success. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.