“I Fell in Love with Physics and Wanted to Share that Love with Others:” A Mixed-Methods Analysis of Faculty and Student Perspectives on Choosing to Teach Physics

ABSTRACT

There is a high need for well-qualified teachers across all STEM content areas, especially in secondary physics. Our work examines why individuals choose to pursue physics teaching. This study, at a primarily undergraduate institution in the Northeastern United States, uses a modified version of Watt and Richardson’s Factors Influencing Teacher Choice (FIT-Choice) model as an analytical frame to describe why individuals choose to teach physics. The study employed a mixed methods convergent design approach. Qualitative data sources include transcribed interviews (with physics/secondary education majors and physics faculty), providing multiple perspectives on students’ choice to pursue teaching, and one open-ended survey item. Quantitative data sources include a survey based on Watt and Richardson’s FIT-Choice model administered to all physics undergraduate majors at our institution (those enrolled in a physics/secondary education dual major and other physics majors). Our findings revealed several clear trends including: prior teaching and learning experiences were critical in helping an individual choose to become a teacher; future teachers reported a clear love for the subject (physics); specific skills and expertise are needed to effectively teach secondary physics; and physics teaching is a mechanism for enhancing social equity. There was some discussion of negative stereotypes about teaching careers, but this was relatively small compared to other trends. Implications for this work could include creating tools to aid in recruiting a larger pool of highly qualified secondary physics teachers.

KEYWORDS:

• Physics education
• stem teaching shortage
• teacher recruitment
• secondary science

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

¹ When we consider the “in-major” GPA for both groups (i.e. the grade point average in courses specific to the physics degree only, excluding liberal learning requirements or elective courses) the physics-secondary education dual majors’ average GPA is 3.19 and for those not pursuing teacher licensure is 3.22.

² All physics faculty who were available during the week interviews took place.

³ For two sub-categories Bludging (or avoiding work responsibility) and Fallback Career, we had just one item in each. We purposefully did not address those findings in this section.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the NSF Directorate for Education and Human Resources [#1557357].