A Survey of Factors Affecting Enrollment in Mathematics Teacher Education Programs

Concern for an adequate supply of competent mathematics teachers prompted this research. The study was implemented to identify the factors believed to be of importance in a student\u27s decision concerning whether or not to become a public school teacher. A comparison was made between two groups of mathematics students at Western Kentucky University. Mathematics students were separated according to whether or not they were pursuing teacher certification. A two-part questionnaire was administered. The first part asked students to rate the importance of 10 selected career factors in their career decision. The second part asked students to rate these same 10 factors with regard to the attractiveness of public school teaching. The 10 factors were: (a) salary, (b) fringe benefits, (c) security, (d) job market, (e) working conditions, (f) contribution to society, (g) prestige, (h) advancement opportunities, (i) interesting work, and (j) congenial co-workers. Statistically significant differences were found between the two groups on three of the ten factors of importance and on nine of the ten factors describing their attraction to teaching. Five recommendations were offered for increasing the supply of mathematics teachers