Pathways into Teaching: Exploring the Preparation and Retention of Maths and Science Teachers
Jamie Ainge, University of Lincoln (United Kingdom)
Rachael Sharpe, University of Lincoln (United Kingdom)
Abstract
Initial teacher training (ITT) in England has been an evolutionary process leading to the multi-route system we see today. However, despite several routes a prospective trainee can take into teaching, the Department for Education has continually missed its recruitment targets for STEM subjects. Whilst there is much research on why teachers leave the profession and much of the UK government’s response to this shortage relies on financial incentives to attract new teachers, little research focuses on how teachers are trained and whether this can appear to influence their plans to remain in teaching. The highest rate of teacher attrition in England occurs within the first five years of service, with an average of a third of teachers leaving the profession in this period, although some studies record much higher figures for STEM subjects. These figures can also be higher in rural areas such as Lincolnshire, where this study is based. Using a mixed methods approach, this study will explore in-service mathematics and science teachers' attitudes to teacher training, how in-service mathematics and science teachers believe their initial teacher training has prepared them for a career in teaching and how their lived experiences can appear to influence their plans to remain in teaching.
Keywords: Initial teacher training, recruitment, preparation, retention.