- Year 2017
- NSF Noyce Award # 1339993
- First Name Hoonandara
- Last Name Goonatilake
- Discipline Math
- Presenters
Goonatilake, Hoonandara, Texas A&M International University, harag@tamiu.edu
Lin, Runchang, Texas A&M International University, rlin@tamiu.edu
Pena, Mayra L., Texas A&M International University,mayra.pena@tamiu.edu
Benavides, Oscar M., Texas A&M International University, oscarbenavides@dusty.tamiu.edu
Sepulveda, Lorena A., Texas A&M International University
lsepulveda4537@students.laredo.edu
Need
Career aspiration and other motivators are the key for educational success. Understanding student motivations and career aspirations will be essential to plan any scholarship programs. Positive expectations on these matters will definitely lead to positive outcomes and the attitudes for students to succeed in becoming successful high school mathematics teachers as expected from the Noyce Scholarship Program. Addressing these components will lead to a national strategy that reaps maximum benefits expected from the programs and enable recipients of Noyce scholarship to attain both educational and career successes in higher education in general.
Goals
Bridging the initial career aspirations to the eventual success of becoming mathematics teachers hinges on the students’ motivations and positive expectations. In typical college coursework, student motivation, engagement, and achievement are expected to be successful in the course and in the same time to earn a better grade. In a scholarship program, the same is expected. Focus on these factors is essential and of prime importance. In this project, a survey study has been designed and carried out to address these concerns.
Approach
A survey monkey link has been created to be sent out to all past and current Noyce scholars and alumni of the program. The survey is consisted of 10 questions to address the theme of the paper as appeared in the appendix. The data so collected have been summarized, aggregated, discussed, and conclusions drawn from the data. In addition, the information of the current and past Noyce scholars and alumni will be tabulated to showcase the program not only deliver financial assistance to students but also provide mentoring and preparation generally expected from the scholars to be a capable of becoming high school mathematics teacher in the high school mathematics classrooms on the day one upon their graduation.
The questionnaires in the survey will mainly focus on their short term career aspiration followed by long term career aspiration. The extent of their preparation for a high school mathematics teaching position will be determined.
Outcomes
This presentation attempts to examine the distinction between the educational and career aspirations among Noyce scholars at Texas A&M International University, Laredo, Texas. In addition, data collected throughout the last three years of the program will be reviewed together with the progress the scholars have made so far. Positive expectations on these matters together with scholarship experience will definitely lead to positive outcomes and the attitudes for them to succeed in becoming successful high school mathematics teachers.
Broader Impacts
TAMIU Noyce Scholarship program is already well into program implementation. With yet about two years to go, the program intends to achieve all objectives as concluded from this presentation. This is a short survey intended to have a glimpse of the situation. More data is needed to conclude the findings to support the claims significantly.
