- Year 2024
- NSF Noyce Award # 1852944
- First Name Levi
- Last Name Johnson
- Registration Faculty/Administrator/Other
- Discipline Mathematics, STEM Education (general)
- Role Project Personnel
- Presenters
Gina Childers, Rebecca Hite, Nathan Marr, Isiaka Raheem, Bernard Wekullo, Jessica Gottlieb, Tara Stevens, Levi Brock Williams, Texas Tech University; Raegan Higgins, and Ronald Hendrick, Texas Tech University
Need
The work outlined in this poster will inform Noyce project improvements aimed at effective preparation of teacher candidates for long-term success in STEM teaching placements. It also stands to support broader educator preparation program improvements aimed at increasing the number of successful STEM teacher candidates.
Research Questions
The poster will examine how interventions embedded in three different Noyce Scholars grants at Texas Tech University supported scholars’ motivation and post-graduation career decisions.
Approach
This study employs Self-Determination Theory as a theoretical framework and explores participants’ competence, autonomy, and relatedness with respect to their early-stage career experiences. The research team is collecting data through semi-structured interviews.
Outcomes
Preliminary results suggest relatedness was a primary factor that connected participants to their initial teaching interest and aided their resiliency in remaining a mathematics educator. Specifically, study participants shared the importance of seminars as being an effective resource for supporting and maintaining interest in teaching (while being in the program as a student) and networking resources such as conferences and established communication with the Noyce community at TTU (after leaving the program) were critical for persistence in teaching.
Broader Impacts
The overall implication for future Noyce programs is designing and maintaining spaces for social connections and sharing among current and former Noyce participants. These lessons stand to further extend into educator preparation program improvement and STEM teacher retention policy work.
