1997;13:325-340.

Teaching as a profession and as a career: Minority candidates' perspectives.

Teaching and Teacher Education

Su Z.

UIID-AC: 54

Abstract

A case study of teacher candidates from three ethnic groups - Asian American, African-American, and Hispanic - in a state university in the U.S. reveal both similarities and differences in views on teaching as a profession and as a career between these students and their mainstream-white/Caucasian-peers. While the majority of the candidates under the study are proud of becoming members of the teaching profession, only one third of them plan to take teaching as a lifelong career. Emotional aspects (stress, frustration) appear to be the major cause for white teachers to leave the profession whereas the minority candidates are more likely to leave teaching when there are opportunities for them to do something else more rewarding. Although all the prospective teachers entered teaching for traditional altruistic reasons, the minority candidates were also motivated by their awareness of the inequalities in the existing educational and social establishments. Therefore, many minority candidates have clear and strong visions for social justice and for their own roles as change agents in the schools and society. Most of the white students, on the other hand, do not have these visions largely because of their optimal prior schooling experiences. It is argued that the minority candidates should be considered as the most important resource in restructuring teacher education programs and that efforts should be made to recruit and retain more qualified minority teachers in the teaching profession. © 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.

Publication Types

• Journal Article