First year education students' perceptions of teaching: implications for teacher educators

Abstract

Currently in Australia there is public concern about teacher quantity and quality (Business Council of Australia 2008) particularly in light of emerging teacher shortage and an ageing workforce. Worryingly, research suggests that the brightest noviCe teachers are those who are most likely to depart the profession permanently (Britton, Paine, Raizen & Pimm 2003) and teacher graduates leave the profession within ten years of graduation (Tyler & Stokes 2002; Australian Education Union 2006; Australian Council for Educational Research 2008). This paper presents initial data from a research collaboration between an Honours' research student conducting a phenomenological study of preservice teachers' perceptions of teaching as a career and their motivations for entering a four-year Bachelor of Education degree program and an experienced lecturer in the first professional studies subject of the degree. This paper examines how understandings of new first year education students' perceptions of the profession are informing pedagogical responses in the first year professional studies subject.