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Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
Introduction
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administrator.
The field of education is approaching a serious crisis in the
form of a teacher shortage. U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley
spoke on this very topic, stating that we must follow a new set of three
Rs as we go forward: "recruitment, retention, and respect" (Branch,
2000, p. 13). The first of these Rs is a prominent challenge that school
principals face: hiring the right people for the right positions (Boulton,
1969; Place & Drake, 1994; Young & Prince, 1999). The challenge is
not simply to place enough adults in front of classrooms, but to recruit
and retain teachers who have a strong positive impact on students
learning (Murnane & Steele, 2007, p. 17).
Purpose of the Study
This study sought to offer information related to the hiring of
teachers under an increased level of accountability from both state and
national educational agencies. The purpose of this phenomenological
study was to investigate the views of secondary school principals on
the connection between applicants college majors and student
achievement and the applicant qualities that matter most to principals.
Theoretical Framework
While teaching level is of great importance, so too is the
amount and type of educational coursework a teacher has had.
Whether it is within the framework of an undergraduate major, postbaccalaureate work, a masters program, or even an alternative
certification program, One strong predictor of teaching performance
is the amount of coursework in education. Studies have consistently
found positive effects of teachers formal education training on
supervisory ratings and student learning (Stronge, 2002, p. 5).
Stronge (2002) noted that the coursework considered in teacher
effectiveness studies give great heed to the positive correlations
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References
Barrick, M. R., & Mount, M. K. (1991). The big five personality
dimensions and job performance: A meta-analysis. Personnel
Psychology, 44(1), 1-26.
Boulton, D. L. (1969). The effect of various information formats on
teacher selection decision. American Educational Research
Journal, 6(3), 329-347.
Branch, A. (2000, January). Riley calls for a new three 'R's'.
Curriculum Administrator, 36(1), 13.
Broadley, G., & Broadley, K. M. (2004). The employment styles of
school principals recruiting beginning teachers. Educational
Research, 46(3), 250-268.
Darling-Hammond, L. (1997). The right to learn: A blueprint for
creating schools that work. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Darling-Hammond, L. (2000). Teacher quality and student
achievement: A review of state policy evidence. Education
Policy Analysis Archives, 8(1). Retrieved from
http://epaa.asu.edu/epaa/v8n1/
Digman, J. M. (1990, January). Personality structure: Emergence of
the five-factor model. Annual Review of Psychology, 41, 417440.
Flick, U. (2006). An introduction to qualitative research (3rd ed.).
Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Jensen, M. C. (1986). Recruiting and selecting the most capable
teachers. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No.
ED269885)
Karp, S. (2003). The No Child Left Behind hoax. Rethinking Schools
Online. Retrieved from
http://www.rethinkingschools.org/special_reports/bushplan/hoa
x.shtml
Kohn, A. (1998). Only for my kid: How privileged parents undermine
school reform. Phi Delta Kappan, 79(8), 568-577.
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