Home Economics Graduates Perceptions Of Their Professional Preparation And Job Satisfaction

Author : Kelley A. Keller-Ritter
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 194 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (574 download)

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Download or read book How Graduate Education Impacts Job Satisfaction for Family and Consumer Science Teachers written by Kelley A. Keller-Ritter and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When does an individual choose a particular graduate degree? What factors or influences direct an individual's choice of degree? Are there critical influences that affect decision-making? Can one predict with some degree of certainty that an individual will select a particular graduate degree? Questions such as these have presented a challenge to members of the Missouri Family and Consumer Sciences Teacher Education Council. The purpose was to examine the different demographic variables related to current Family and Consumer Sciences teachers who have a graduate degree. This study helped identify the reasons why Family and Consumer Sciences teachers select the graduate degree programs they complete, as well as assess the job satisfaction level of these same teachers. Usable date were provided by 59 teachers who held an advanced teaching certificate and/or a graduate degree during the summer of 2003. Five research questions and three null hypotheses were framed to guide the study. Data analysis procedures included the use of analysis of variance and regression. The first part of data collection employed the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (1967). The MSQ is an inventory that evaluates the degree to which needs and values are satisfied by an individual's job. The second part of the data collection utilized the Graduate Degree Data form which was created by the researcher. Based on the findings of this study, Missouri Family and Consumer Sciences teachers are satisfied with their current job and graduate degree. There was no significant difference in job satisfaction or perceptions about professional development when analyzed by type (teaching and other) of graduate degree received. The more involved teachers were in professional organizations, the more teachers reported they knew about curriculum issues in Family and Consumer Sciences. This in turn will impact the overall quality of education that is provided by the teachers who are active in their professional organizations. Teachers represent the core of the educational system. The retention of quality teachers who can provide current content and competent methods of teaching should be the goal of every educational system. School systems can improve the quality of the education provided by encouraging teachers to become active in their professional organizations and to implement proactive changes in their content area.