Term paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Term paper - Essay Example In the 1990s, there was a call to understand and address the issue of teacher turnover in the United States. In the 15 years since this call, the turnover rate of teachers is still a central theme in many discussions regarding the teachers, yet there is now a better understanding about this phenomena. For instance, teacher turnover now encompasses several definitions, including teachers exiting the profession, teachers changing fields, or teachers changing schools (citation). Additionally there is now information regarding the reasons that teachers turnover. XXXX (XXX) reported that new teachers leave the teaching field because they fail to cope with the complications that can accompany teaching. Others may quit or move because of disruptive behavior amongst children, issues with the administration or parents, or lack of resources (XXXX, XXXX). Most of the studies surrounding turnover pertain to beginning teachers in general. That is, most reports report teacher attrition and mobility among all teachers, and then by current teaching position. In doing these analyses, large samples are quantitatively described and implications are made about various groups of teachers. While these analyses are important, there is a need to understand reasons for teacher attrition and mobility that are specific to science teachers. This type of analysis should take into account the nuances of the science teaching. Laboratory instruction is one area that is unique to science teachers. For science teachers, they need supplies to demonstrate phenomena and to have students explore basic phenomena in the laboratory. Another area that is unique to science teachers pertains to teaching out of field. Most science teachers are certified in one area, but often teach in different disciplines. A middle school science teacher, for example, who has a degr ee in life science and teaches a general science course, may