The purpose of this study was to determine if having a parent, a grandparent, or both a parent and grandparent who were educators was a contributing factor for teachers in not only choosing education but also remaining in the profession long term. I constructed a theoretical framework explaining the phenomenon. A review of the literature provided a basis for classifying motivations teachers have for entering the profession, possible reasons for leaving, satisfiers, and dissatisfiers. There were 18 participants in this grounded-theory research. The participants were identified using the snowball method. My study was conducted in a rural county in East Tennessee in 1 of 2 school systems present there.
The analysis of the data presented several themes and subsequent findings. The impact of the participants' families was definitely present. Although many participants reported that their parents did not overtly encourage them to become teachers, having witnessed their parents as teachers seemed to have made their transition to teaching easier. Each of the participants had extremely positive childhood experiences with education. The participants also noted that being children of teachers made them more aware of the various types of responsibilities and activities that were required of teachers. The participants also noted that having children of their own made the schedules of teachers more appealing, as well as their intense desire to see children learn.
I found through the research conducted with the participants of my study that their parents did not push or force them to become teachers; however, the experiences they had as children of teachers seemed to better prepare them for all of the duties, experiences, and expectations teachers face on a regular basis.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ETSU/oai:dc.etsu.edu:etd-3206 |
| Date | 19 August 2009 |
| Creators | Blazer, Henry Clay |
| Publisher | Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University |
| Source Sets | East Tennessee State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Electronic Theses and Dissertations |
| Rights | Copyright by the authors. |
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