Recruiting Future STEM Teachers through Summer Internship Program

Abstract

Recruiting Future STEM Teachers through Summer Internship Program Monica Wong-Ratcliff, Marie-Anne Mundy Abstract The shortage of highly qualified STEM teachers has risen to a national concern. This article discusses the endeavor of a university in South Texas in recruiting future STEM teachers through the NSF Robert Noyce Summer Internship Program. The four-week paid internship program provided the undergraduate STEM majors with the opportunity to observe and participate in STEM education. The findings from the surveys indicated that the internship program made a positive impact on the interns. Their interest in teaching in the STEM area increased because of the Noyce Summer Internship Program. Owing to the positive experiences, a majority of the Noyce Interns decided to pursue teaching certificates to become high school STEM teachers. Full Text: PDF DOI: 10.15640/jehd.v8n3a1