New Mathematics Educators' Preparation for Academic Careers: An Exploratory Study

Research on the preparation of faculty members through their graduate programs has often focused on the lack training for the daily grind of a career in higher education. Golde (2006) posited that “many PhD recipients are ill-prepared to function effectively in the settings in which they work. Many new faculty members do not feel ready to carry out the range of roles asked of them” (p. 5).  In light of such acknowledgements, there have been calls from the higher education community to investigate and re-evaluate doctoral education (e.g., Walker, Golde, Jones, Conklin-Bueschel, & Hutchings, 2008). In particular, it has been recognized that the preparation of mathematics teacher educators remains unexamined (Goos, 2009; Zaslavsky & Leikin, 2004). Despite the lists of theoretical and practical knowledge researchers have created to illustrate the depth and breadth of knowledge necessary for their work (e.g., Even, 2008; Fey, 2001; Jaworski, 2008; Zaslavsky, 2008) recognized “there is almost no research on the education of mathematics teacher educators” (p. 58). Goos (2009) conceded “almost nothing is known about the […] development of mathematics teacher educators” (p. 210). Thus, the current research study seeks to contribute to the knowledge base in the field of preparation of new mathematics education faculty members for academic careers.

Theoretical Framework

In addressing the preparation of doctoral students for their careers, researchers have looked to socialization (e.g., Austin, 2002) and, more specifically, socialization for the scholar role (e.g., Weidman and Stein, 2003) to describe the process of becoming an academic that doctoral students undergo. Austin (2002) explains socialization as a “process through which an individual becomes part of a group, organization, or community. The socialization process involves learning about the culture of the group, including its values, attitudes, and expectations” (p. 96). Weidman and Stein (2003), in their focus on the socialization for the scholar role, attend to the “knowledge, skills and dispositions that make them [doctoral students] more or less able members of society” (Brim & Wheeler, 1966, p. 3). In this study, we focus on whether, through the socialization process of their graduate studies, new mathematics educators are aware of and prepared for the expectations and skills necessary for their work as academics.

Purpose

While others (e.g., Golde & Walker, 2006) have looked to understand how doctoral education could provide better preparation for academic careers, the purpose of this research study was to identify challenges faced by new mathematics educators. Specifically, we focused on the following questions:

1.    Based on their experiences in a doctoral program, in what ways do new mathematics educators feel prepared for their work in academe?

2.    What are the challenges new mathematics educators experience when transitioning into faculty positions?

3.    How can knowledge of new mathematics educators' experiences help inform doctoral programs; in particular, how programs address the development of doctoral candidates' teaching practices, broaden their knowledge of the field, and increase their familiarity with the expectations of being a new professor?

To explore these questions, we asked a cohort of new mathematics educators to answer questions related to their new academic positions.

Methodology

Population

Participants of a National Science Foundation (NSF) funded grant to mentor recent (within the first four years of post-doctoral work) graduates of mathematics educational doctoral programs were contacted. Forty of the 46 NSF fellows responded to the invitation to participate in this study. According to survey responses, these new faculty members were expected to spend, on average, 48% of their time on teaching, 37% on research, and 15% on service.

Instrumentation

A pilot test of the survey instrument was conducted with six mathematics education faculty members who have served as mentors for new mathematics educators. These faculty members were chosen for the pilot as they have intimate knowledge about the challenges faced by new mathematics educators. Based on the pilot, the research team revised the survey instrument. The final survey instrument consisted of 27 questions partitioned into demographics and open response items focused on participants' beliefs about how their doctoral program experiences have affected their 1) transitions into becoming faculty members and 2) preparation, support, and resources for teaching.

Data Collection

Potential participants were contacted via email with an explanation of the research study and its purpose. A link to the survey was provided in the email cover letter. Participants were informed that participation was voluntary and their responses would be aggregated, so that no one individual could be readily identified. The final version of the survey was created and placed on a secure website via Survey Monkey (www.surveymonkey.com).

Analysis & Summary of Findings

Using a two-tiered analysis starting with grounded theory (Glaser & Strauss, 1967; Thomas & James, 2006), we first analyzed participants' survey responses to identify patterns and commonalities in describing the struggles, challenges, successes, resources, and reflections on what did and did not prepare them well for their work. In the second stage of data analysis, we examined the themes for consistency with the research literature. Three meta-themes emerged: 1) lack of teaching experience, 2) difficulty navigating departmental and institutional culture and politics, and 3) need of mentoring. Along the road to earning a doctorate, one might expect that graduate students are taught the expectations of and practices important to the work they might encounter as future faculty members. However, we identified significant gaps in the graduate school socialization process for new mathematics teacher educators. We believe that much of the socialization process was incidental rather than deliberate, areas of importance were implied rather than explicit, and preparation for a career in academe was often not a focus. 

Based on our findings, we draw on Fey's (2001) call for “authentic and effective preparation” (p.58) to recommend that thorough and explicit attention be paid to the entirety of the socialization process, as described by Austin (2002) and Weidman and Stein (2003). With the knowledge provided by recent studies such as this, doctoral programs can become more informed of the current needs of their graduate students.

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