Qualities Secondary School Principals Examine When Hiring Mathematics and Science Teachers

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Qualities Secondary SchoolPrincipals Examine WhenHiring Mathematics andScience Teachers

PeterA.RubbaJerry P. Becker

Which characteristics are principalslooking for in a teacher?

How important are college grades?

Will previous teaching experiencehelp or hinder my chances for get-ting a teaching position?

Every teacher has contemplated these and similar questions when apply-ing for a teaching position. Few teachers, even those with previous inter-viewing and teaching experience, are truly cognizant of the characteris-tics school administrators look for in a teacher. The recent shortages ofqualified mathematics and science teachers (Akin, 1982, 1983, 1984; Ger-lovich and Howe, 1983; Shymansky and Aldridge, 1982) have not abol-ished these concerns among applicants for mathematics and scienceteaching positions.

In most school districts, building principals have responsibility for hir-ing teachers, or at least they have major input in deciding who is hired.Engel and Friedrichs (1980) draw a parallel between personnel directorsand principals in their hiring behaviors. They warn principals not to fallvictim to a misconception held by some personnel directors; namely, thatof believing all successful workers possess the same traits. Teachers may

School Science and MathematicsVolume 85 (4) April 1985

272 Qualities Principals Examine

possess different traits and still perform effectively. Engel and Friedrichssuggest that when principals review applicants for a teaching position,they should first seek to understand the unique qualities of each appli-cant (e.g., how the applicant solves instructional problems, relates to stu-dents, colleagues and parents), and then make a determination as towhether the applicant possesses the qualities required for the teachingposition. Further, they present a list of 16 factors which,

"... would seem to be important in analyzing an applicant for a position re-quiring certification in an educational institution:

Ability to communicateCooperationEducational backgroundStabilityMaturitySelf-confidencePoiseAggressiveness

EnthusiasmSocial perceptionGoals and objectivesAbility to organize oneselfKnowledge of subjectAbility to planAmbitionMoral standards (p. 88)

Druva and Anderson (1983) report on a meta-analysis of 65 pieces ofempirical research on the relationship between science teacher charac-teristics, and teacher behavior variables and student outcome variables.Correlations were examined between 76 teacher characteristics, and 26teacher behaviors and 23 student outcome variables. ’The most strikingoverall characteristic of the results of this meta-analysis . . . [was] thepattern of low correlations across the large number of variables in-volved" (p. 478). Still, the results showed a relationship between scienceteacher effectiveness and preparation (e.g., number of educationcourses, number of science courses, student teaching grade, GPA, priorteaching experience). The researchers suggested that while school ad-ministrators would not want to examine an applicant on each of the 76teacher characteristics studied, they would be well advised "to employteachers with thorough preparation in both professional education andthe sciences being taught" (p. 478).

In the process of surveying Illinois principals of public schools con-taining grades 6-12 on mathematics and science teacher supply and de-mand in Illinois, the present researchers asked principals which qualitiesthey examined in hiring mathematics teachers and science teachers. Thequestionnaire used was sent to a 25 percent random, stratified sample of


Qualities Principals Examine 273

the 1657 principals of public schools in Illinois which contain grades 6and above (n = 413). The sample was stratified by the 57 Illinois StateBoard of Education (ISBE) regions, which are counties or combinationsof counties.

^. . . when hiring a mathematics or science teacher, onefinds the applicants major area of certification to be thenumber one quality, followed by the applicant’s contentknowledge and the applicants rapport with students.^

The questionnaire contained demographic items, items on mathemat-ics and science teacher supply and demand in the principals’ schools(findings reported elsewhere by Rubba and Becker, 1984a, 1984b), andtwo items on the characteristics at which the principals look when hiringmathematics and science teachers. One item asked principals to list, inrank order, the top three qualities they examine when hiring an individ-ual to teach mathematics. Another item asked for similar informationconcerning the hiring of an individual to teach science. Along with theother items in the questionnaire, these two had been content validatedagainst research questions by a panel composed of a science educator, amath educator (neither of whom are the authors of this paper), two for-mer secondary school principals (now college educators) and an activeschool principal.A letter of explanation and stamped envelope accompanied the ques-

tionnaire. In the letter, the principals were asked to return the completedquestionnaire by a specific date three weeks later. On or about that datethe principals received a postcard reminding them to complete and returnthe questionnaires.Two hundred twenty-eight (228) principals, 55 percent of the sample,

returned usable questionnaires. Descriptive statistics calculated on thepercentage of questionnaire returns across the 57 ISBE regions showedthe returns to be normally distributed. This was interpreted as evidencethe returns were representative of the returns for the population.

Data collected with the two questionnaire items concerned with quali-ties principals examine in hiring mathematics teachers and science teach-



ers were independently categorized under quality traits by two individ-uals. The categories were then reviewed by a third individual who re-moved the discrepancies. The results of this data analysis are displayed inTables 1 and 2, respectively. Each table shows the qualities gleaned fromthe principals’ responses, along with the number of times each was notedas being first, second and third in importance. Also, the qualities are or-dered in each table by the total number of times they were listed eitherfirst, second, or third.

TABLE lImportance Principals Assign to Qualities

in Hiring Mathematics Teachers

QualityTrait1st2nd3rd

ContentKnowledge563516 107Major Area ofCertification8177 95Personality and CharacterTraits83138 77Successful TeachingExperience72421 52Rapport withStudents112217 50Ability to TeachEffectively9219 39Ability to Work and Communicate with Others 41014 34Ability to Maintain Discipline6118 25A Commitment toTeaching4713 24Ability to Sponsor Extra-CurricularActivities1314 18

"Good"References2115 18Minor Area(s) ofCertification474 15Other MiscellaneousQualities2169(NoReponse)323957

Except in a few cases, the principals responded in the same way to thetwo questionnaire items�when asked to list the qualities examined whenhiring mathematics teachers and science teachers. Thus, the same 13qualities were gleaned from the principals’ responses. Additionally,those 13 qualities appear in the same rank order in both tables.Looking at the 13 qualities displayed in Tables 1 and 2 in terms of the

number of times the principals noted each as the quality of primary im-portance when hiring a mathematics or science teacher, one finds theapplicant’s major area of certification to be the number one quality, fol-lowed by the applicant’s content knowledge and the applicant’s rapportwith students. When the 13 qualities are examined in terms of the total



number of times the principals noted them as being either first, second or

third in importance, the mathematics or science teacher applicant’s con-tent knowledge is number one, with the applicant’s major area of certi-fication second, followed by the applicant’s personality traits.

TABU-; 2Importance Principals Assign to Qualities

in Hiring Science Teachers

QualityTrait1st2nd3rd

ContentKnowledge563516107Major Area ofCertification817795Personality and CharacterTraits8313877Successful TeachingExperience7242152Rapport withStudents11221750Ablity to TeachEffectively1020737Ability to Work and Communicate with Others 4101428Ability to MaintainControl611825ACommitment toTeaching471324Ability to Sponsor Extra-CurricularActivities131418

"Good"References211518Minor Area(s) ofCertification47415Other MiscellaneousQualities21710(NoResponse)323957

Regardless of which two methods are used to order the principals’ re-sponses, the top nine qualities examined when hiring a mathematics orscience teacher are the same. From the quality traits used in Tables 1 and2 and the principals’ responses to the questionnaire items, it appears thatwhen an applicant is being considered for a mathematics or scienceteaching position the hiring principal most probably will look for evi-dence, a) of the general and content area (i.e., mathematics, science)scholarship of the applicant, b) of the applicant’s major area of certifica-tion being in mathematics or the particular science to be taught, c) of cer-tain applicant personality traits (the principals in the sample referred toparticular traits such as: creative, dependable, enthusiastic, flexible,"good" character model, high energy, honesty, industrious, patient,poise, professional), d) of successful student teaching, and more so, pre-vious teaching experience at the same level and in the subject(s) to be



taught, e) of the applicant’s ability to relate well with the level of the stu-dents to be taught and to understand them from an educational psychol-ogy perspective, f) of the applicant’s well-developed instructional plan-ning, delivery and management skills, g) of the applicant’s ability tomaintain discipline in the classroom, h) of dedication to and a positiveattitude toward teaching as a career, and i) of the applicant’s ability towork harmoniously with colleagues and parents.

^Illinois is heavily populated with small rural schools inwhich many teachers must serve double and triple duty."

Those same sources also show that hiring principals most likely will ex-amine the applicant’s minor area(s) of certification, whether the appli-cant is able to sponsor extra-curricular activities or coach a sports team,and of course, an applicant’s references. In total, the qualities describethe thoroughly prepared teachers Druva and Anderson (1983) suggestedbe hired. However, the ranking for a number of the qualities obtainedupon analyzing the principals’ responses are surprising.

Illinois is heavily populated with small rural schools in which manyteachers must serve double and triple duty. That would lead one to an-ticipate that a hiring principal would be highly interested in the minorarea(s) of certification and the extra-curricular capabilities of an individ-ual applying for a mathematics or science teaching position. Conversely,questions can be raised concerning what prompted large numbers of theprincipals to list an applicant’s personality and character traits so fre-quently as the second or third quality examined, especially in light of thelower incidence with which the principals listed an applicant’s "ability toteach effectively." Perhaps the principals believed that an applicant withcertain personality and character traits, a high level of content knowl-edge and "successful teaching experience," would be an effective teach-er. In itself, the principals’ desire to hire applicants with two or threeyears of experience over a newly certified, and therefore less expensive,individual was unexpected.

In light of the list of qualities gleaned from the principals’ responses,the researchers assume the comparatively low ranking given "good" ref-erences to be a factor of a lack of specificity in the principals’ responses.



^It may very well be that principals place greater importanceon an applicants references than was evident . . /?

It may very well be that principals place greater importance on an appli-cant’s references than was evident in their responses; an applicant’s let-ters of recommendation and evaluations would be logical places to findevidence for many of the qualities which appear above "good" refer-ences in Tables 1 and 2. Further study of the factors principals examinein the mathematics and science teacher hiring process is recommended to

clarify the discrepancies noted above, and to further examine how thosefactors impinge on the hiring decision. In future studies of those factors,the researchers suggest that the research design include procedures tocontrol for the principals possibly responding the same way on similaritems concerning mathematics and science teachers which may appear onone instrument. Such procedures might include using one instrumentwith two samples of principals (one of which would respond concerningmathematics teacher hiring and the other would respond concerningscience teacher hiring), or using two similar instruments (one concerningmathematics teachers and the other concerning science teachers) sent tothe same sample of principals at two different times.The results of this study have significant implications for teachers

making applications for mathematics or science teaching positions. Itwould appear to be crucially important for applicants to prepare applica-tion materials which highlight the degree to which they possess the quali-ties identified in this study. This might best be done in the cover letterwhich is submitted with the completed application form and the appli-cant’s resume, references, transcript and teaching certificate. It mightalso be valuable for the applicant to provide a list of the qualities to indi-viduals who will be used as references or asked to prepare letters of rec-ommendation so that they can refer to the qualities in writing their rec-ommendations.Applicants for mathematics and science teaching positions need to

keep in mind that the priority any one principal assigns to the teacherqualities uncovered in this study may differ. They may differ because ofthe changing needs of a school district created by such occurrences as aresignation, reassignment, or new curricular emphasis.



References

1. Akin, J. N. Teacher supply and demand: a recent survey. The ASCUS Annual 1982,Association for School, College and University Staffing, Madison, WI, 1982, pp. 4-7.

2. Akin, J. N. Teacher supply and demand: a recent survey. The ASCUS Annual 1983,Association for School, College and University Staffing, Madison, WI, 1982, pp. 4-6.

3. Akin, J. N. Teacher supply and demand: a recent survey. The ASCUS Annual 1984, As-sociation for School, College and University Staffing, Madison, WI, 1983, pp. 4-6.

4. Druva, C. A. and R. D. Anderson. Science teacher characteristics by teacher behaviorand by student outcome: A meta-analysis of research. Journal of Research in ScienceTeaching, 183, 7(9(5), 467-479.

5. Gerlovich, J. A. and T. G. Howe. Where the jobs are. The Science Teacher, March1983, pp. 56-59.

6. Rubba, P. A. and J. P. Becker. Public school principals assess Illinois science teacherdemand. ISTA Spectrum, Summer 1984, pp. 3-7. (a)

7. Rubba, P. A. and J. P. Becker. Is there a shortage of mathematics teachers in Illinois?Illinois Mathematics Teacher, (in press for September 1984). (b)

8. Shymansky, J. A. and B. G. Aldridge. The teacher crisis in secondary school scienceand mathematics. Educational Leadership, November 1982, pp. 61-62.

Peter A. RubbaJerryP. BeckerThe Pennsylvania State UniversitySouthern Illinois UniversityUniversity Park, Pennsylvania 16802Carbondale, Illinois 62901

PIONEER 10

On June 13, 1983 at 5:00 a.m. PDT Pioneer 10 crossed the orbit of Nep-tune�4,527,978,612 kilometers from the Sun�to interstellar space, the firstspacecraft to leave the solar system.

This unique event in human history climaxed an 11-year series of impressiveachievements. Pioneer 10 was the first to fly beyond Mars and to cross theasteroid belt; to fly by Jupiter, to chart the large planet’s intense radiation belts,to measure the mass and density of its four planet-sized moons, to find that it is aliquid planet, to take closeup pictures of its atmosphere and Great Red Spot; andfirst to cross the orbits of Uranus and Pluto before reaching Neptune’s.Launched on March 3, 1972, and designed for a 21-month lifetime, the flyby

of Jupiter in December 1973 was Pioneer 10’s primary mission. Its unexpectedlong life has added important findings about the Sun’s atmosphere, or helio-sphere, and it continues to provide information about the solar wind as it seeksthe heliopause, the boundary between the solar atmosphere and true interstellarspace.

Scientists predict that Pioneer will travel among the stars almost forever be-cause interstellar space is so empty. Some 10,500 Earth years from now it willpass a star, and in 32,000 years it will have its nearest encounter with one�3.2light years distant.

Pioneer should outlast the solar system itself.


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Qualities Secondary School Principals Examine When Hiring Mathematics and Science Teachers