Rethinking teacher recruitment: New approaches to attracting prospective STEM teachers
Lead Research Organisation:
University of York
Department Name: Education
Abstract
The purpose of this project is to build a better understanding of the attraction and recruitment of STEM undergraduates into initial teacher education (ITE) using innovative technologies.
Recruiting enough high-quality applicants in certain subject areas (e.g., STEM) for ITE is a chronic problem in England and several countries in the world. A shortage of high-quality STEM applicants for ITE weakens the teacher workforce, reduces educational opportunities for many children, and leads to a drain on economic resources (e.g., through the ongoing provision of recruitment incentives) that could be used elsewhere.
Teacher shortages are the result of a complex mix of political, economic, and social factors. One contributing factor-and the focus of this proposal-is the effectiveness, innovativeness, and reach of recruitment messaging designed to attract potential applicants. The project is based on developing and testing new digital tools that can be used for STEM recruitment. In this proposal, we outline how we will develop and test innovative and proactive technologies to attract and recruit prospective STEM teachers into ITE.
New Technologies for Teacher Recruitment
Advances in recruitment research point the way to new teacher recruitment interventions that can be both active and scalable by harnessing methods from organisational psychology, organisational behaviour, and gamification research. We will test two proactive teacher recruitment technologies that have the potential to be effective, engaging, economical, and scalable: (a) online realistic job previews (RJPs), and (b) a 'persuasive' teaching game. To our knowledge, this project will be the first of its kind to harness these two technologies to address the challenge of teacher recruitment.
Realistic Job Previews (RJPs)
RJPs offer potential applicants a series of video or text samples of workplace situations that they can expect to encounter on a job, followed by questions (What should you do?) and feedback from experts (Your responses show an excellent fit with the responses from experienced teachers). Research on RJPs shows that they promote higher levels of fit than more general interventions such as advertising campaigns and promote early integration into a new field. Recent research focused on teacher recruitment showed that a prototype RJP intervention boosted interest in teaching in a sample of STEM students (Klassen et al., 2021).
Persuasive Games
Online 'persuasive games' can be designed to shape attitudes in participants by immersing them in engaging activities (e.g., a teaching simulation) with agentic (i.e., self-directed) digital interactions. Persuasive games can be designed to engage, motivate, and persuade applicants in the recruitment process, and can increase the attractiveness of a prospective vocation/employer. Well-designed games deliver experiences that are rich and vivid in sensory experiences, creating a sense of immersion and presence that in turn build situational and emergent individual interest.
Research Aims
In this project, we are focusing on increasing the flow of STEM students into ITE, with STEM itself representing a microcosm of the recruitment landscape: shortages can be found in some STEM subjects such as physics, but are less prevalent in other areas, such as biology. In Work Package 1, we explore the integrative effects of multiple messages (based on social utility, personal utility, and PV fit) on teaching-related attitudes and beliefs. In Work Package 2, we develop and test a teacher recruitment game, tentatively titled TeachQuest. In Work Package 3, we test how an online RJP intervention and TeachQuest influence participants' teaching career-related attitudes (teaching interest, teaching intentions, and teaching self-efficacy), and behaviours (ITE application status, retention in ITE, and decisions to enter professional practice).
Recruiting enough high-quality applicants in certain subject areas (e.g., STEM) for ITE is a chronic problem in England and several countries in the world. A shortage of high-quality STEM applicants for ITE weakens the teacher workforce, reduces educational opportunities for many children, and leads to a drain on economic resources (e.g., through the ongoing provision of recruitment incentives) that could be used elsewhere.
Teacher shortages are the result of a complex mix of political, economic, and social factors. One contributing factor-and the focus of this proposal-is the effectiveness, innovativeness, and reach of recruitment messaging designed to attract potential applicants. The project is based on developing and testing new digital tools that can be used for STEM recruitment. In this proposal, we outline how we will develop and test innovative and proactive technologies to attract and recruit prospective STEM teachers into ITE.
New Technologies for Teacher Recruitment
Advances in recruitment research point the way to new teacher recruitment interventions that can be both active and scalable by harnessing methods from organisational psychology, organisational behaviour, and gamification research. We will test two proactive teacher recruitment technologies that have the potential to be effective, engaging, economical, and scalable: (a) online realistic job previews (RJPs), and (b) a 'persuasive' teaching game. To our knowledge, this project will be the first of its kind to harness these two technologies to address the challenge of teacher recruitment.
Realistic Job Previews (RJPs)
RJPs offer potential applicants a series of video or text samples of workplace situations that they can expect to encounter on a job, followed by questions (What should you do?) and feedback from experts (Your responses show an excellent fit with the responses from experienced teachers). Research on RJPs shows that they promote higher levels of fit than more general interventions such as advertising campaigns and promote early integration into a new field. Recent research focused on teacher recruitment showed that a prototype RJP intervention boosted interest in teaching in a sample of STEM students (Klassen et al., 2021).
Persuasive Games
Online 'persuasive games' can be designed to shape attitudes in participants by immersing them in engaging activities (e.g., a teaching simulation) with agentic (i.e., self-directed) digital interactions. Persuasive games can be designed to engage, motivate, and persuade applicants in the recruitment process, and can increase the attractiveness of a prospective vocation/employer. Well-designed games deliver experiences that are rich and vivid in sensory experiences, creating a sense of immersion and presence that in turn build situational and emergent individual interest.
Research Aims
In this project, we are focusing on increasing the flow of STEM students into ITE, with STEM itself representing a microcosm of the recruitment landscape: shortages can be found in some STEM subjects such as physics, but are less prevalent in other areas, such as biology. In Work Package 1, we explore the integrative effects of multiple messages (based on social utility, personal utility, and PV fit) on teaching-related attitudes and beliefs. In Work Package 2, we develop and test a teacher recruitment game, tentatively titled TeachQuest. In Work Package 3, we test how an online RJP intervention and TeachQuest influence participants' teaching career-related attitudes (teaching interest, teaching intentions, and teaching self-efficacy), and behaviours (ITE application status, retention in ITE, and decisions to enter professional practice).
Organisations
Publications
Cutting J
(2023)
TeachQuest
Klassen R
(2023)
Can an online scenario-based learning intervention influence preservice teachers' self-efficacy, career intentions, and perceived fit with the profession?
in Computers & Education
Tickell R
(2024)
Developing the Teacher mentoring self-efficacy scale (TMSES) using the Delphi method and exploratory factor analysis
in Teaching and Teacher Education
Description | Article - Australian Teacher |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | We were interviewed by Australian Teacher magazine about the early stages of the project and about the teacher recruitment crisis more generally. The interview became an article in the online magazine. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | BERA blog - Maybe they should all be cats? Designing a persuasive game for teacher recruitment |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Blog for BERA about the development of the TeachQuest game and its use in teacher recruitment. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
URL | https://www.bera.ac.uk/blog/maybe-they-should-all-be-cats-designing-a-persuasive-game-for-teacher-re... |
Description | Blog - Could TeachQuest! Be the future of teacher selection? |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | An article on The University of York's research news page outlining the project and the research behind it. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
URL | https://www.york.ac.uk/research/themes/teachquest/ |
Description | Competing for engagement: The search for more effective teacher recruitment and selection tools: Invited talk to the DfE regional directors |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | Invited talk to present to DfE on current research in teaching recruitment and retention. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
Description | Demo for Teach for Australia |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
Results and Impact | Demo of TeachQuest game and discussion about collaboratively testing the game in Teach for Australia's recruitment pipeline. As a result the game will be used at job fairs and during the recruitment process and we will collect data on its efficacy in this process. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
Description | GAMAYO - TeachQuest demo |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | The project's game developer and game designer gave a demo of the TeachQuest game to industry professionals and received feedback that informed the design of the game. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
URL | https://gamayo.co.uk/2023/11/19/teachquest-to-demo-at-gamayo/ |
Description | TeachQuest demo at Abertay University Dundee |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | TeachQuest game was demoed to a group of games researchers and feedback was received which informed the development of the game. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023,2024 |
Description | TeachQuest demo for DfE |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | Presentation and TeachQuest game demo for the DfE with a view to testing the game in their recruitment pipeline. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
Description | TeachQuest demo for Teach First |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | Presentation and TeachQuest demo for Teach First with a view to testing the game in their recruitment process. We received positive feedback about the game and there was interest in testing the game. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
Description | The role of motivation and person-vocation fit in recruitment. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | Invited talk to the Cross Government Recruitment Marketing Forum (UK Gov). |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | Using online technologies to evaluate and support preservice teachers' competence and confidence |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | Invited talk about online tools used to recruit and train preservice teachers e.g. TeachQuest game. The presentation initiated debate about the ways to recruit and train teachers and the merits of short, online interventions that can be delivered to many people as opposed to smaller-scale, but more intensive interventions, such as classroom practice. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |