Term of Award
Spring 2025
Degree Name
Doctor of Education in Curriculum Studies (Ed.D.)
Document Type and Release Option
Dissertation (restricted to Georgia Southern)
Copyright Statement / License for Reuse
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Department
College of Education
Committee Chair
Delores Liston
Committee Member 1
Catherine Howerter
Committee Member 2
April Schueths
Committee Member 3
Meca Williams-Johnson
Abstract
Public school teachers are in short supply in the state of Georgia. An even greater shortage exists in the field of special education, and even greater in rural school districts. The majority of the special education teacher candidates at Central State University (pseudonym) come from sub/urban areas of Georgia. These teacher candidates complete field placement experiences in the local, rural school districts surrounding the university. They then return to sub/urban districts to begin their teaching careers. This study investigated the motivating factors of these preservice teachers in their consideration of choosing to teach in a rural school district. A case study was conducted to uncover any common themes. In-depth interviews were conducted along with an analysis of artifacts, namely previous course work completed by the preservice teacher candidates. Findings reveal that field placements have a positive effect on the teacher candidates’ perceptions of rural, but limited effect on where they ultimately choose to begin their teaching career.
OCLC Number
1517947480
Catalog Permalink
https://galileo-georgiasouthern.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01GALI_GASOUTH/1r4bu70/alma9916617394402950
Recommended Citation
Crook, Mary H., "Exploring the Possibility of Rural: Pre-Service Teachers Discuss Possibilities of Rural Career Choice" (2025). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 2895.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/2895
Research Data and Supplementary Material
No
