A grounded theory investigation of why adults choose teaching as a later vocation

TL;DRAbstract

The purpose of this study was to develop hypotheses that could be used to better understand the rationale for choosing teaching as a later vocation. The participants were drawn from three school systems in the Midwest. The phenomena leading to this study were the increasing numbers of mature adults who entered the teaching profession as a second career. The participants did not enter the teaching profession as young adults but choose to seek credentials despite lacking actual experience in the teaching of children. The results indicate that these adults were all successful parents and saw the nurturing of the young as a worthy undertaking. They all experienced what may be considered an "epiphany" leading them to pursue certification. The qualitative design used in this study was grounded theory and involved transcripts and interview notes about their delayed choice of undertaking a teaching career. Coding procedures and literature surveys were conducted to validate the study. Each of t

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