Origins of Science Faculty with Education Specialties: Hiring Motivations and Prior Connections Explain Institutional Differences in the SFES Phenomenon

Abstract

Situated in university science departments as potential science-education change agents, science faculty with education specialties (SFES) reported differences in the origin of their positions depending on the nature of their institution. For instance, SFES at PhD-granting institutions most commonly reported being hired to relieve other faculty from teaching and service burdens. At MS-granting institutions, SFES reported being hired primarily to prepare future K–12 science teachers. At primarily undergraduate institutions, SFES reported transitioning to these specialized roles after their initial hire. In our random, stratified sample of 50 interviewed SFES, all were tenured or tenure track, excepting 45% of SFES at PhD-granting institutions. Those non-tenure-track SFES were more likely to have prior institutional connections—as alumni of, through previous employment at, or with a spouse also employed at their institution—than were other SFES. These findings provide new insights into the evolving SFES phenomenon and clarify previously reported differences among SFES.