The teacher recruitment crisis: examining influential recruitment factors from a United States technology and engineering teacher preparation program

Decades of declining enrollment trends and additional program closures of Technology and Engineering (T&E) teacher preparation programs in the United States (US) continue to raise concerns about the trajectory and sustainability of the profession. These concerns are not insular to the US though as other countries have also presented data indicating a T&E teacher shortage crisis. In attempts to address these concerning trends, T&E teacher preparation programs in the US have implemented an amalgam of creative recruitment strategies. However, the data continues to show a downward trend in the country, questioning what is the sufficiency of these efforts and which are the most influential? This study surveyed 51 students enrolled in a T&E teacher preparation program in the eastern US to determine which recruitment methods had the greatest influence on their decision to enroll in the program. The findings revealed that face-to-face interactions with secondary level T&E educators, alumni, T&E teacher education faculty members, and an interest in hands-on hobbies related to T&E education were found to have a statistically significant influence on students’ decision to enroll in the T&E teacher preparation program. A number of recruitment factors such as secondary school counselors, brochures, and social media platforms did not have a significant influence on students’ enrollment decision. Recommendations and implications for T&E teacher preparation programs, teacher educators, program alumni, researchers, secondary level T&E teachers, administrators, and school counselors are provided to help countries facing a similar T&E teacher shortage crisis.