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What salary would motivate science majors to consider a career in teaching? It is somewhat larger than the salary they'd expect in their chosen non-teaching occupation, but was not related to three of the Big 5 personality dimensions of extroversion, agreeableness, and openness, nor concern for others or career risk aversion.
 
This is according to a recent study by Tony Milanowski, a researcher in WCER’s part of the Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE) and published online in Education Policy Analysis Archives.
 
Milanowski looked into the role of salary level and other factors in motivating undergraduate math, science and technology majors to consider a career as a K-12 teacher. An annual starting teaching salary 45% above the local average would attract 48% of the sophomore students and 37% of the juniors. Focus group results suggested that low pay was an important reason for not considering K-12 teaching, but that perceived job demands and abilities and interests were also important reasons for not being attracted to a teaching career.