Comparing Academic Backgrounds and Career Aspirations of Education and Non Education Majors

Abstract

Questions concerning the abilities and background experiences of prospective teachers dominate the recent professional litera ture. Book, Freeman and Brousseau shed additional light on this topical area. A comparison of the academic and social back grounds and the bases for career decisions of teaching and non- teaching majors at a major university indicates that students choosing teaching as a career (a) are as academically competent as their non-teaching counterparts (b) are more concerned about helping others and (c) are less concerned about salaries.