The Importance of Graduate Degrees in Education
Grade Level at Time of Presentation
Junior
Major
Education of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing/Middle Grades - English
Institution
Eastern Kentucky University
KY House District #
29
KY Senate District #
36
Faculty Advisor/ Mentor
Dr. Michelle Gremp; Dr. Julie Rutland
Department
Department of Education
Abstract
There is much speculation today as to the benefits of educators obtaining graduate degrees and whether or not higher education is necessary for being an effective educator. However, the completion of a graduate degree has a distinctive impact on both the quality of students' learning and the educator's quality of life. Graduate degrees provide teachers with significantly improved teaching practices that better equip them to do their jobs. Teachers with graduate degrees have greater qualifications for obtaining leadership positions, an enhanced sense of self-efficacy, professional connections that could potentially be a vital educational resource, an increased salary leading to overall better quality of life, and higher research, writing, and problem-solving skills. The latter three skills are beneficial to both teachers and students as these are the skills that are most fundamental for effective teaching and learning. Graduate degrees have been observed to positively affect the development and retention of high-quality teachers in our school systems and ensure that the people who are assigned to instruct children for the majority of their week are knowledgeable in their content area and equipped to handle any problems that may arise. We plan to analyze data from a qualitative online survey among graduate students participating in a Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education (IECE) program from January 2015 through December 2018. The students involved completed a self-assessment based on Kentucky IECE teacher competencies at the beginning of their time in the program, at graduation, and one year post-graduation. The survey is a measure of self-perception of competency in implementing high-quality instruction. This information portrays how confident teachers were in their instructional competency before, during, and after receiving a graduate degree, and demonstrates the importance of professional degrees in obtaining confidence and high-quality instruction from our incoming educators.
The Importance of Graduate Degrees in Education
There is much speculation today as to the benefits of educators obtaining graduate degrees and whether or not higher education is necessary for being an effective educator. However, the completion of a graduate degree has a distinctive impact on both the quality of students' learning and the educator's quality of life. Graduate degrees provide teachers with significantly improved teaching practices that better equip them to do their jobs. Teachers with graduate degrees have greater qualifications for obtaining leadership positions, an enhanced sense of self-efficacy, professional connections that could potentially be a vital educational resource, an increased salary leading to overall better quality of life, and higher research, writing, and problem-solving skills. The latter three skills are beneficial to both teachers and students as these are the skills that are most fundamental for effective teaching and learning. Graduate degrees have been observed to positively affect the development and retention of high-quality teachers in our school systems and ensure that the people who are assigned to instruct children for the majority of their week are knowledgeable in their content area and equipped to handle any problems that may arise. We plan to analyze data from a qualitative online survey among graduate students participating in a Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education (IECE) program from January 2015 through December 2018. The students involved completed a self-assessment based on Kentucky IECE teacher competencies at the beginning of their time in the program, at graduation, and one year post-graduation. The survey is a measure of self-perception of competency in implementing high-quality instruction. This information portrays how confident teachers were in their instructional competency before, during, and after receiving a graduate degree, and demonstrates the importance of professional degrees in obtaining confidence and high-quality instruction from our incoming educators.