76 PERCEPTIONS OF PREPAREDNESS OF ALTERNATIVELY CERTIFIED CAREER AND TECHNOLOGY TEACHERS AND THEIR SUPERVISORS Vanessa Zavar, EdD Journal of K-12 Educational Research 2021, VOL. 5, ISSUE 1 www.dbu.edu/doctoral/edd Introduction Knowing how alternatively certified educators feel about their preparation for the classroom and then identifying areas for growth can help supervisors set teachers up for success (Redding & Smith, 2016). Educator preparedness impacts success in the classroom for both student and teacher (Ross et al., 1991). Adequately prepared teachers are more likely to understand specialty content and curriculum, expertly answer student questions in the classroom, and easily make connections for students (Bottoms et al., 2013). The purpose of the current study was to determine the perspective of preparedness of alternatively certified teachers in the technology and career fields as they entered the classroom to teach. It also investigated their supervisors’ perception of preparedness. A qualitative study was best suited for this work because it allowed the researcher to explore language, social behaviors, and describe and analyze social norms among a sample population (Johnson & Christensen, 2017). This methodology also allowed for exploratory open-ended interview questions (Plano Clark, & Creswell, 2015). Participants were also able to express their experiences in their natural phrasing and manner of communicating. The current study required developing an understanding of the personal perceptions of each participant about their preparedness for the education field. The qualitative method served as a starting point to build upon limited data and gather general themes to incorporate into later larger-scale quantitative explorations of the topic (Johnson & Christensen, 2017). Review of the Literature Trends and changes within society historically led the landscape of change within education (Boaz, 2006). The needs for students are always changing, and the need for more career and technology-focused instruction has increased (Efrat, 2018). Due to demand, the types of educational offerings change to include more career-focused courses and industry certification available in secondary education settings. These changes occur to allow students to graduate with an opportunity to join the workforce immediately. Career and technology courses give students the opportunity to gain an employable skill while in high school and graduate with viable career experience regardless of their post-high school plans (Jacob, 2017). Because of changes in societal technological needs and growth projections in industry and the economy, the state of Texas developed in year a comprehensive plan to ensure Texas students were prepared for the future (Texas Education Agency [TEA], 2015). Due to teacher shortages, states developed alternative certification methods to entice people in noneducational environments to become interested in teaching (Teacher Certification Degrees,
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