Journal of K-12 Educational Research 77 n.d.). While there are hundreds of programs throughout the country that certify teachers, Texas has specific requirements to try and ensure the best candidates enter the profession (Teacher Certification Degrees, 2020). Content exams, background checks, and basic skills testing are standard for each certification program. However, that is where the similarities between most programs end. The top 10-rated programs for alternative certification in the state of Texas vary widely (Queen, 2019). All programs provide a path for professionals to become teachers in the state of Texas, and all have a generalized curriculum based on state certification requirements. The findings in the current study, however, suggested areas that are lacking for those who transition from the non education sector into career and technology education specifically. Since the current study aimed to explore how alternatively certified career and technology teachers and their supervisors perceive their preparedness for education, understanding perception and its impact is helpful. A positive perception of self and abilities contribute to success (Ross, 1994), and a supervisor who has a positive perception of the preparedness of their employee is also important for success. The world of career and technology education and the many types of campuses where these courses are taught brings with it a classroom culture as unique as the courses offered (Lemov, n.d.). In the context of the current study, the culture is the feeling or experience teachers report at the different types of campuses where career and technology courses are offered. Culture, as it relates to career and technology education, is a large part of the perceptions of the teachers and supervisors. Historically, education experts have noted the perception of a negative mindset in regard to alternative certification (Bottoms et al., 2013). In the recent past, those who received an alternative certification were not preferred candidates to fill teaching vacancies. However, the need for content masters of numerous trade and industry professions started to shift the negative mindset on alternative certification, particularly in the area of career and technology education. Alternatively certified candidates might, in fact, be both a necessary hire and a preferred hire for specific career and technology courses (TEA, 2020). There is not much known about the perceptions of alternatively certified career and technology teachers’ level of preparedness when they come into the classroom in the state of Texas. Study 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). Eight alternatively certified career and technology teachers and eight supervisors in the sample district were interviewed with the goal of exploring perceptions about the level of preparedness of alternatively certified career and technology teachers and opportunities for growth through three research questions: Research Question 1 (RQ1): How do alternatively certified career and technology teachers perceive their preparedness for their current job in education through an alternative certification program? Research Question 2 (RQ2): How do immediate supervisors perceive the preparedness of alternatively certified career and technology employees for their current job? Research Question 3 (RQ3): What role, if any, does supervision play in the alternatively certified employee’s perceptions of preparedness?
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