Who expects to become a teacher? The role of educational accountability policies in international perspective

In this study, I examine between-country differences in students' expectations of becoming teachers. I use data from 365,298 students from 50 countries participating in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2015. The results reveal that high-achieving students in countries that implement test-based educational accountability policies are less likely to expect to work as teachers than students in systems that do not use such policies. This suggests that test-based accountability policies may discourage highly skilled candidates from entering the teaching profession and these policies may act as barriers to attracting high-quality teacher candidates.     

‘Who wants to be a travelling teacher?’ Bilingual teachers and weak forms of bilingual education: the Norwegian experience

In this article, I argue that immigrant bilingual teachers and mother‐tongue teachers are not formally recognised as ‘genuine’ teachers in the Norwegian school system. Norwegian education authorities have invested considerable effort in order to strengthen the competences of bilingual teachers and to both recognise and formalise their home country education. Amongst other things, several university colleges were encouraged to provide specially designed higher education programmes for bilingual teachers in order to integrate teachers with bilingual competences into the Norwegian primary school teaching system. This paper is based on data collected in 2007–2008 during the national evaluation of this education, which is the first of its kind in Norway. Although popular amongst immigrant students, it seems that the competences to be gained by graduates of the BA degree programme are not recognised or utilised in the schools where they work. Due to low social status and an unfavourable structural position within the Norwegian school education sector, these teachers will try to distance themselves from their bilingual roles and identities. Within such a framework, the higher education that is intended to strengthen optimum bilingual tuition in the primary schools sector is, in fact, steering bilingual teachers and mother‐tongue teachers away from these more specialised and less valued professions, seeking instead, access into the more mainstream and higher status teaching jobs.     

Why become a teacher? Student teachers’ perceptions of the teaching profession and motives for career choice

The aim of the study is to discursively identify student teachers’ perceptions of the teaching profession early in their education and their motives for this career choice. Students wrote a letter sharing thoughts on why they want to become a teacher, how they regard the teaching profession and if someone inspired them in their career choice. The empirical data consists of 259 student texts from three Swedish teacher education programmes. The study employed a qualitative method denoting different categorizations compared to previous studies, emphasising the idea of multiple motives for career choice and the link to student teachers’ evolving pedagogical identity. Major differences can be distinguished among the programmes, emphasising different main motives and shifting incipient pedagogic identities. The results indicate the value of organising teacher education programmes drawing on multiple motives, which is expected to contribute positively to completion of teacher education and teacher retention in future profession.     

Learning to become a teacher in Australia: a study of pre-service teachers’ identity development

This study aims to examine how pre-service teachers learn to teach in Australia context during their practicum and how this learning experience constructs their identities as teachers through activity theory framework. Data were drawn from interviews with two pre-service teachers, interviews with their supervising teachers and university mentors, lesson plans, and supervising teacher’s feedback. The findings indicate that the two pre-service teachers’ identity formation is a continuing process and an outcome of the collective activity through their interaction with their coordinating teachers, mentors and students. We argue that teachers’ identity formation is related to their agency to seek and offer support to others. The pre-service teachers could produce and reproduce their identity in the relevant community through their agentive action to interact with others.     

Men considering (and choosing) teaching as a career: what accounts for their decision to become a teacher?

The aim of the current study is to better understand the decision-making of men considering teaching as a career option. By means of a longitudinal study (n = 226), we examined the persistence of male academic high-school students in Switzerland interested in teaching during transition to higher education. For 85 men attending information events for teacher education, using regression analysis we explore factors contributing to their decidedness and volition before enrolling for teacher education studies. The findings reveal that only a very small number of male academic high-school students are interested in teaching. Those who are, however, are persistent in their study choice. Results of the regression analysis show that an interest in working with children and youth, the importance of having free time for other things and having professional experience working with children contribute to the likelihood of men having decided to take up teacher education studies.     

I’m going to be a teacher! exploring motives for teaching of a sample of Italian pre-primary and primary teacher candidates

This study explores the main motives inspiring the choice of the teaching profession. To this end, a group of almost 400 Italian students enrolled in a training programme for pre-primary and primary school teachers was surveyed through questionnaires and discursive interviews on the main reasons for choosing a career as a teacher, and in particular for choosing to become a teacher for young children. Our findings differ from those of most of the studies carried out in countries at a comparable level of social and economic development, since among the future teachers questioned there was no clear predominance of altruistic or intrinsic motivations. Moreover, our findings are contrasting, as the responses to the self-administered standard questionnaires show a certain appreciation of the material benefits of the profession, whereas only disinterested motives emerge from face-to-face interviews.     

Who should teach? A Chinese teacher candidate’s understandings of a good teacher and racialised experiences

Being a good teacher depends on many cultural and linguistic assumptions. Dominant definitions of a good teacher are often based on these implicit assumptions. Probing notions of a good teacher, we examine the endeavors of a Chinese international pre-service teacher, Ling, to become a “good teacher” through her encounters with micro-aggression in the context of her coursework and fieldwork at a U.S. university. The data presented here were collected through semi-structured interviews and field notes from 2014 to 2015 as part of a larger ethnographic case study. We find that the process of becoming a good teacher depends on many cultural and linguistic assumptions that are linked to micro-aggression. We conclude by reflecting on Ling’s understanding of a good teacher in light of dominant views on the matter and her ambivalence to speak up, and make recommendations for further research to allow for alternative views of good teachers to coexist.     

Why choose teaching? An international review of empirical studies exploring student teachers’ career motivations and levels of commitment to teaching

Why do individuals all over the world choose to become school teachers? What motivates them to become educators of young people, and how committed are they to this cause when they enter their teacher education courses? Considering that teacher motivation and commitment have been identified as crucial factors for the future success of education and schools (Huberman, 1993 Huberman, M. (1993). The lives of teachers (J. Neufeld, Trans.). London: Cassell Villiers House. [Google Scholar]; Manning & Patterson, 2005 Manning, M., & Patterson, J. (2005). Special publications. Childhood Education, 81, 249–251. doi: 10.1080/00094056.2005.10522284[Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]; Rikard, 1999 Rikard, G. L. (1999). Promoting teacher commitment in pre-service teachers. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 70(9), 53–56. doi: 10.1080/07303084.1999.10605969[Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]), these are important questions for policy makers and societies to address. This paper provides a systematic and conceptual review of empirical research studies exploring student teachers’ career motivations and commitment in 23 countries from 5 continents. A variety of motivating factors are explored, their relative importance in student teachers’ career decisions is discussed, and differences between various subgroups and cultural contexts are highlighted. Attention is drawn to methodological limitations as well as recent developments in this important area of research.     

Is the motivation to become a teacher related to pre‐service teachers’ intentions to remain in the profession?

This study investigated 198 pre‐service teachers’ intrinsic and extrinsic motivation for becoming teachers and focused on the distinction between adaptive motives, which promote lasting and effective engagement, and maladaptive motives, which promote superficial engagement. We examined the relationships with teacher self‐efficacy, the quality of the teacher training programme, classroom teaching experiences and the time pre‐service teachers expect to spend in the profession. The analyses indicated that female pre‐service teachers and pre‐service teachers with higher prior ability showed more intrinsic adaptive motives. Intrinsic adaptive motives were positively related to the quality of the teacher training programme and the classroom teaching experiences. Pre‐service teachers with positive teaching experiences indicated greater teacher self‐efficacy. Pre‐service teachers with extrinsic maladaptive motives indicated having had negative teaching experiences and they intended to remain in the profession for shorter periods. Teacher self‐efficacy was positively related to the amount of time pre‐service teachers intended to remain in the profession.     

Antecedents of student teachers’ affective commitment to the teaching profession and turnover intention

Several European countries have experienced both a dearth of and reduction in the quality of applicants to teacher education study programmes. There is also significant leakage from these programmes. The rationale for this study therefore lies in the need to reduce teacher attrition. Research indicates that affective commitment to a profession is an important factor in sustaining good professional practice. This study explores the antecedents of both commitment and turnover intention among student teachers in Norway. The analysis indicates that there are stronger associations between commitment and experiences (particularly from dialogues with school mentors) gained during and after teaching practice in schools than is the case for the more campus-based elements of training. One implication is that there may be justification for placing emphasis on improving the preparation of school mentors and on points of contact between teacher educators and school mentors.     

Variations in pre-service teachers’ career exploration and commitment to teaching

The purpose of this study was to investigate various career paths pre-service teachers explore and the processes of establishing their commitment to becoming a teacher. A mixed-methods design was employed; 326 surveys measured the levels of pre-service teachers’ career exploration and commitment using occupational identity status (achievement, moratorium, foreclosure, and diffusion), along with resilience and perceived instrumentality. Thirty-two interviews were followed to further explore detailed variations of their career decision-making journey. MANOVA analysis indicated significant differences for resilience and perceived instrumentality based on the four occupational identity statuses. Subsequent qualitative analysis identified various patterns where pre-service teachers differed in their entry motivation, negotiation for their career decision making, and the strength of their commitment to teaching. The findings of this study illuminate iterative and non-linear development of pre-service teachers’ professional identity.     

Understanding change through a high school mathematics teacher’s journey to inquiry-based teaching

This article focuses on an experienced high school mathematics teacher who changed her practice without participating in planned interventions aimed at producing this change. It reports on the nature of the teacher’s change from her perspective and an interpretation and understanding of the change from the researcher’s perspective. It illustrates how meaningful change can occur when the process is initiated and rooted in the teacher’s experience based on a tension in self and/or practice that is personal and real to him or her. It discusses three types of change that are possible depending on the level of engagement of the teacher in professional development opportunities: instrumental change, conceptual change, and foundational change.     

The effect of tertiary teachers’ goal orientations for teaching on their commitment: the mediating role of teacher engagement

This study explored the effect of tertiary teachers’ goal orientations for teaching on their commitment, with a particular focus on the mediating role of teacher engagement. The results of a survey of 597 Chinese tertiary teachers indicated that teacher commitment was positively predicted by ability approach, mastery and relational goals, but was negatively predicted by work avoidance goals. Ability avoidance goals positively predicted teacher commitment to institution and to students, but negatively predicted teacher commitment to profession. Moreover, teacher engagement mediated the effect of ability approach, mastery and work avoidance goals on teacher commitment. The mediation effect of teacher engagement between teachers’ ability avoidance and relational goals and teacher commitment was not significant. The results of this study have implications for understanding the nature of teachers’ psychological state and attitudes towards teaching and for the enhancement of teacher commitment.     

Does evaluation of teaching lead to improvement of teaching?

Abstract

Given the widespread use of student evaluation of teaching in North American colleges and universities, it is reasonable to ask whether student evaluation has accomplished one of its major intended outcomes, namely improvement of instructional quality. A review of research evidence from three independent sources (faculty surveys, field experiments and longitudinal comparisons) suggests that student evaluation does in fact contribute significantly to improvement of certain aspects of university teaching, particularly if evaluation is supplemented by expert consultation. Furthermore, there is no clear evidence that student evaluation has led to undesirable instructional side‐effects, such as grade inflation and entrenchment of traditional teaching methods.     

Don’t let me forget the teacher I wanted to become

This article reports findings from a study of 14 beginning teachers in their first year of teaching in primary schools. By the end of the first year, half were reconsidering their long-term commitment to teaching. The study found they were considering leaving because they were struggling to be the teachers they had envisaged being. One reason for this was the lack of alignment between the supports offered to them, and their own visions of good teaching. The consequences of misaligned supports for beginning teachers are discussed, along with suggestions for the ways in which mentoring and induction programs can better support beginning teachers to be the teachers they wish to be.     

Who becomes a teacher? The characteristics of student teachers in four countries

This paper reviews the characteristics of students entering initial training in four countries—Ghana, Lesotho, Malawi, and Trinidad and Tobago. First a brief overview of the teacher education systems is provided. Second, biographical data is reviewed on age, religious affiliation, ethnic group and mother tongue, parental occupations and academic achievement, and students’ educational qualifications. Third, some insights into trainees’ perceptions about teaching and the teaching profession are presented. Finally, comparisons are made for two countries on cross-sectional data comparing the perceptions of entering and exiting trainees and newly qualified teachers. The results draw attention to the qualities and perceptions that those on initial training programmes bring to the teacher education curriculum. They provide a reminder that teacher education curricula should recognise these characteristics and be designed to respond to needs that they create.     

‘Who do you think you’re talking to?’—the discourse of learning and teaching strategies

As part of the ongoing enhancement and assurance of quality in the UK higher education sector, universities have been required by the Higher Education Funding Council of England to prepare learning and teaching strategies since 1999. As part of an institutional strategy development process, an investigation of currently available strategies was carried out. The research reported here uses a critical discourse approach to analyse a sample of UK learning and teaching strategies. The results show a set of highly impersonalized texts, where staff are largely absent and students are objectified. Such findings raise questions about whether the learning and teaching strategy discourse disengages the very people who ‘make and shape’ policy, thus inhibiting institutional enhancement of learning and teaching practices.     

Millennial generation preservice teachers’ intrinsic motivation to become a teacher,professional learning and professional competence

This mixed methods study examined how millennial generation preservice teachers’ intrinsic motivation affects their professional learning in ITE and professional competence. The quantitative findings showed Interest in teaching and subject taught and Self-development and ideal lifestyle as the two aspects of millennial preservice teachers’ intrinsic motivation, and confirmed a significant, positive, mediated effect from preservice teachers’ intrinsic motivation on their perceived professional competence: Subject matter, pedagogical and educational knowledge, via their professional learning in ITE coursework and interaction with others. The qualitative findings showed four underpinning linkages with illustrations from six preservice teacher cases. Implications for ITE are discussed.