Association between Influential Factors and Teaching Profession as Career Choice among Undergraduate Student Teachers: A Structural Equation Study
Keywords:
career choice, choosing teaching, FIT-Choice scale, motivation factors, student teachers.
Abstract
This study investigated the fitness of the Factors Influencing Teaching (FIT) Choice scale in a Kurdish educational setting among undergraduate teacher-training students (N=1335) encompassing nursery, primary and secondary education. The factors motivating this population to become teachers were examined in the Iraqi-Kurdish educational context. The-FIT-Choice scale was translated into the Kurdish language and its reliability and validity were measured. Intrinsic/altruistic and social utility values were found to be the most important factors behind the choice of the teaching profession as a career. Intrinsic career value, social contribution, the experience of prior learning and teaching were also influential motivational factors in this choice, as were social influences and social status factors compared to similar research conducted in Australian and Turkish educational settings, however, fall back career, job security, time for family, job transferability, the opportunity to shape the future of children and enhance social equity did not demonstrate meaningful value as motivational factors in this survey. One of the most important results differentiating this from other studies was that the addition of moral value factors to the original scale revealed that these values played an important role in students’ perceptions towards the teaching profession as a career.
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References
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Eccles, J., Adler, T., & Kaczala, C. M. (1982). Socialization of Achievement Attitudes and Beliefs: Parental Influences. Child Development, 53(2), 310–321. https://doi.org/10.2307/1128973
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Parsons, F. (1909). Choosing a Vocation. Igarss 2014, (1), 1–160. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13398-014-0173-7.2
Richardson, P. W., & Watt†, H. M. G. (2006a). Who Chooses Teaching and Why? Profiling Characteristics and Motivations Across Three Australian Universities. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/13598660500480290
Richardson, P. W., & Watt†, H. (2006b). Who Chooses Teaching and Why? Profiling Characteristics and Motivations Across Three Australian Universities. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 34(1), 27–56. https://doi.org/10.1080/13598660500480290
Richardson, P. W., & Watt, H. (2005). “I’ve decided to become a teacher”: Influences on career change. Teaching and Teacher Education. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2005.03.005
Sharf, R. S. (1992). Applying career development theory to counseling. Applying Career Development Theory to Counseling. Belmont, CA, US: Thomson Brooks/Cole Publishing Co.
Surchi, Y. (2017). School needs in Kurdistan. Erbil.
UNESCO Education. (2015). The challenge of teacher shortage and quality: Have we succeeded in getting enough quality teachers into classrooms? Education for All Global Monitoring Report (GMR) and Unesco Education Sector, (April), 1–9.
Wang, H. (2004). Why teaches science? Graduate science students’ perceived motivations for choosing teaching as a career in Taiwan. International Journal of Science Education, 26(1), 113–128. https://doi.org/10.1080/0950069032000070243
Watt, H., & Richardson, P. (2007). Motivational factors influencing teaching as a career choice: Development and validation of the FIT-choice scale. Journal of Experimental Education, 75(3), 167–202. https://doi.org/10.3200/JEXE.75.3.167-202
Watt, H., & Richardson, P. (2008). Motivations, perceptions, and aspirations concerning teaching as a career for different types of beginning teachers. Learning and Instruction, 18(5), 408–428. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2008.06.002
Watt, H., & Richardson, P. (2012). An introduction to teaching motivations in different countries: Comparisons using the FIT-Choice scale. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359866X.2012.700049
Woodward, R. (2009). The organisation for economic co-operation and development (OECD). Routledge.
Zumwalt, K., & Craig, E. (2008).) ‘Who is teaching? Does it matter’ in Cochran-Smith, M., Feiman-Nemser, S., John McIntyre, D. and Demers, K.E. (Eds) Handbook of research on teacher education: Enduring questions in changing contexts, Routledge.
Brookhart, S., & Freeman, D. (1992). Characteristics of Entering Teacher Candidates. Review of Educational Research, 62(1), 37–60. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543062001037
Brown, C. (2002). Career Counselling Practitioners: Reflections on Theory, Research, and Practice, 29(2), 109–127.
Celik, S. (2019). Attitudes of High School Students Towards the Teaching Profession in Iraqi Kurdistan. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 9(1), 95-105. https://doi:10.30845/ijhss.v9n1p11
Cerny, B. A., & Kaiser, H. (1977). A Study of a Measure of Sampling Adequacy for Factor- Analytic Correlation Matrices. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 12(1), 43–47. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26804143/
Cuy Herrera, M. (2016). The formation processes of teachers in service as a factor of institutional improvement. Amazonia Investiga, 5(9), 66-81. Retrieved from https://www.amazoniainvestiga.info/index.php/amazonia/article/view/714
Dawis, R., Lofquist, L. & Weiss, D. (1968). A theory of work adjustment: A revision. Minnesota Studies in Vocational Rehabilitation.
Dick, T. P. & Rallis, S. F. (1991). Factors and Influences on High School Students’ Career Choices. Journal of Research in Mathematics Education, 22(4), 281–292.
Eccles, J., Adler, T., & Kaczala, C. M. (1982). Socialization of Achievement Attitudes and Beliefs: Parental Influences. Child Development, 53(2), 310–321. https://doi.org/10.2307/1128973
Eren, A., & Tezel, K. V. (2010a). Factors influencing teaching choice, professional plans about teaching, and future time perspective: A mediational analysis. Teaching and Teacher Education, 26(7), 1416–1428. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2010.05.001
Eren, A., & Tezel, K. V. (2010b). Factors influencing teaching choice, professional plans about teaching, and future time perspective: A mediational analysis. Teaching and Teacher Education. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2010.05.001
Fokkens-Bruinsma, M., & Canrinus, E. (2012a). The Factors Influencing Teaching (FIT)-Choice scale in a Dutch teacher education program. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359866X.2012.700043
Fokkens-Bruinsma, M., & Canrinus, E. (2012b). The Factors Influencing Teaching (FIT)-Choice scale in a Dutch teacher education program. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 40(3), 249–269. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359866X.2012.700043
Gulen, F. (n.d.). Teachers of wisdom, knowledge of God and dialogue. Retrieved February 2, 2019, from https://fgulen.com/en/home/1320-fgulen-com-english/fethullah-gulen-life/an-analysis-of-the-gulen-movement/26390-teachers-of-wisdom-knowledge-of-god-and-dialogue
Güneyli, A., & Aslan, C. (2009). Evaluation of Turkish prospective teachers’ attitudes towards teaching profession (Near East University case). Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2009.01.059
Kilinç, A., Watt, H. M. G., & Richardson, P. W. (2012). Factors Influencing Teaching Choice in Turkey. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 40(3), 199–226. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359866X.2012.700048
König, J., & Rothland, M. (2012). Motivations for choosing teaching as a career: Effects on general pedagogical knowledge during initial teacher education. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359866X.2012.700045
Kyriacou, C., & Coulthard, M. (2000). Undergraduates’ Views of Teaching as a Career Choice. Journal of Education for Teaching, 26(2), 117–126. https://doi.org/10.1080/02607470050127036
Malderez, A., Hobson, A. J., Tracey, L., & Kerr, K. (2007). Becoming a student teacher: Core features of the experience. European Journal of Teacher Education, 30(3), 225–248. https://doi.org/10.1080/02619760701486068
Padhy, B., Emo, K., Djira, G., & Deokar, A. (2015). Analyzing factors influencing teaching as a career choice using structural equation modeling. SAGE Open, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244015570393
Parsons, F. (1909). Choosing a Vocation. Igarss 2014, (1), 1–160. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13398-014-0173-7.2
Richardson, P. W., & Watt†, H. M. G. (2006a). Who Chooses Teaching and Why? Profiling Characteristics and Motivations Across Three Australian Universities. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/13598660500480290
Richardson, P. W., & Watt†, H. (2006b). Who Chooses Teaching and Why? Profiling Characteristics and Motivations Across Three Australian Universities. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 34(1), 27–56. https://doi.org/10.1080/13598660500480290
Richardson, P. W., & Watt, H. (2005). “I’ve decided to become a teacher”: Influences on career change. Teaching and Teacher Education. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2005.03.005
Sharf, R. S. (1992). Applying career development theory to counseling. Applying Career Development Theory to Counseling. Belmont, CA, US: Thomson Brooks/Cole Publishing Co.
Surchi, Y. (2017). School needs in Kurdistan. Erbil.
UNESCO Education. (2015). The challenge of teacher shortage and quality: Have we succeeded in getting enough quality teachers into classrooms? Education for All Global Monitoring Report (GMR) and Unesco Education Sector, (April), 1–9.
Wang, H. (2004). Why teaches science? Graduate science students’ perceived motivations for choosing teaching as a career in Taiwan. International Journal of Science Education, 26(1), 113–128. https://doi.org/10.1080/0950069032000070243
Watt, H., & Richardson, P. (2007). Motivational factors influencing teaching as a career choice: Development and validation of the FIT-choice scale. Journal of Experimental Education, 75(3), 167–202. https://doi.org/10.3200/JEXE.75.3.167-202
Watt, H., & Richardson, P. (2008). Motivations, perceptions, and aspirations concerning teaching as a career for different types of beginning teachers. Learning and Instruction, 18(5), 408–428. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2008.06.002
Watt, H., & Richardson, P. (2012). An introduction to teaching motivations in different countries: Comparisons using the FIT-Choice scale. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359866X.2012.700049
Woodward, R. (2009). The organisation for economic co-operation and development (OECD). Routledge.
Zumwalt, K., & Craig, E. (2008).) ‘Who is teaching? Does it matter’ in Cochran-Smith, M., Feiman-Nemser, S., John McIntyre, D. and Demers, K.E. (Eds) Handbook of research on teacher education: Enduring questions in changing contexts, Routledge.
Published
2020-08-12
How to Cite
Celik, S. (2020). Association between Influential Factors and Teaching Profession as Career Choice among Undergraduate Student Teachers: A Structural Equation Study. Amazonia Investiga, 9(31), 166-177. https://doi.org/10.34069/AI/2020.31.07.15
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