Choosing to teach: Career aspirations among student teachers in Chinese normal universities and colleges

Abstract

Encouraging young people to pursue and remain in the teaching profession is a core goals of teacher education, and it is important to understand new-generation teachers’ vision for teaching. This study investigates teaching aspirations of 37,514 Chinese pre-service teachers with aspects to occupational entry, expected retention, and willingness of rural teaching, and examines the influences of multi-level factors via multivariate linear regression analysis. Findings indicate some contextually specific factors that can impact on pre-service teachers’ decision to teach, providing practical implications for teacher preparation and inspiring future relevant research to holistically investigate teaching aspirations beyond micro-level variables.