Profiles of Preservice Biology Teachers’ Generic and Subject-Specific Career Choice Motives: Making a Social Contribution, Wanting to Teach, or Still Undecided

Abstract

ABSTRACT Preservice teachers’ career choice motives consist of individual interests, orientations, or reasons that guide the decision to become teachers. Teachers’ career choice motives can impact teaching and job retention. Most studies on preservice teachers’ career choice motives use closed-ended instruments to assess generic career choice motives and conduct their analyses with variable-centered approaches. In contrast, this study administered open-ended questions in a sample of 298 preservice teachers, asking about both their generic and their subject-specific career choice motives. Furthermore, a latent class analysis was used to identify the different profiles of career choice motives. The findings suggest that, depending on the profile, preservice teachers may be motivated by making a social contribution, by wanting to teach, or they may still be undecided about their future career. The findings are discussed based on the existing literature and recommendations for teacher education and research on preservice teachers’ career choice motives are given.