The teacher career cycle and initial motivation: the case of Slovenian secondary school teachers

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article focuses on the career cycle and initial motivation of secondary school teachers in Slovenia and is based on the Teacher Career Cycle Model. The aim of the study was to determine whether there are differences in the career stages and motivation in terms of teachers’ gender, mode of formal education and length of work experience in teaching and whether there are any correlations between the stages and motivation. The study included 94 secondary school teachers who completed the Slovenian version of the Career Choice Scale and Career Development Scale. The results show that female teachers are more intrinsically motivated in choosing the profession, while male teachers are more insecure in the profession. Teachers who completed concurrent programmes show a higher level of intrinsic motivation for the teaching profession and a major wind-down was apparent for teachers with 21 years or more of work experience in teaching.