Fallback Career Research Articles

Teaching motivations in Hong Kong: Who will choose teaching as a fallback career in a stringent job market?

This study investigated whether teaching motivations and their outcomes in Hong Kong with a teacher surplus are similar to countries with teacher shortage. Results from 132 pre-service teachers showed altruistic and intrinsic motivations were the most important teaching motivations and they correlated positively with planned teaching engagement. Unlike other studies, two types of fallback career motivation were identified, but only one correlated negatively with planned engagement. Analysis of interview data revealed that the maladaptive effects of fallback career motivation could be reduced by altruistic and intrinsic subject matter motivations. The heuristic value to examine the complete motivation profile was discussed.

English

The present study was carried out to examine the relationships between elementary school teacher candidates’ motivations for choosing the teaching profession, beliefs about the teaching profession, satisfaction with the choice, and burnout. The study was carried out with 171 senior elementary school teacher candidates at one public university in Turkey. Results showed student burnout was significantly and negatively correlated with ability, intrinsic career value, social utility value, and prior teaching and learning experiences as motivations to enter the teaching profession. It was also found that student burnout negatively and significantly related with task return and satisfaction with the choice of career. Moreover, there was found to be a significant and positive relationship between burnout and fallback career as motivating factor, which reveals that students who chose teaching profession as a last resort profession experienced a greater level of burnout. Regression analysis revealed that ability-related motivations to entering into teaching contributed negatively to student burnout, whereas fallback career and personal utility value motivations contributed positively to student burnout. Regarding beliefs about the teaching profession and satisfaction with the choice, it was found that task return and satisfaction with the choice were negative contributors to student burnout.   Key words: Elementary teacher education, student burnout, reasons for choosing teaching as a career, beliefs about the teaching profession, satisfaction with the choice &nbsp

Factors Influencing Teaching Choice in Turkey

Why choose to become a teacher in Turkey? The authors examined motivations and perceptions among preservice teachers (N = 1577) encompassing early childhood, primary and secondary education. The Factors Influencing Teaching Choice (FIT-Choice) instrument was translated into Turkish and its construct validity and reliability assessed. Altruistic ‘social utility values’ were the most influential, followed by the desire for a secure job. Intrinsic value and perceived teaching abilities came next, contrasting with higher ratings in Western studies, alongside prior positive teaching and learning experiences. Family flexibility, job transferability and social influences were moderate, and the negative ‘fallback career’ motivation lowest, although not far below the scale midpoint. Science-related teacher candidates scored more highly on fallback career, had chosen a teaching career the most recently, and were lower on almost all other teaching motivations, demonstrating a less positive motivational profile. Findings are interpreted in light of the economic development and role of the teaching profession in Turkey. Less adaptive motivations belonging to preservice teachers in scientific fields highlight potential risks and recruitment strategies to optimise teacher quality in those priority fields which further research could fruitfully examine.

Initial motivations for teaching: comparison between preservice teachers in the United States and China

This study examined similar and differing initial motivations to teach between 257 US and 542 Chinese preservice teachers using the recently validated FIT-Choice scale. In both countries, participants were motivated to enter teaching because of their social utility values. US preservice teachers reported significantly higher motivations from social utility values, teaching abilities, intrinsic career value, and prior teaching and learning experiences, and lower fallback career motivations. While both viewed teaching as low in return, Chinese participants rated teaching to be low in demand whereas US participants perceived it as high in demand. Despite this, US participants were more satisfied with their career choice. Subtle similarities and differences between the two countries are discussed in relation to social and cultural-value differences.

Adaptive and maladaptive motives for becoming a teacher

In order to counter what appears to be a problem for many OECD countries, namely the growing shortage of teachers, it will be crucial to retain pre-service teachers and keep them committed to teaching. Their motivation for becoming a teacher is believed to be relevant in this respect. This study investigated the importance ascribed by 136 Dutch pre-service teachers to multiple motives, using the Factors Influencing Teaching Choice (FIT-Choice) theory as a basis. It then investigated how these motives are related to the effort these pre-service teachers plan to invest in their profession, their planned involvement in the profession and their current commitment to the profession. Finally, the results were used to distinguish adaptive motives for becoming a teacher (motives that are positively related to effort, involvement and commitment) and maladaptive motives for becoming a teacher (motives that are negatively related to these constructs). The most important motive identified for becoming a teacher was the pre-service teachers’ belief in their teaching abilities. The least important motive was their perception of teaching as a fallback career.

Determinants of Pre-Service Students’ Choice to Teach Secondary Agricultural Education

The purpose of this study was to explain and predict the factors that influence senior-level agricultural education students’ choice to become a secondary agriculture teacher. The study focused on the extent to which beliefs and attitudes toward teaching influenced students’ intent to select teaching secondary agricultural education as a career. An adaptation of the FIT-Choice® Scale instrument was distributed to senior-level students enrolled at institutions with teacher development programs to certify secondary agriculture teachers within nine states. A total of 145 students completed the instrument. Overall, characteristics of sex, perceived agriculture experience compared to their peers, years enrolled in schoolbased agricultural education courses, years of FFA membership, participation in SAE, and years of 4-H membership were not significant predictors of intent to teach. However, two beliefs about teaching subconstructs (“teacher morale,” and “expert career”) were found to be significant predictors of students’ intent to teach. Similarly, four attitudinal sub-constructs (“fallback career,” “working with adolescents,” “intrinsic career value” and “job security”) were significant predictors of intent to teach. Eight percent of intent to teach can be accounted for by attitude when controlling for beliefs.

Investigating pre-service teacher motivation across cultures using the Teachers’ Ten Statements Test

Motivations for choosing teaching as a career were investigated in 200 pre-service teachers from Canada and Oman. We used a novel structured qualitative approach and two theoretical models to analyze how pre-service teacher career-choice motivation varied according to cultural context. The results of the study showed that Canadian participants made more self-references, and expressed higher levels of individual-focused motivation and social utility value as career motivators than did Omani participants. Participants from Oman expressed greater endorsement of teaching as a fallback career and higher levels of socio-cultural influences than Canadian participants. Results extend teacher motivation “teacher motivation theory” by investigating socio-cultural influences.