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Chapter 7 - Teaching Motivations and Perceptions during the First Year of Teacher Education in Estonia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 September 2017

By
Merle Taimalu ,
Piret Luik  and
Karin Täht
Edited by
Helen M. G. Watt ,
Paul W. Richardson  and
Kari Smith
Helen M. G. Watt
Affiliation:
University of Sydney
Paul W. Richardson
Affiliation:
Monash University, Victoria
Kari Smith
Affiliation:
Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim
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Summary

Abstract

Teacher education and a career in teaching is not a popular career choice among young people in Estonia; as a result, there is policy interest in improving the attractiveness of teaching and better understanding the factors that influence people to choose it. This chapter examines changes in motivations and perceptions among teacher education students (N = 548) from two universities tracked from the beginning to the end of their first year of enrolment. The FIT-Choice scale was translated into Estonian and validated in that context using confirmatory factor analyses. Over the course of one year there were four significant changes in motivations and perceptions detected: perceived ability and social influence motivations increased, as did the perceptions of teaching as an expert career together with students’ experiences of social dissuasion. However, the findings represented a story more of stability than change, with most factors remaining stable. Findings are discussed in relation to the potential role of teacher education to optimise motivations.

Type
Chapter
Information
Global Perspectives on Teacher Motivation , pp. 162 - 188
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2017

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