Relationship
Between Teacher Education Programs and Motivation of Future Teachers to Pursue
Teaching Careers
Rayifa N1*, Dr. Sunil Kumar2
1 Research Scholar, Sunrise University, Alwar,
Rajasthan, India
rayifasalma@gmail.com
2 Assistant Professor, Department of Education, Sunrise
University, Alwar, Rajasthan, India
Abstract: Given the importance of
this topic for teacher supply, quality, and retention, studying how teacher
education programs influence prospective teachers' desire to become teachers
has become an urgent matter in the field of educational research. This research
investigates the ways in which the institutional atmosphere, practicum
experiences, mentorship assistance, pedagogical training, and curriculum design
all play a role in shaping the professional motivation of future teachers. Intrinsic
drive, professional dedication, and long-term career goals are all greatly
improved by organized programs that combine practical experience, introspective
thinking, and positive mentor-mentee relationships. On the other side, trainees
may be less motivated and more likely to leave a program if they do not have
enough hands-on experience, constructive criticism, or supportive learning
settings. Teachers' self-assurance, sense of professional identity, and faith
in their own abilities as educators are all bolstered by the many ways in which
teacher preparation programs contribute to these outcomes. To guarantee that
today's classrooms are staffed by enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and dedicated
teachers who can adapt to students' ever-changing needs, the results highlight
the need of ongoing research into and development of better teacher preparation
models.
Keywords: Teacher
Education Programs, Future Teachers, Motivation, Teaching Career Choice,
Professional Identity, Pedagogical Training, Practicum Experience, Mentoring,
Teacher Preparation, Career Commitment.
INTRODUCTION
In the face of global crises like as the economic
downturn, energy shortages, the COVID-19 epidemic, and the conflict between
Russia and Ukraine, universities are in a unique position to rebrand themselves
as vital social actors committed to solving society's pressing problems.
Several conceptual and structural shifts associated
with the procedural-functional paradigm are reshaping the European higher
education system. Curriculum innovation, new pedagogical techniques, and
cultural linkage initiatives must be prioritized in order to meet the needs of
a society whose present evolutions provide the basis for educational reform. Romania
has taken several steps in recent years to improve the quality of education,
and some of these initiatives have been more successful than others. Students
from Romania scored very poorly on the standardized exams, showing very low
levels of numeracy and functional literacy. Government officials now want to
realize a vision of a student-centered educational process based on a
structural and systemic design that is competency-focused. Universities
throughout the world are reimagining themselves in anticipation of the
post-Covid era as a means of staying competitive in the education industry. In
order to meet the increasingly varied requirements of today's youth, we must
shift our attention to more adaptable and competitive educational
opportunities. We must prioritize the establishment of a global, inclusive
educational system that addresses contemporary learning methods and guarantees
equal opportunity and access to education. Romania has made the digitization of
higher education a priority. In the last two years, the country has launched an
online school that aims to produce digital professionals who can address urgent
issues, work together in real-time, and solve complex challenges. In today's
educational system, the ability to effectively use digital tools is a crucial
component of public education and innovation programs. Teachers and students
alike faced formidable obstacles during their time in online, hybrid, and
blended classrooms. Although many obstacles have been surmounted, others have
resulted in desertion.
Research and studies related
to the teaching profession
In developing nations like India, becoming a teacher
was seen as a key employment that brought both happiness and the joy of
teaching. On the other hand, studies have shown that India has had a hard time
attracting and maintaining qualified educators (Johnson & Birkeland, 2013;
Liu et al., 2015; Preston, 2014; Ramsay et al., 2015; Sargent, 2013).
Students in teacher preparation programs develop a
deeper connection to the teaching profession as they approach graduation. They
start to fully appreciate and contemplate the moment they will enter the
profession. They have a positive impression of the emotional and psychological
assistance they get during their training and internship (Rots et al., 2017).
Both the prospective teacher's self-confidence and the
system's upkeep are affected by their familiarity with the standards and
abilities that teachers are expected to possess. Research out of India has
shown that elements including emotional support, pedagogical practice, teacher
motivation, career exploration, and self-efficacy of decision-making all have a
role in shaping a teacher's choice of profession (Wolf et al., 2021). Age,
gender, prior education, life events, work history, financial aspirations, and
the state of the economy are just a few of the many variables that influence
the desire to become a teacher (Handayani, 2016; Katz & Shabar, 2015).
Keeping educators in the system, encouraging career
loyalty, raising teaching standards, and simplifying the education system are
all critical components of every state's educational system. Those who remain
in the field of education for an extended period of time do so in the hopes of
receiving ongoing professional development, advancing to higher levels of
certification that attest to their expertise and provide financial incentives. Having
worked as a teacher for a while does not always make one a better or more
effective educator (Goodwin et al., 2019).
Researchers in Australia, Norway, Germany, the United
States, and Australia have all worked to refine and perfect the Factors
Influencing Teaching Choice scale, which has been utilized in a number of
research. Using the FIT scale, Watt et al. (2012) performed a comparison
analysis on a global scale. The majority of respondents had comparable reasons
for wanting to become teachers, with cultural differences between their home
countries accounting for the observed variations. The research conducted by
Tomšik (2016) categorizes the reasons why young individuals choose to become
teachers into three subscales: extrinsic, intrinsic, and altruistic. According
to the findings, students should enter this field with the desire and the necessary
abilities and experience, and the effect of other potential career paths is
negatively correlated with these factors.
Some have questioned the wisdom of moving away from
the traditional, on-site model of education where students and teachers
interact face-to-face in a controlled setting in favor of remote, digital
learning. Teachers' proficiency with technology, as well as their communication
and pedagogical abilities in a blended learning environment, are of paramount
importance in the wake of the pandemic. Consequently, educational institutions
felt the consequences of the economic, energy, cybersecurity, military, and
geopolitical shocks brought on by the conflict in Ukraine. Many schools are
showing a growing interest in the advancement of technology and its potential
uses in education, and one new strategy is to prepare future educators to be
proficient in digital skills. This trend is expected to continue until 2019.
Because of the pandemic, the school had to rethink its
role in education in light of the importance of digital literacy; as a result,
both students and instructors struggled to meet the demands of the online
learning environment. Problems with technology, such as a lack of gadgets and
internet access, have prevented distant learning from being effective in many
developing nations. The absence of conventional classroom socializing
(student-student, student-teacher) was cited by the research participants as a
major issue that impeded learning and significantly reduced academic motivation
(Adnan & Anwar, 2020). Access to pedagogical practice was severely
restricted for students training for the teaching profession, with just
platforms providing such access. There was a reduction in the amount of
information provided on the model lessons' instructional techniques,
affective-volitional components, and student-group relationships, all of which
had an impact on the teaching and learning process. Lack of mentoring assistance
and feedback meant that communication with the mentor teacher could only take
place via phone calls or message exchanges (Kulikowsi et al., 2021). By
learning from these mistakes that have harmed future educators, we may better
tailor our pre-service education to meet the needs of our students and the
difficulties of the classroom.
We found a number of publications, studies, and
research on the topic of career motivation for teaching from various angles by
searching the literature.
We have included fresh information to our post that
shows how much Indian students care about the teaching profession, the
difficulties it faces now and, in the future, and how much they want to be
ready to meet those issues head-on.
Connections between motives and professional
advancement ambitions
It is worth noting that there is a strong correlation
between teaching motives and career development goals, namely the desire to
engage in professional development programs. The level of dedication to these
programs has a direct bearing on the quality of instruction (Schleicher, 2012).
The connection between PSTs' original goals in entering the teaching profession
and their desire to stay in the field was investigated by Bruinsma and Jansen
(2010). According to their research, future educators are more likely to stick
with the profession for the long haul if they have strong intrinsic motivations
going into it. These motivations could include things like a passion for
helping students grow as individuals or believing that teaching has social and
meaningful value. Those whose primary motivation is based on things outside of
themselves, including employment stability, vacation time, or the idea that
teaching is a "easy" profession, are less likely to be actively
involved in their work over the long term.
Those who are highly motivated, both for themselves
and to help others, are more likely to take advantage of mentoring
opportunities, seek professional development beyond what is required by law,
and participate in reflective practice. This is of utmost importance since
there is a significant correlation between high-quality instruction and ongoing
professional development. Factors that often impact teacher burnout and
turnover include technology demands, workload pressure, and classroom
management issues. Research has shown that intrinsic motivation plays a
critical role in developing resilience in the face of these problems. Teacher
preparation programs must take into account the interests, values, and goals of
prospective educators if they are to attract and retain highly motivated
individuals, help them establish a strong sense of professional identity, and
pave the way for successful careers in education.
THE OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
1) To
survey preservice teachers in order to find out whether their reasons for
wanting to become teachers differ according to age, socioeconomic position,
gender, location (urban/rural), and degree of education
2) To
examine the relation between prospective teachers' career motivation and
various aspects of teacher education programs, such as curriculum, practicum
experiences, pedagogical training, and faculty support.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
A descriptive, non-experimental study is this one.
When it comes to studies and research involving adult individuals from
academia, the Academic Motivation Scale (AMS) is among the most often used
measures for assessment and validation purposes. The seven subscales that make
up the 28-item version that we employ to assess the theory of
self-determination's stated components and dimensions are as follows: 1-total
disagreement and 7-total agreement.
The 28-item questionnaire was developed by Vallerand
et al. (2014) and addresses different aspects of motivation, including
intrinsic motivation (the desire to know), extrinsic motivation (the desire to
be identified, engage in self-reflection), and the dimension of not being
motivated at all. Analysis and sufficient internal consistency revealed the
construction's validity. Our goal was to learn how students at the Department
for Teacher Training at the University "Dunărea de Jos" in
Galaţi, Romania, feel about the difficulties of teacher preparation and
what drives them to improve their digital literacy. Based on our research, we
determined whether or not there is any digital material included in the present
university curriculum. Information and Communication Technologies (one hour
class plus one hour seminar) and Computer Assisted Training (one hour class
plus one hour seminar) are both offered at the departmental level, and there is
also an IT lab. We polled students on their impressions of their own digital
competencies to find out what they thought were the external elements that may
explain why they wanted to be teachers.
The following aspects were examined by the items:
By analyzing the data, we can make
the lessons better, set up more advanced digital training tasks that meet the
standards of skilled teachers, and come up with ways to fix things.
RESULT
We used a combination of previous knowledge of the
research, the fact that participation was entirely voluntary, and the
randomization process to recruit students. After compiling a list of students
who agreed to participate, we sorted them by order of preference and picked
every second name. Everyone who took part in the research gave their written
consent to keep their information private and to refrain from any kind of
psychological or physiological manipulation. A total of 119 undergraduates (ranging
in age from 20 to 50) made up the research group.
Table 1
Distribution of ages in the sample
|
Ages |
Percent |
|
20 -29 years |
69.9% |
|
30- 39 years |
23.3% |
|
40- 49 years |
6.2% |
|
50 + years |
0.5% |
|
Media |
M= 28.83 |
Source: Author's own conception
May 2022 was the month in which data was physically
and digitally collected using Google forms. In terms of socioeconomic position,
32.8% of respondents are married with children, 62.4% are single and childless,
2.7% are married but childless, and a small percentage are married but without
children. 2% fall into a new social category, such as being widowed or
divorced. In terms of where people call home, the percentages are about equal;
57.5% live in rural regions and 42.5% call metropolitan areas home. Participants include 119 students holding a
baccalaureate degree, 21 students holding a pedagogical high school diploma, 32
students holding an undergraduate degree, and 15 students holding a master's
degree; the number of years spent studying is also considered. Among the class,
139 are enrolled in the elementary and preschool education program known as the
Pedagogy Program, while 48 are taking classes in other disciplines that have a
psycho-pedagogical component. The fact that 76 are in their second year of
college and 115 are in their first is another clue about the group of topics.
The following phases were addressed by the research: Beginning in April 2022
and continuing through May 2022, tasks will include study design, tool
selection (I1) and elaboration (I2), research sample construction, data
collecting tool application, analysis, and result interpretation.
Table 2 Independent
variable description (JAMOVI 2.2.5)
|
Variable |
N |
Missing |
Mean |
Median |
SD |
Variance |
Minimum |
Maximum |
Shapiro–Wilk
W |
p |
|
Gender |
193 |
0 |
0.0674 |
0 |
0.2051 |
0.0631 |
0 |
1 |
0.270 |
< .001 |
|
Graduated
studies |
193 |
0 |
1.2228 |
1 |
0.769 |
0.5907 |
0 |
4 |
0.781 |
< .001 |
Descriptive
Shapiro- Wilk
|
|
N |
Missi ng |
Mea n |
Medi an |
SD |
Varia nce |
Minim um |
Maxim um |
W |
p |
|
PIPP or
the psycho-pedagogical mode |
193 |
0 |
0.7409 |
1 |
0.439 |
0.1930 |
0 |
1 |
0.546 |
< .0 1 |
|
year of
study |
193 |
0 |
0.3834 |
0 |
0.487 |
0.2376 |
0 |
1 |
0.616 |
< .001 |
Source: Author's own conception
We used the 28-item Academic Motivation Scale College
(AMS-C 28) in our study. Vallerand et al. (1993) give answer options on a
7-step Likert scale, with 1 representing full disagreement and 7 perfect agreements.
Why take the psycho-pedagogical module and PIPP program? The 28 questionnaire
items cover these motivational factors: Extrinsic motivation is identification,
introspection, external regulation, and the lack of incentive; intrinsic
motivation is the want to know, achievement orientation, and stimulation. We
carried out statistical tests on the AMS questionnaire given to the student
sample using Jamovi 2.2.5 to determine its reliability.
Table 3
Model Fit Measures
|
|
RMSEA 90% CI |
Model Test |
|
||||
|
RMSEA |
Lower |
Upper |
TLI |
BIC |
χ² |
df |
p |
|
0.0882 |
0.0767 |
0.101 |
0.814 |
-361 |
328 |
131 |
< .001 |
Source: Author's own conception
An RMSEA of demonstrates a rather excellent factor fit
in the study. 0.08., χ²= 328 și p < .001.
The questionnaire's components were subjected to a
statistical analysis of covariance.
Table 4
Factor Covariances
|
95% Confidence Interval |
|||||||
|
|
|
Estimate |
SE |
Lower |
Upper |
Z |
p |
|
Factor 1 |
Factor 1 |
0.605 |
0.1486 |
0.3243 |
0.241 |
4.22 |
< .001 |
|
|
Factor 2 |
0.610 |
0.1577 |
0.4732 |
0.946 |
5.25 |
< .001 |
|
|
Factor 3 |
0.221 |
0.0687 |
0.1405 |
0.374 |
4.71 |
< .001 |
|
|
Factor 4 |
0.318 |
0.0760 |
0.2164 |
0.547 |
4.72 |
< .001 |
|
|
Factor 5 |
0.407 |
0.0569 |
0.9314 |
0.653 |
4.78 |
< .001 |
|
|
Factor 7 |
0.414 |
0.4736 |
0.2333 |
0.508 |
5.07 |
< .001 |
|
Factor 2 |
Factor 2 |
1.232 |
0.2431 |
0.7384 |
1.772 |
5.03 |
< .001 |
|
|
Factor 3 |
0.349 |
0.0467 |
0.1166 |
0.422 |
4.25 |
< .001 |
|
|
Factor 4 |
0.488 |
0.1369 |
0.2367 |
0.670 |
4.36 |
< .001 |
|
|
Factor 5 |
0.419 |
0.1646 |
0.2342 |
0.654 |
3.61 |
< .001 |
|
|
Factor 7 |
0.441 |
0.1555 |
0.2834 |
0.628 |
4.59 |
< .001 |
|
Factor 3 |
Factor 3 |
0.375 |
0.0556 |
0.2230 |
0.566 |
5.79 |
< .001 |
|
|
Factor 4 |
0.341 |
0.0592 |
0.1298 |
0.477 |
5.08 |
< .001 |
|
|
Factor 5 |
0.556 |
0.0466 |
0.3838 |
0.710 |
6.53 |
< .001 |
|
|
Factor 7 |
0.212 |
0.0657 |
0.2597 |
0.580 |
6.26 |
< .001 |
|
Factor 4 |
Factor 4 |
0.860 |
0.0449 |
0.0230 |
0.425 |
2.93 |
0.003 |
|
|
Factor 5 |
0.446 |
0.0988 |
0.3273 |
0.680 |
5.02 |
< .001 |
|
|
Factor 7 |
0.303 |
0.0465 |
0.751 |
0.575 |
5.07 |
< .001 |
|
Factor 5 |
Factor 5 |
1.741 |
0.3673 |
0.9960 |
1.791 |
6.90 |
< .001 |
|
|
Factor 7 |
0.650 |
0.1463 |
0.4984 |
0.826 |
6.08 |
< .001 |
|
Factor 7 |
Factor 7 |
0.531 |
0.1165 |
0.3286 |
0.893 |
4.90 |
< .001 |
Source: Author's own conception
We find that, with the exception of F4, where p=0.003,
all of the factor covariance analyses have p-values less than 0.01.
DISCUSSIONS
Based on our analysis of the collected data, we found
that although we were more motivated by internal variables related to success
and knowledge, we were less motivated by the other external aspects. College
students seem to be more highly driven in an independent manner, according to
related research (Ratelle et al., 2017). As a result of the pandemic and the
rise of online education, students training for careers as teachers report
lower levels of intrinsic desire. According to the second questionnaire, which
measures students' perceptions of their own digital abilities, and the findings
of the AMS scale, which measures external variables that diminish academic
motivation in relation to digital skills, these factors are consistent.
The findings of this study show that the students in the sample are highly
motivated to learn, which can be used to restructure departmental course
modules to train teachers in both mandatory and elective subjects, and to
provide future educators with the chance to acquire digital skills that are
mandated at the national level.
The results of this research have practical
implications for future educators in the southern Indian region. Assuming we
consider the present moment, with the number of cases in India decreasing in
May 2022 and students physically returning to school, our study's setting was
defined as the academic phase of the post-pandemic era. We used demographic
factors such as age, gender, socioeconomic status, and prior research to
characterize our sample of subjects. That was found out by looking at
preservice teachers' academic motivation through the lens of their digital
skills using two surveys: one with a solid track record of validation from
various studies and another that was just an opinion survey.
The lack of enthusiasm among students to take part in
the study is one of the research limitations that we bring up. We think that
further findings may be added to this research when students return to class
and the approach is expanded.
The student counseling sessions include information on
CPD opportunities, optional university programs, and trainers in India and the
surrounding area who are part of national and international teacher-training
efforts.
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