Teaching as a Prospective Career: Motivators and Disincentives

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.62695/WAIT3688

Keywords:

Teaching career, Young people, Teacher shortage, Quantitative study

Abstract

There is a growing sentiment that teaching, as a prospective career, is losing its attractiveness. Encouraging young people to pursue a career in teaching is becoming a challenge. A teacher shortage crisis is being experienced globally, and locally a similar situation has evolved. Young people are shying away from teaching as a career. In this scenario, a quantitative study to investigate 16- to 18-year-olds’ perspectives on teaching as a prospective career will be conducted through a questionnaire survey. The participants, all in post-secondary institutions, will be invited to share their opinions and ideas on the topic. The aim of this research is to comprehend the factors that encourage or discourage 16- to 18-year-olds when considering teaching as their prospective career. The research findings could help inform future decisions at a policy level to help render teaching a desirable profession. The motivators and disincentives perceived by young people could provide a valuable perspective to different stakeholders who are interested in overcoming the teacher shortage crisis and in attracting the best talent from young people for the teaching profession.

Author Biography

Angele Pulis, Institute for Education

Angele Pulis is a full-time lecturer at the Institute for Education. Her research domains include educational leadership, pupil voice and mixed methods research. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Leicester, a Master of Philosophy from the University of Wales, and a postgraduate diploma in Educational Administration and Management, and a Bachelor in Education (Hons) from the University of Malta. Her career in schools has included various roles. She was a Head of a primary school and an Assistant Head of a sixth form and a secondary school. She has taught Integrated Science, Biology and Chemistry in various schools.

References

Alvarinas-Villaverde, M., Domeninguez-Alonso, J., Pumares-Lavandeira, L., & Portela-Pino, I. (2022). Initial motivations for choosing teaching as a career. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 1–9. https://doi.org.10.3389/fpsyg.2022.842557

Arena, J. (2022, September 26). There is no shortage of teachers in state schools. Times of Malta. https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/watch-no-shortage-teachers-state-schools-clifton-grima.983201

Ary, D., Jacobs, L. C., Sorensen, C., & Razavich, A. (2006). Introduction to research in education (8th ed.). Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

Attard Tonna, M., & Calleja, J. (2018). Teachers’ professional lives and careers: Research study report. Department of Leadership for Learning and Innovation, Faculty of Education, University of Malta. https://issuu.com/iblmaths/docs/teachers_lives_careers

Azoulay, A., Houngbo, G. F., Russell, C., & Edwards, D. (2023). World Teachers’ Day [Conference Presentation]. 42nd Session of the General Conference from 7 to 22 November 2023. https://www.unesco.org/en/days/teachers

Bryman, A. (2012). Social research methods (4th ed.). Oxford University Press.

Calleja, C. (2023, November 7). Teachers’ strike goes ahead with 97% of educators participating. Times of Malta. https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/teachers-strike-goes-ahead-97-educators-participating.1069803

Domjan, M. (2019). Intrinsic motivation and factors associated to choosing teaching as a career: A meta-analytic review. Practice and Theory in Systems of Education, 13(2), 81–100. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/335681894_Intrinsic_Motivation_and_Factors_Associated_to_Choosing_Teaching_as_a_Career_A_Meta-analytic_Review

Etkin, S., Yetkin, R., & Ozturk, S. Y. (2021). A comparative study of career motivations and perceptions of student teachers. Turkish Studies - Educational Sciences, 16(1), 505–516. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED611796

Farrugia, C. (2022, September 26). Teacher shortage is ‘back to pre-Covid levels’. Times of Malta. https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/teacher-shortage-back-precovid-levels.983096

Galea, C. (2023, September 28). Watch: ‘Act on it before it’s too late’- Maltese teacher calls for action from ‘educational system’ after heartbreaking resignation. Lovin Malta. https://lovinmalta.com/malta/watch-act-on-it-before-its-too-late-maltese-teacher-calls-for-action-from-educational-system-after-heartbreaking-resignation/

Galea, F. (2020). Actions speak louder than words: Investigating teacher attrition in Malta. Malta Review of Educational Research, 14(1), 93–114. https://www.mreronline.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/5-Fabian-Galea-Investigating-Teacher-Attrition-in-Malta.pdf

Gorard, S., Haut See, B., & Moris, R. (2022). How to get more people into teaching? Comparing undergraduates’ and teacher trainees’ motivation and perceptions of a teaching career. Education Sciences, 12(767), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12110767

Gore, J. M., Holmes, K., Smith, M., & Fray, L. (2015). Investigating the factors that influence the choice of teaching as a first career. A report commissioned by the Queensland College of Teachers, The University of Newcastle, Australia. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/326144446_Investigating_the_factors_that_influence_the_choice_of_teaching_as_a_first_career

GOV.UK (2023, June 8). School workforce in England. https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england

Haruana, P., & Millicent Sackey, G. (2023). Influence of altruistic, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation on the choice of teaching career in basic education. International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, 7(1), 964–979. https://doi.org.10.47772/IJRISS

Hattie, J. A. C. (2003). Teachers Make a Difference: What is the Research Evidence? Paper presented at the Building Teacher Quality: What does the research tell us. ACER Research Conference, Melbourne, Australia. http://research.acer.edu.au/research_conference_2003/4/

Heinz, M. (2015). Why choose teaching? An international review of empirical studies exploring student teachers career motivations and levels of commitment to teaching. Educational Research and Evaluation: An International Journal on Theory and Practice, 21(3), 258–297. https://doi.org/10.1080/13803611.2015.1018278

Lichtman, M. (2017). Qualitative research for the Social Sciences. Sage Publications.

Magri, G. (2023, November 17). ‘Not enough’: MUT directives to continue a union rejects new financial package. Times of Malta. https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/mut-directives-continue-union-rejects-new-financial-package.1068066

Micallef, K. (2017, October 9). A teaching profession in crisis? Times of Malta. https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/teachers-working-conditions-now-an-issue-more-than-ever.659952

Ministry for Education (2024). Recruitment Portal: Supply Teacher 2023/2024. https://edurecruitment.gov.mt/Home/Profile?eq=2V0HRypFqBk%3d

National Statistics Office, Malta (2023, November 7). Post-secondary levels students by academic year, course type and type of institution [News Release 195/2023]. https://nso.gov.mt/students-in-post-secondary-and-tertiary-education-2021-2022/

National Statistics Office, Malta (2023, November 15). Personnel in Education: 2021/2022 [News Release 203/2023]. https://nso.gov.mt/personnel-in-education-2021-2022/

National Statistics Office, Malta (2023, December 15). Graduates: 2022 [News Release 224/2023]. https://nso.gov.mt/graduates-2022/

OECD (2018). Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS). Country Note: Malta. https://www.oecd.org/countries/malta/TALIS2018_CN_MLT_Vol_II.pdf

OECD (2019). Raising the attractiveness of a career in schools, in Working and learning together: Rethinking human resource policies for schools. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/8ccea428-en

Peetz, C. (2022, November 15). The Status of the Teaching Profession is at a 50-year Low. What Can We Do About It? Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/the-status-of-the-teaching-profession-is-at-a-50-year-low-what-can-we-do-about-it/2022/11

Pulis, A. (2018). Pupils as assessors in quality assurance of schools in Malta [Unpublished Doctoral dissertation]. University of Leicester.

Ruane, J. M. (2005). Essentials of research methods: A guide to social science research. Blackwell Publishing Limited.

See, B.H., Munthe, E., Ross, S. A., Hitt, L., & El Soufi, N. (2022). Who becomes a teacher and why? Review of Education. John Wiley &Sons Ltd on behalf of British Educational Research Association. https://doi.org/10.1002/rev3.3377

The Malta Chamber. (2021, 21 June). Education for the future. https://www.maltachamber.org.mt/the-malta-chamber-launches-a-document-led-by-the-education-thematic-committee-titled-education-for-the-future/

UNESCO. (2022, October 4). World teachers’ day: UNESCO sounds the alarm on the global teacher shortage crisis. [Press release]. https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/world-teachers-day-unesco-sounds-alarm-global-teacher-shortage-crisis

Zammit Marmara, S. (2006). Male teachers: An endangered species in Maltese Primary schools? [Unpublished Bachelor dissertation]. University of Malta.

Downloads

Published

05-05-2024

How to Cite

Pulis, A. (2024). Teaching as a Prospective Career: Motivators and Disincentives. Malta Journal of Education, 4(1), 86–109. https://doi.org/10.62695/WAIT3688

Similar Articles

<< < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 > >> 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.