Reasons to Become a Mathematics Teacher – A Comparative Research for Germany, Switzerland, Norway and Taiwan

Author(s):

Christin Laschke(presenting / submitting)Sigrid Blömeke Gabriele Kaiser

Conference:

ECER 2014

Network:

24. Mathematics Education Research

Format:

Paper

Session Information

24 SES 03, Issues in Mathematics Teacher Education (Part 2)

Paper Session: continued from 24 SES 02 A

Time:

2014-09-02

17:15-18:45

Room:

B113 Sala de Aulas

Chair:

Birgit Pepin

Contribution

Several European countries face a shortage of teachers currently or in the future, because of the ageing teaching workforce (Eurydice, 2012; Eurydice, 2013). In particular recruiting school graduates into teacher education of STEM subjects is an important challenge (Eurydice, 2011). Furthermore, alternative pathways into the teaching profession are discussed and implemented in some European countries (Eurydice, 2013). Whereas the question how to recruit teaching candidates is a major issue in many OECD countries, the situation in Taiwan is reversed. In Taiwan the teaching profession is highly valued and since the marketization of teacher education the number of graduates is much higher than the number of teaching job openings.

In order to reach indications for an adequate recruiting of teaching candidates insights in the nature of motivation to move into the teaching profession are required. For that purpose we need evidences regarding to who choose the STEM teaching profession and why.

Following further research results, motivation is crucial for moving into and successfully completing teacher training as well as for entering into and remaining the teaching profession (e. g. Blömeke, 2012; Laschke, 2013; König et al., 2013). Despite of numerous empirical studies focusing (student) teachers’ motivation (see Rothland, 2011) there is a lack of comparative research regarding to motivation to become a teacher and its determining aspects. An exception are studies using the FIT-Choice scale (Watt & Richardson, 2007). For STEM future teachers in Australia differences in motivations for choosing teaching as a career by gender, level of grades, prior experiences and demographic aspects were examined (Watt, Richardson & Pietsch, 2009, Watt, Richardson & Devos, 2013). Evidences for the European context were revealed by König et al. (2013), who emphasize prior pedagogical experiences related to the FIT-Choice scale whilst controlling for age, gender and average of school grades, based on samples of future teachers for different subjects in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. But there are no comparable evidences regarding to future teachers in STEM subjects, especially mathematics focusing on different cultural contexts. Since mathematics is regarded as male domain and teaching becomes more and more feminized (Watt, Richardson & Devos, 2013) the role of gender for choosing mathematics teaching profession, which includes both aspects, is of particular interest. Evidences are needed whether there are gender differences in choosing math teaching as a career for intrinsic, altruistic or extrinsic reasons. Starting from the expectancy-value theory (Wigfield & Eccles, 2000) and the cognitive career theory (Lent, Brown, Hackett, 1994) furthermore the following questions are raised. Do (domain specific) school experiences as a student determine for what reason teaching profession was chosen. What does motivate people with prior career experiences to change into the teaching profession? Is it because of altruistic, extrinsic or intrinsic reasons? Do student teachers having family constraints, choose the teaching profession only because of extrinsic motives? Does gender moderate the relation of the named aspects and the motivation to become a teacher?

Such evidences can help to understand which mechanisms underlie choosing mathematics teaching as a career. With due regard to further results about the role of motivation for success in the teacher education and in the teaching profession, such evidences can furthermore give implications how to address appropriate candidates for the teaching profession and how to attract teacher education to prevent dropping out.

Method

The TEDS-M-Study (Tatto et al., 2008), focusing on student mathematics teachers for secondary schools, reveals a suitable database to examine the named research questions for the western European countries Germany, Switzerland and Norway, which face a shortage of mathematics teachers, because of the ageing workforce (Eurydice, 2012). The case of Taiwan, where the number of graduates in teacher education is much higher than the number of teaching job openings, serves as a reference. The samples consist of 771 mathematics future teachers in 13 German institutions, 141 math future teachers in six universities of education in German-speaking Switzerland, 550 future teachers in 45 Norwegian preparation units and 365 student teachers in 19 universities in Taiwan. In the last year of their teacher training the participants were ask to rate on a four stage likert scale to what extent nine named statements, which catch intrinsic content related, pedagogical altruistic and extrinsic aspects, identify their reasons to become a teacher. Structural equation modelling will be carried out for identifying the constructs behind and the relationship to the level of grades in school, the level of mathematics undertaken in school, having (no) family constraints while the teacher education and having (no) prior career. Furthermore the role of gender and its direct and moderating influence will be examined.

Expected Outcomes

Starting from evidences of prior studies (see for instance Rothland, 2011) and initial analyses we expect inter alia the following results: For all the four countries there are three constructs underlying the motives to become a teacher: intrinsic content related, pedagogic altruistic and extrinsic motives. Female mathematics future teachers tend to choose the teaching profession because of pedagogical altruistic and extrinsic motives. Males because of intrinsic content related and extrinsic motives. Future teachers who had positive prior learning experiences, measured by level of grades, tend to rate intrinsic content related motives as well as pedagogical altruistic motives. An intrinsic content related motivation is furthermore rated by future teachers with a stronger educational background in mathematics. Having family constraints results in a stronger emphasis on extrinsic reasons for choosing teaching as a career. Finally the gender moderates the impact of prior school experiences as a student, the familial situation and a prior career to choose teaching as a career for different reasons. The findings for Germany, Norway and Switzerland are expected as widely similar. By taking into account the Taiwanese situation as a contrast, we hope to reach a deeper comprehension of the significance of the different kind of motives for choosing the math teaching profession and the structure behind them in Germany, Norway and Switzerland Based on the insights in mechanisms which underlie choosing teaching as a career, implications for acquisition of teaching candidates and for the teacher education will be discussed against the specific framework in the respective countries.

References

Blömeke, S., Suhl, U., Kaiser, G. & Döhrmann, M. (2012). Family background, entry selectivity and opportunities to learn: What matters in primary teacher education? An international comparison of fifteen countries. Teaching and Teacher Education, 28, 44–55. European Commission/EACEA/Eurydice, 2013. Key Data on Teachers and School Leaders in Europe. 2013 Edition. Eurydice Report. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union. Eurydice 2012, Mathematics Education in Europe: Common Challenges and National Policies Eurydice 2011, Science Education in Europe: National Policies, Practices and Research, European Commission, Brussels König, J., Rothland, M., Darge, K., Lünnemann, M. & Tachtsoglou, S. (2013). Erfassung und Struktur berufsrelevanter Faktoren für die Lehrerausbildung und den Lehrerberuf in Deutschland, Östereich und der Schweiz. Zeitschrift für Erziehungswissenschaften 16:553–577. Laschke, C. (2013). Effects of future mathematics teachers' affective, cognitive and socio-demographic characteristics on their knowledge at the end of the teacher education in Germany and Taiwan. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education. 11(4): 895-921. Lent, R. W., Brown, S. D., & Hackett, G. (1994). Toward a unifying social cognitive theory of career and academic interest, choice, and performance. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 45, 79-122. Rothland, M. (2011). Warum entscheiden sich Studierende für den Lehrerberuf? Interessen, Orientierungen und Berufswahlmotive angehender Lehrkräften im Spiegel der empirischen Forschung.In E. Terhart, H. Bennewitz & M. Rothland (Hrsg.), Handbuch der Forschung zum Lehrerberuf, 268–310. Münster: Waxmann. Tatto, M. T., Schwille, J., Senk, S., Ingvarson, L., Peck, R. & Rowley, G. (2012b). Teacher Education and Development Study in Mathematics (TEDS-M): Technical handbook. Amsterdam: IEA. Watt, H. M. G., Richardson, P. W. & Devos, C. (2013). (How) Does Gender Matter in the Choice of a STEM Teaching Career and Later Teaching Behaviours? International Journal of Gender, Science and Technology, 5/3: 187-206. Watt, H. M. G., Richardson, P. W., & Pietsch, J. (2009). Choosing to teach in the “STEM” disciplines: Characteristics and motivations of science, technology, and mathematics teachers from Australia and the United States. In A. Selkirk & M. Tichenor (Eds.), Teacher education: Policy, practice and research (pp. 285-309). New York: Nova Science Publishers. Watt, H. M. G., & Richardson, P. W. (2007). Motivational factors influencing teaching as a career choice: Development and validation of the FIT- Choice Scale. Journal of Experimental Education, 75, 167–202. Wigfield, A., & Eccles, J. S. (2000). Expectancy-value theory of achievement motivation. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25, 68 – 81.

Author Information

Christin Laschke (presenting / submitting)

Humboldt-University Berlin

Department of Education

Berlin

Sigrid Blömeke

Humboldt-University Berlin, Germany

Gabriele Kaiser

University of Hamburg

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