Mexico is struggling to attract students to enroll in teacher training colleges (normal schools). The state of Baja California is one of three Mexican states where almost half of the spaces offered in the normal schools have not been taken (INEE, 2015). Since 2012, a drop of 83% of applicants in the B.A. of Primary Education has been observed. This is likely because of the increase in application requirements in the normal schools (SEP, 2015), the increase in opportunities to obtain teaching credentials in other types of universities (DOF, 2013), the deteriorated social image of the profession, and the current working conditions for Mexican teachers that are not perceived as ideal. Despite the adverse conditions, there are still applicants for normal schools, so it is pertinent to identify the factors that influence their choice to become teachers.
Studies that investigated students’ motivations during their teacher training using multiple choice questionnaires were identified (Fokkens-Bruinsma y Canrinus, 2012; Thomson et al., 2012; König y Rothland, 2012; Rots et al., 2014; Tomsik, 2016; Tustiawati, 2017). The most recent instrument found is the Factors Influencing Teaching Scale (FIT-Choice) developed by Watt y Richardson (2007). The FIT-Choice has been used in more than 12 countries. For example, in Europe it has been used for comparative purposes in Turkey, Holland, England, and Germany, where teacher shortage issues have been recognized, both in teaching preparation programs and in the continuing professional development. Similarly, in Spain, the instrument has been translated into Spanish (Gratacos, 2014). This version of the instrument was adapted and used with teacher students in the Latin-American context (Pariahuache, 2015), however, no recent studies focused on the population of applicants were identified.
The FIT-Choice theoretical framework is based on some particular aspects of the Expectancy-value theory (Wigfield y Eccles, 2000), three higher order constructs: (a) expectancy/ability beliefs (self), (b) subjective task value (value), and (c) perceived task difficulty (task perceptions) (Watt y Richardson, 2007).
In this study, this theoretical framework was used to develop a new questionnaire adapted to the Mexican context and the population of applicants to normal schools. Theoretical model was adapted so the instrument captures the singularities that characterize teaching training programs in Mexico. That is, traditionally only normal schools would provide teaching training, the age range of first-year students is between 17 and 18 years old, and high school is a requirement for enrollment. These characteristics are different from educational systems where the FIT-Choice instrument has been administered.
This proposal will report the methodological procedures used in the development and validation of the Mexican instrument and will report the findings of the validation study. The purpose of the general study is to provide information to educational authorities that will allow them to improve planning and recruitment strategies, as well as counseling services for students.