As teachers’ career paths are becoming more and more flexible – with many young teachers leaving the profession prematurely in order to pursue other careers, and many persons from other occupational fields choosing to teach as a second or third career –, the task to attract and retain enough qualified teachers has become highly challenging in many European countries (OECD, 2005). Teacher education institutions tackle this challenge by implementing a variety of measures, including the establishment of alternative admission procedures and certification programmes for second career teachers (Bauer, Bieri-Buschor & Safi, 2017), an increasing emphasis on long-term professional development, and the expansion of programmes for continuing professional development (Müller, Soukup-Altrichter & Andreitz, 2018).

One factor that has been shown to be decisive for recruiting, training and retaining committed and effective teachers is teacher motivation. Teacher motivation research has experienced increasing interest over the last twenty years as teachers’ motivations have been positively linked to their professional development and retention, as well as to student motivation and learning (Richardson & Watt, 2010). While initially, the research focus was primarily on prospective and initial teachers’ motivation, an interest in in-service teachers’ motivation has developed in recent years (Han & Yin, 2016).

Taking these developments into account, the symposium will present and discuss international research dealing with teacher motivation throughout the professional career. The following research questions will be at the centre of attention: What motivates people with different educational backgrounds to choose teaching as a career? What are their career aspirations? And what are the motivational preconditions for successful continuing professional development? We will approach these questions by first addressing recruitment for teacher education, within the framework of social-cognitive career theory (Lent, Brown, & Hackett, 1994), then investigating first and second career teacher students' motivations and career aspirations within the FIT-Choice framework (Watt & Richardson, 2007), and finally addressing motivations for continuing professional development, with reference to self-determination theory (Ryan & Deci, 2017). Included in the symposium are the following papers:

-       Study 1 (Netherlands): Looking for potential secondary school teachers among science university students. A latent profile analysis

-       Study 2 (Israel): Second career student teachers’ intentions, motivations, and perceptions about the teaching profession

-       Study 3 (Switzerland): First and second career teacher students’ career motives and aspirations

-       Study 4 (Austria): The impact of motivational aspects for the learning process and effects of teachers’ continuing professional development

The aim of the symposium is to bring together international studies on teacher motivation under the shared research question of how to recruit, train and retain qualified teachers with different educational backgrounds and at different stages of their careers. It will provide the opportunity to discuss the findings in respect to their implications for educational policy and practice, teacher education, and their relevance for future research.

Bauer, C., Bieri, C., & Safi, N (2017). Hintergründe - Themen - Relevanz. In: Bauer, C.; Bieri, C.; Safi, N. (Hrsg.), Berufswechsel in den Lehrberuf, 9-18. Bern: hep Verlag Han, J., & Yin, H. (2016). Teacher motivation: Definition, research development and implications for teachers. Cogent Education, 3(1). 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(1), 79-122. Müller, F.H., Soukup-Altrichter, K. & Andreitz, I. (2018). Lehrer/innenfortbildung in Österreich. Konzepte, Befunde und Trends . In H. Altrichter, B. Hanfstingl, K. Krainer, M. Krainz-Dürr, E. Messner & J. Thonhauser (Hrsg.), Baustellen in der österreichischen Bildungslandschaft, 144–160. Münster, New York, München, Berlin: Waxmann OECD (2005). Teachers Matter: Attracting, Developing and Retaining Effective Teachers Paris: OECD Publishing Richardson, P. W., & Watt, H. M. G. (2010). Current and future directions in teacher motivation research The Decade Ahead: Applications and Contexts of Motivation and Achievement (Vol. 16 (B), pp. 139-173). Bingley: Emerald Group Publishing. Ryan, R. M. & Deci, E. L. (2017). Self-Determination Theory. Basic Psychological Needs in Motivation, Development, and Wellness. New York: Guildford Press. Watt, H. M. G., & Richardson, P. W. (2007). Motivational Factors Influencing Teaching as a Career Choice: Development and Validation of the FIT-Choice Scale. The Journal of Experimental Education, 75(3), 167-202.