Teaching is inherently goal-oriented, and teachers’ professional ethics emphasize the committed nature of the teaching profession. Teachers set professional purposes for their work; in this study, these refer to long-term and personally meaningful goals that teachers are committed to pursuing as part of their professional practice (Damon et al., 2003, p. 121; Tirri & Kuusisto 2019, p. 62). As educational systems face multiple societal challenges, there is a need for a better understanding of teachers’ professional civic purposes. Professional civic purposes can be defined as motivated and sustained intentions to contribute through work to the world beyond the self, engaging with civic issues in concrete and practical ways.

We examine the applicability of the Professional Purposes in Teaching -scale (PPT) for investigating pre- and in-service teachers’ professional purposes through three sub-studies. The scale was developed based on an analysis of qualitative survey data on student teachers’ professional purposes (Kuusisto & Rissanen, 2023). It measures student teacher’s professional purposes across three dimensions: pedagogical purposes (subscales: growth & learning; care & wellbeing), self-oriented purposes (subscales: self-actualization; stability & security), and civic purposes.

Data for the sub-studies were collected from Finnish in-service teachers in lower secondary schools (Study 1, spring 2024, n = 575), Finnish student teacher (study 2, spring 2025, n = 203) and Finnish and German student teachers (study 3, fall 2025). For the data collection, an electronic self-report questionnaire was created using the LimeSurvey platform. Participation was voluntary and anonymous. The data were collected in spring 2025 in collaboration with teacher educators. The psychometric properties of the scale were assessed using both exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. In Study 1, the PPT scale consisted of 22 items, whereas in Study 2 it included 29 items. In both studies, respondents rated the items on a 9‑point Likert scale (0 = not at all important, 8 = extremely important). In Study 1, the civic purposes dimension comprised three subcategories: making the world a better place, social sustainability, and ecological sustainability. In Study 2, the latter two were combined into a single dimension named ecological and social sustainability. In Study 1, an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with principal axis factoring and Direct oblimin rotation was conducted to identify the underlying factor structure among in-service teachers. Based on the factor solution, seven dimensions of professional purposes could be identified. For each factor, a sum variable was created, and their internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. To examine the professional purposes among teachers and student teachers, group comparisons were conducted between different teacher groups. Independent samples t‑tests and one-way analyses of variance (ANOVA) were used in these comparisons, for variables that did not meet the assumption of normality, group comparisons were conducted using non-parametric Kruskal–Wallis or Mann–Whitney U tests. We present the factor structure of the PPT-scale, the manifestation of different professional purposes among teachers and student teachers and discuss the significance of our findings for the development of teacher education. Data collection for the third sub-study is still ongoing at the time of the submission. The analysis will include testing measurement invariance to ensure the validity and reliability of the PPT across Finnish and German contexts.

The first sub-study showed that Finnish in-service teachers scored highest in social sustainability (M = 6.57, SD = 1.33) and lowest in ecological sustainability (M = 5.57, SD = 1.57). Women reported significantly higher self-assessed professional civic purpose than men across all subdimensions. Significant differences were also found across age groups in social sustainability, F(2, 508) = 4.156, p < .016, and ecological sustainability, F(2, 508) = 12.231, p < .001, as well as across teaching experience in ecological sustainability, F(3, 507) = 5.785, p < .001. The second sub-study showed Finnish student teachers rated highest in care & wellbeing (M = 6.80, SD = 1.11) and lowest in stability & security (M = 5.40, SD = 1.61). Student teachers’ self-assessments of their professional civic purposes showed significant gender differences only in the social and ecological sustainability subcategory, t(35.048) = 3.207, p <.003. Women reported higher scores across all subdimensions compared to men. No significant differences were found across age groups, duration of studies, or teacher education programs. Study 1 provided an initial assessment of the scale among in-service teachers, illustrating how professional purposes manifest in practice. Study 2 focused on student teachers, enabling examination of the factor structure, at an early stage of professional purpose development. Study 3 will further strengthen validity evidence by assessing cross-cultural comparability. Differences in professional civic purposes among student teachers were observed only between genders. However, among in-service teachers, the highest ratings for professional civic purposes were found among those with the most teaching experience. Teacher education should aim to deepen understanding of the importance of promoting sustainability and strengthen student teachers’ ability to integrate it across subjects. For in-service teachers, differences in professional civic purposes should be addressed through training that supports teachers in enhancing sustainability in their teaching and school community.

Damon, W., Menon, J. & Bronk, K. C. (2003). The development of purpose during adolescence. Applied Developmental Science, 7, 119–128. https://doi.org/10.1207/S1532480XADS0703_2 Kuusisto, E., & Rissanen, I. (2023). Kohti päämäärätietoista yhteiskunnallista opettajuutta? Opettajaopiskelijoiden tulevalle työlleen asettamat päämäärät. Kasvatus, 54(4), 385–398. https://doi.org/10.33348/kvt.138074 Tirri, K., & Kuusisto, E. (2019). Opettajan ammattietiikkaa oppimassa. Gaudeamus.