Teachers Who Remain And Who Withdraw From The Profession – Motivation And Professional Identity Perspective

Author(s):

Iva Stuchlikova(submitting)Yvona Mazehóová(presenting)

Conference:

ECER 2012

Network:

10. Teacher Education Research

Format:

Poster

Session Information

10 SES 05.5 PS, General Poster Exhibition

General Poster Session during Lunch

Time:

2012-09-19

12:30-14:00

Room:

FCEE - Poster Exhibition Area

Chair:

Contribution

Background

Studies have shown that becoming a professional occurs on two levels (Guskey, 2002). First, it takes place on a structural level, such as formal educational and entrance requirements for entry into the profession. Secondly, it occurs on an attitudinal level, such as the individual's sense of "a calling" to the field. Adjustment to the teacher profession may be external, under the demands and in correspondence with the notion of teacher’s professional role, and internal, which is associated with changes in the subjective self-conceptualization associated with the role, called professional identity (McGowen & Hart, 1990; Beijaard, Meijer, & Verloop, 2004). Professional satisfaction and the will to go on teaching is then formed by an interplay of internal and external factors.

Aims of the study

The study investigated the differences in motivation and professional identity of the teachers who stay in their profession for more than five years and feel professionally satisfied, and those who have already quitted the profession.

Method

Design Multiple case study design (10 ongoing teachers and 10 who quitted) design was used combining the data from questionnaires (related to work conditions), autobiographic interview and projective tests. Ongoing teachers (“teachers”) sample consisted of 9 women and 1 men of average age 40,1 years; teaching practice ranging from 6 to 22 years, with median 8 years. Teachers who quitted sample (“former teachers”) sample consisted of 9 women and 1 men of average age 36,3 years; their former teaching practice ranged 3-14 years, with median 5 years. Data analyses The first step was to compare the information the teachers and former teachers provided about their professional career in structured questionnaire. The second step was the analysis of the autobiographical interview, in which we asked the respondent to talk about their “being a teacher” part of life. The third step was the analysis of the projective tests (Wartegg, Quinternocolor) – we looked for the peculiarities in self-concept, in satisfaction of emotional needs, in social contact, in strategies used for coping with problems and in personal grow needs and self actualization. Qualitative analysis of each source of data was then synthesized to provide case studies and group (teachers vs. former teachers) profiling.

Expected Outcomes

Findings and Conclusions Teachers who quited the profession reported more negative emotions at the workplace and approx. four times less self-satisfaction and felt more criticized` they also much more accented bad financial conditions. Teachers who stay reported more care about one’s emotions, show higher ability to enjoy positive emotional feedback and receive social support from colleagues and family. The self actualization/self-growth need was also rather salient. The results showed that work conditions (staff relations, salary, work time and load) play minor role in forming the decision to stay or withdraw the profession. The main factors turn out to be intrinsic motivation (teaching is seen as satisfying emotional needs, is related to personal grow and self actualization), higher stress resilience, and elaborated professional identity. Reflective attitude is important not only for improvement of teaching practices and professional identity (Korthagen, 2004), but also with respect to improving self-awareness which is needed for the prevention of maladaptive reactions to work demands and risk of dissatisfaction. Whereas professional identity may be developed only during real on-site teaching practice, the self-reflective skills, self-awareness and emotion regulation may and should be trained and cultivated already during the preservice training.

References

Beijaard, D., Meijer, P.C., & Verloop, N. (2004). Reconsidering research on teacher’s professional identity. Teaching and Teacher Education, 20, 107-128. Guskey, T. R. 2002: Professional development and teacher change, Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, 8(3–4), 381–391. Korthagen, F.A.J. (2004). In search of the essence of a good teacher: towards a more holistic approach in teacher education, Teaching and Teacher Education 20 (2004) 77–97. McGowen, K. R., & Hart, L. E. (1990). Still different after all these years: Gender differences in professional identity formation. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 21, 118-123.

Author Information

Iva Stuchlikova (submitting)

University of South Bohemia

Pedagogy and Psychology

Ceske Budejovice

Yvona Mazehóová (presenting)

University of South Bohemia

Art Therapy