Effects of Extrinsic and Altruistic Motivations on the Appeal of Teaching Among College Students

• In Event: Roundtable Session 36
  In Roundtable Session: Matching in Educational Settings

Abstract

An effective education system depends upon attracting students into the teaching profession, but most of the research on what motivates individuals to pursue teaching is based on samples of students who have already entered a teacher education program. This study employs an experimental design to test the effects of exposure to randomly-assigned extrinsic and altruistic motivations on the appeal a teaching career has for college students who are not studying education. Results indicate that both extrinsic and altruistic motivations are useful in attracting students, both male and female, to the teaching profession.

Author

• Jason Giersch, University of North Carolina - Charlotte