Fitting the FIT: Motivation for Becoming a Teacher in Norway and the Netherlands

• In Event: Poster Session 1
  In Poster Session: Motivation in Education SIG Poster Session 1

Abstract

Motivation for becoming a teacher may provide more insight into how to prevent (student) teachers dropping out of teaching/teacher education. However, research into motivation for becoming a teacher has, until recently, been hindered by a need for a shared theoretical framework. Contributing to the development of an internationally validated framework and instrument, we investigate to what extent the original structure of the FIT-Choice model (Watt & Richardson 2007) can be observed in data on Norwegian (N=635) and Dutch (N=246) student teachers’ motivation to become a teacher. Using confirmatory factor analysis, the structure is replicated with the Norwegian, but not the Dutch data. Furthermore, the Norwegian student teachers rate the importance of all motives significantly higher than the Dutch student teachers.

Authors

• Katrine Nesje, University of Oslo

• Esther T. Canrinus, University of Oslo

• Marjon Fokkens-Bruinsma, University of Groningen

• Christian Brandmo, University of Oslo