Factors Influencing the Teaching Choice of Secondary Mathematics Teachers in Taiwan

• In Event: Aspects Influencing Preservice and Beginning Teachers' Motivations, Aspirations, and Actions

Abstract

Purpose of the study. Several OECD countries face a shortage of mathematics teachers and have difficulties recruiting people into mathematics teacher education (Eurydice, 2012). In Taiwan the number of graduates is much higher than the number of teaching job openings (Li, 2013). However, in order to understand adequate recruitment of mathematics teaching candidates, it is important to determine what motivates people to teach in different settings. The aim of the study was to investigate why people move into mathematics teacher education in Taiwan.

Theoretical framework. Despite numerous empirical studies of teachers’ motivation there is a lack of comparative evidence. Exceptions are studies using the FIT-Choice scale (Watt & Richardson, 2007), which is following the Expectancy-Value Theory (Wigfield & Eccles, 2000). According to this, decision- making is determined by values and expectancies, which are shaped by goals and self-schemata, which in turn are influenced by the cultural and social norms and individuals’ perceptions of them.

Methods. A survey of 163 future Secondary mathematics teachers in two Taiwanese universities was conducted. At National Changhua University (south of Taiwan) all grades up to the second year of teacher education (n=107) were assessed. In the north of Taiwan at National Taiwan Normal University in Taipei student teachers studying in grades 4 (n=46), 2 and 3 (n=10) were surveyed.
With the FIT-Choice instrument motivations to teach were assessed by 29 items rated on 7-point Likert scales. In order to test for construct validity, confirmatory factorial analyses was conducted using Mplus.

Results. According to the indices of fit the model fit the data in an acceptable way (CFI=.91, TLI=.89, RMSEA=.07, SRMR=.06), after excluding the items tapping choosing teaching as a fallback career, which were not suitable in Taiwan. The surveyed future mathematics Secondary teachers’ most important motive to become a teacher was their perceived teaching abilities. Second they rated intrinsic value, or interest in teaching. Third they rated the extrinsic reasons of job security and time for family.

Significance of the study. As we learned from the study, teachers’ conditions, such as job security and high salary in Taiwan were important to attract teaching candidates. Nevertheless perceived abilities and intrinsic values were most influential for choosing teaching as a career. The results contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms which underlie choosing a mathematics teaching. Planned future research will focus on the comparability of results with other countries.

Author

• Christin Laschke, University of Humboldt