"Meaningfulness" and "Meaninglessness" in Israeli Teachers' Career Decision-Making Processes

• In Event: Moscone Center West Roundtable Session 6
  In Roundtable Session: Making Meaning of Justice and Equity: Inquiries Into Pedagogy and Practice

Abstract

This qualitative study characterizes the career decision-making processes of 34 Israeli teachers. It is situated in the context of career research, with a particular focus on extant studies on the 'meaning of work'. The career stories of the teachers were collected through semi-structured interviews, and were analyzed following hermeneutic processes of data analysis. The findings of the study reveal that experiences of 'meaningfulness' and 'meaninglessness' guided teachers' career decision-making processes. Some of the decisions, such as persisting in workplaces, were made based on experiences of meaningfulness, while others, such as leaving teaching, were conducted as a result of facing meaninglessness. These findings are being discussed in light of the concept of 'job crafting'.

Authors

• Hayuta Yinon, Oranim Academic College of Education

• Lily Orland-Barak, University of Haifa