Student Teachers’ Motivations for Choosing Teacher Education Grant Program

• In Event: Friday Roundtable Session 7:45 am
  In Roundtable Session: Reforming Policy, Curriculum, and Programs for a Justice-Oriented Teacher Education (Table 26)

Abstract

Motivation determines what attracts student teachers to choose teacher education program, how long do they work in teaching profession and to what extent they become excellent teachers. This study examines the motivations of 7951 student teachers in Publicly Funded Normal Students Program (PFNSP) in China using latent class analysis (LCA). Three categories of motivations were identified: "Value-driven" student teachers show enthusiasm and spiritual pursuit for teaching in underdeveloped regions. "Career expectation" student teachers prioritize stable employment opportunities and are attracted by teachers' professional characteristics. "Helpless compromise" student teachers are influenced by policy attraction and family economic conditions, lacking sufficient career plans. Findings provide inspiration and suggestions for the enrollment, selection, and training of teacher education grant programs.

Authors

• Yongbin Peng, East China Normal University

• Tingzhou Li, East China Normal University

• Ping Wang, East China Normal University