Perceptions of the teaching profession and motivation to teach among Slovenian university students

Puklek Levpušček, Melita (author), Depolli Steiner, Katja (author)

This study examined the perception of the teaching profession among students of social sciences and languages who were finishing their undergraduate studies and intended to continue their studies with a master’s degree. A subgroup of students planning to study for a master’s degree in teaching reported on their motivation to teach and their satisfaction with their career choice, while a subgroup of students who planned to pursue a master’s degree programme without a teaching degree responded to an open-ended question about why they did not want to become teachers. Participants answered the FIT-Choice Scale, which measures twelve motivational factors and six perceptions about the teaching profession. Students recognised teachers’ expertise; however, social status and salary were rated lower, indicating an imbalance between demands and rewards in the teaching profession. Altruistic and intrinsic motives were the main reasons for choosing the teaching profession. Students who will study teaching also rated their ability to become a teacher highly. Extrinsic factors (job transferability, teaching as a fallback career and time for family) were less important. Qualitative thematic analysis of the responses of students who will not study to become a teacher revealed that low intrinsic value (e.g., disinterest in teaching) and low personal utility value (e.g., better professional development elsewhere) were the most common themes. The high job demands due to demanding interactions with children and parents were also mentioned, while the teacher education programme was perceived as excessively extensive. The implications of the study highlight important considerations for policymakers and teacher education programmes.

• Language: English
• Keywords: motivation to teach, perception of the teaching profession, university students, teacher education, higher education
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FF - Faculty of Arts
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: Str. 277-300
• Numbering: Vol. 15, no. 4
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-177371
• UDC: 37.011.3-051-057.875
• ISSN on article: 2232-2647
• DOI: 10.26529/cepsj.1745
• COBISS.SI-ID: 193512451
• Publication date in RUL: 22.12.2025

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: CEPS journal : Center for Educational Policy Studies journal
• Publisher: Pedagoška fakulteta Univerze, Pedagoška fakulteta Univerze, Založba Univerze v Ljubljani, = University of Ljubljana Press
• ISSN: 2232-2647
• COBISS.SI-ID: 254029824

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Zaznave učiteljskega poklica in motivacija za poučevanje med slovenskimi študenti

Abstract

V raziskavi sva preučevali zaznave učiteljskega poklica med študenti družboslovja in jezikoslovja na dveh slovenskih filozofskih fakultetah, ki so zaključevali dodiplomski študij in se odločali za smer študija na magistrski stopnji. Skupina študentov, ki je izrazila namero po nadaljevanju študija na pedagoški smeri, je prav tako poročala o motivaciji za poučevanje oz. učiteljski poklic in svojem zadovoljstvu s karierno izbiro, skupina študentov, ki je izrazila namero po nadaljevanju študija na nepedagoški smeri, pa je odgovarjala na odprto vprašanje o tem, zakaj se niso odločili za pedagoško smer študija. Udeleženci so izpolnjevali vprašalnik FIT-Choice, ki meri dvanajst motivacijskih dimenzij in šest vidikov zaznav učiteljskega poklica. Študentje so visoko ocenili strokovno zahtevnost učiteljevega dela, nižje pa so ocenili učiteljev družbeni status in plačilo, ki ga prejema za svoje delo. V njihovih odgovorih se odraža neravnovesje med zahtevnostjo učiteljevega dela in nagradami (družbeni status, plačilo), ki jih učitelj prejema za svoje delo. Med razlogi, ki jih bodoči študentje pedagoških smeri navajajo kot najpomembnejše za izbiro učiteljskega poklica, so altruistični in intrinzični motivi. Ti študentje so tudi visoko ocenili svoje zmožnosti za opravljanje učiteljskega poklica. Zunanji dejavniki, kot so: možnost zaposlitve drugod po svetu, poučevanje kot rezervna kariera in več časa za družino, so se izkazali kot manj pomembni razlogi za odločitev za učiteljski poklic. Kvalitativna tematska analiza odgovorov študentov, ki so se odločili za nepedagoško smer študija, je pokazala, da sta nizka notranja vrednost (npr. nezanimanje za poučevanje) in nizka vrednost osebne koristi (npr. boljše karierne priložnosti drugje) najpogostejši temi, ki jih omenjajo študentje. Prav tako so bile pogosto omenjene visoke zahteve poklica zaradi zahtevnih interakcij z otroki in s starši, več študentov pa omenja tudi preobsežen program pedagoških predmetov in možnost njihovega opravljanja po končanem magistrskem študiju. V diskusiji poudarjava pomembne vidike motiviranja študentov za karierno pot učitelja.

• Keywords: motivacija za poučevanje, zaznave učiteljskega poklica, študentje, visokošolsko izobraževanje

Projects

• Funder: ARIS - Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
• Project number: P5-0062
• Name: Uporabna razvojna psihologija