Abstract:

Perceptions of teaching as a career opportunity are driven primarily by altruistic and intrinsic motivations such as genuine desire to contribute to the society by making a difference in children’s lives and well-being (Fray & Gore, 2018). Nevertheless, interest in teaching has its contextual social antecedents as family values, societal norms and processes impinge upon individuals’ beliefs and actions, including career aspirations and pursuits.

Public discourse and widespread media reports about teacher shortages, attrition, stress, and unsatisfactory work conditions detract from entry into the teaching profession. Not surprisingly, enrollment in undergraduate teacher preparation programs has been falling at unprecedently rates (Sutcher et al., 2016). The pandemic might have exacerbated these trends. Highly publicized media narratives of overwhelmed teachers, struggling students and exhausted parents might have distorted perspectives on public education even further and disheartened those who might have considered teaching as a career path otherwise.

With the use of data (n=260) collected over the course of four years (Fall 2018 to Fall 2022) at a Liberal Arts institution in the U.S., we established that there is no evidence of decline in interest in teaching among first- and second-year students because of the pandemic. Potential inhibitors of interest in teaching (e.g., public perceptions of education, concerns about low social status and salaries) manifest in a similar fashion before and after the pandemic. We also found that while altruistic orientations and interest in teaching pedagogy are predictive of interest in teaching regardless of the pandemic, the pandemic might have altered how students view college faculty’s role in relation to their own career choices. The findings suggest that rather than being solidified prior to college entry, students’ opinions of teaching as a career choice are sensitive to messages of social persuasion.

Keywords:

Teacher Education, Interest in teaching, Survey research.