Abstract:

The changes undergone by society over recent decades have destabilized the educational approach adopted by the university field. This paper presents a study aimed at determining the motivations and expectations which prompt new university lecturers to commit to an initial teacher training process.
In the current context, the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) in Spain has decided to train new members of its teaching staff using the Hasiberriak Program. This program aims to help new lecturers construct their professional identity on the basis of a specific educational framework: dynamic and cooperative learning (DCL). Within this phase of professional development, motivation and expectations are of vital importance.
A questionnaire was compiled with both closed and open-ended items, and the data collected was analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively, using the SPSS 16 and NVivo 8.0 programs.
The results obtained indicate that the lecturers participating in this training process are intrinsically motivated, with extrinsic motivations being of only secondary importance. The results also point to the existence of different core expectations, which determine the commitment and effort displayed by participants during the training process.
The importance of this research project lies in the fact that it highlights motivations and expectations as one of the factors that influence new lecturers during their teacher training, a vital element in institutional policies designed to ensure the professional development of university teaching staff.

Keywords:

Teaching motivation and expectations, new lecturers, professional development, Higher education.