Identification of the Predicator Variables of Candidate Teacher Teaching Motivations

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the internal and external teaching motivations of 3rd and 4th year students of the Faculty of Education of Cumhuriyet University are predicted by the variables of gender, department, year level, conscious preference of department they are studying in, whether there is a teacher in their family, their attitude toward the teaching profession and their overall academic performances. The study sample comprised 476 candidate teachers from the 3^rd and 4^th years, studying in seven different departments within the Faculty of Education of Cumhuriyet University. For this study, the Teaching Motivation Scale and the Attitude toward Teaching Profession Scale were used as data collection tools. In the study, which used a relational screening model, a Binary Logistic Regression Analysis was used to analyze the data. The scores obtained from the Teaching Motivation Scale, as the dependent variable, were defined as binary variables, comprising the internal motivation sub-dimensions of low and high internal teaching motivations and low and high external teaching motivations for the external motivation sub-dimensions. Findings showed that attitudes toward the teaching profession were significant for both the internal and external motivations of candidate teachers. With regard to the department variable, Classroom Education, Social Studies Education, Science Education, Primary Mathematics Education and Turkish Language Education variables were significant for the internal motivation of candidate teachers in comparison with the Psychological Counseling and Guidance Department variable and only the Primary Mathematics Education variable was significant for the external motivation of candidate teachers. Furthermore, it was found that the variable of making a conscious decision to study in a particular Department had a predictive impact on the external motivation of candidate teachers.