Motivation to Choose the Teaching Profession: the case of early access to the pedagogical program in Chile

Abstract

The article presents results of an investigation which aimed to characterize the declared motivations of students from an early access program, to choose the teacher career as a professional option. The research was developed from a qualitative methodology, considering a semi-structured interview as a source of information and condensation of meanings as a method of analysis. The information collected allows, from the intrinsic and extrinsic distinction of motivations, the construction of five meaning categories. In the case of intrinsic motivations: the social value of the teacher career, the personal fulfillment associated with teaching, and interest in school discipline. From extrinsic motivations, the benefits of the teacher career and the academy as a professional aspiration. The study also allows us to conclude that the intrinsic motivational components have a higher density in the teacher carrer choice.