''The Force that Keeps you Going'': Enthusiasm in Vocational Education and Training (VET) Teachers' Work

Abstract

Context: Enthusiasm has been noted to increase productivity and quality at work. In teachers' work, this has a connection to student learning and motivation, as well as teaching quality. In the context of Finnish vocational education and training (VET), research on enthusiasm appears especially topical and relevant because of the ongoing wide reform with emphasis on productivity and efficiency.Approach: In this study, Finnish VET teachers' enthusiasm at work was studied qualitatively. Three research questions were set for this study: (1) How do VET teachers describe their enthusiasm?; (2) What factors strengthen their enthusiasm, according to their descriptions?; and (3) What factors weaken their enthusiasm, according to their descriptions? Altogether, 103 teachers who voluntarily participated in the study completed an online questionnaire on enthusiasm. The data were analyzed through qualitative content analysis.Findings: According to the results, the teachers who participated in the study were very interested in their work. They wanted to share how they experienced enthusiasm in their work. Their enthusiasm manifested as their willingness to develop their skills and expertise. It also showed in their dedication, good job performance, and positive feelings about their work. Student encounters, a positive atmosphere, and work interactions were the main sources of enthusiasm. Lack of resources, changes, cuts in the VET budget, and a lousy work atmosphere weakened enthusiasm. The Force that Keeps you Going 245Conclusions: The study found that enthusiasm manifested itself in ways that correspond well with the current VET productivity and efficiency goals. Because enthusiasm was strengthened especially when teachers were working with students, it seems important to ensure a supportive work environment for students also after the VET reform. Positive interactions, collegial support, and working together can help teachers to succeed and to maintain enthusiasm in their everyday work. According to the results of this study, supervisors may play a central role in facilitating teacher enthusiasm.

Exploring the predictor of innovative teaching using the job demands-resources model

“…So, if the lecturer no longer feels enjoy and pleasure with the job, it will decrease the job performance, including innovative teaching, and vice versa. As revealed in the previous finding, the teacher's enthusiasm manifested to the readiness to build up the skills and expertise, dedication to the job, and ultimately lead to good performance [37]. The present finding also consistent with the previous finding that found works enthusiasm plays as a mediating role in the relationship between job demands and job outcomes [38].…”

“…Our assumption was deducting from the previous studies. As we know, TRC is a form of job demands, and the previous studies showing that job demands reduce work enthusiasm [29,30,34], and work enthusiasm also been noted to increase teacher work performance [37]. The others also found that work engagement, which indicates work enthusiasm, mediates the link between job demands and job outcomes [38].…”

Pre-Service Teacher Career Choice Motivation: A Comparison of Vocational Education and Training Teachers and Comprehensive School Teachers in Germany

“…One important angle to consider on that note are the motives why students chose the profession of vocational education and training (VET) teacher in the first place (Driesel-Lange et al, 2017). However, their career choice motivation-understood as the factors or reasons that are influential for the decision to choose teaching as a career (Han & Yin, 2016;Thomson et al, 2012;Watt et al, 2012;Wenström et al, 2018)-is little studied so far.…”

Determinants of Innovative Teaching among the Indonesian Lecturers

“…Our assumption was deducting from the previous studies. The previous studies showed that job demands reduced work enthusiasm [29][30][31][32][33][34], and work enthusiasm also been noted to increase teacher work performance [37]. It has also been found that work engagement, which indicates work enthusiasm, mediates the link between job demands and job outcomes [38].…”