Open AccessWhy Become a Teacher? Exploring Motivations for Becoming Science and Mathematics Teachers in Australia Science and Mathematics Teachers in Australia
Author(s) -
Chrystal Whiteford,
Nick Kelly,
Les Dawes
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
the australian journal of teacher education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.646
H-Index - 32
eISSN - 1835-517X
pISSN - 0313-5373
DOI - 10.14221/ajte.2021v46n3.1
Subject(s) - economic shortage , mathematics education , descriptive statistics , science education , teacher education , publishing , project commissioning , subject (documents) , pedagogy , psychology , sociology , political science , mathematics , linguistics , statistics , philosophy , government (linguistics) , library science , computer science , law
There is an identified shortage of mathematics and science teachers across Australia and many of these teachers leave the profession within 3 to 5 years of graduating. This paper provides important insights on what motivates people to become science and mathematics teachers in Australia. Data drawn from two surveys, one investigating why students might become a teacher and the other examining why teachers joined the profession, are explored to provide unique insight into an area of need. Using descriptive statistics and Spearman’s rho, results suggest contribution to society and love of subject area to be among the top motivators for becoming a teacher. Financial reward and parental occupation were found to be less selected motivators. Although differences existed between the two cohorts suggesting motivations may change, similarities provide focus for future recruitment and retention of science and mathematics teachers for higher education institutions and education policy makers.