Evaluating the motivation of students to become teachers during admission into education-related study programes

The purpose of this research articlewas to analyse attributes of the method used to evaluate  the motivation of students entering education-related study programmes to eventually become educators. The research was conducted in two phases. During the first phase students who had undergone the motivation evaluation from 2010 to 2012 and were now first, second or third-year students in education-related study programmes at the Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences, at Klaipėda University, and the University of Šiauliai filled out questionnaires. During the second phase questionnaires were collected from those who underwent the motivation evaluation in 2013 at those same universities. The samples consisted of 614 students and 682 student candidates. Research methods included a review of relevant research and education documents, as well as a survey. The questionnaire consisted of scaled responses to assertions and independent questions. Satisfaction with university studies, the intention to become a teacher, intrinsic motivation to strive for a profession in education, and study engagement were evaluated using scales. Other questions disclosed information about the evaluation of their motivation to become an educator during the admission process, the students’ grade point average for the previous semester, about the oral and written questions that were presented to them during the evaluation, as well as the respondents’ age, gender, university, and year of study. An examination of documents from Lithuania and other countries revealed the importance of having a national mechanism for selecting motivated students for education-related study programmes to insure quality teacher education, the expedient use of funds, and turning teaching into a high-status profession in the public view. Research has shown that those countries that have more demanding mechanisms for selecting people for teacher education are also the countries with higher pupil achievement than countries in which selection procedures are absent. Results of the empirical research show that the motivation evaluation method is suitably reliable and valid.There are positive correlations between the student sample’s motivation evaluation scores and grade-point average, satisfaction and engagement in the study programme, intrinsic motivation and intention to become a teacher. Motivation evaluation scores of teacher education candidates correlates positively with intrinsic motivation, as well as intention to become a teacher. More than 60 percent of the candidates indicated that participation in the motivation evaluation reinforced their determination to major in education and to become a teacher in the future.