Australian Journal of Teacher Education
Abstract
There is no shortage of attempts to explain why people want to be teachers, and many of these attempts are used to frame this paper. Most of the research cited comes from the United States, some comes from Australia, and a few references are made to research from other countries. What attracts people to teaching has been a popular research theme for several decades, and it has been simultaneously quite popular in many countries. In Israet for example, 9.9% of all educational research done between 1974 and 1985 related to "teachers' education, attitudes and behaviours" (Peritz, 1989:62). Prominent among the questions were why people wanted to be teachers in the first place, and what motivated them to make the choice. From almost all the studies, something loosely called "altruism" provided the most compelling answer to the question of why the choice was made. Joseph and Green's (1986:31) study offers the conclusion: " .. .indeed, there may be few reasons for considering the teaching profession except the altruistic motive."
Recommended Citation
Alexander, D., Chant, D., & Cox, B. (1994). What Motivates People to Become Teachers.. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 19(2). https://doi.org/10.14221/ajte.1994v19n2.4