Motivaciones para la elección profesional docente de estudiantes de la carrera de Educación Básica

Abstract

The study of future teachers' motivations for choosing to become teachers is important, as it constitutes a predictor of future commitment to the profession and provides valuable information for initial teacher training. In this regard, this thesis analyzes the motivations that influence the choice of a primary education career among students at a public university in Cuenca, Ecuador. Furthermore, the specific objectives were aimed at describing the motivations behind the choosing of this career and investigating how these change throughout the training. To this end, following a qualitative approach, a biographical-narrative design was used, analyzing the autobiographical accounts of 93 first- and final-year primary education students. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Among the main findings, it is highlighted that family environment, school history, and previous experiences in informal educational settings are factors that influence the choice of a teaching career. In turn, it was found that, for many students, teaching is a choice of convenience, and it was evident that pre-professional practices play a fundamental role in transforming extrinsic and intrinsic motivations, which strengthens the teaching vocation and the sense of belonging to the career.