In-depth analysis of how prospective social studies teachers make sense of their career choice decisions

Abstract

People choose teaching as a career for intrinsic, altruistic, extrinsic, materialistic, and stereotypical reasons. It is also argued that extrinsic, material, and stereotypical reasons divert people's career preferences away from their real interest or talent. Hence the effectiveness of educating teachers depends upon exploring pre-service teachers' rationale for choosing teaching as a career, and using this perspective to shape the teacher education process. This qualitative case study was conducted to investigate holistically how pre-service teachers in the field of social studies make sense of their choice of career. The participants were 12 pre-service teachers who were enrolled in a teacher education program for social studies at a major university in western Turkey for the 2010-2011 academic year. Data was collected through in-depth interviews and analyzed using the content analysis technique. The findings revealed that five related themes took place along the pre-service social studies teachers' journey to the teaching profession: disturbances, role models, getaway, status, and transformation. These themes give idiosyncratic explanations as to why pre-service teachers often depend on extrinsic and altruistic reasons. The participants' experiences also disclosed that these steps, or themes, must be understood in relationship to each other. These experiences might also make important instruments for a constructivist teacher education in the field of social studies. © 2014 Educational Consultancy and Research Center.