Investigating pre-service teacher motivation across cultures using the Teachers’ Ten Statements Test

Motivations for choosing teaching as a career were investigated in 200 pre-service teachers from Canada and Oman. We used a novel structured qualitative approach and two theoretical models to analyze how pre-service teacher career-choice motivation varied according to cultural context. The results of the study showed that Canadian participants made more self-references, and expressed higher levels of individual-focused motivation and social utility value as career motivators than did Omani participants. Participants from Oman expressed greater endorsement of teaching as a fallback career and higher levels of socio-cultural influences than Canadian participants. Results extend teacher motivation “teacher motivation theory” by investigating socio-cultural influences.

Research highlights► Pre-service teachers in Canada are more likely to describe their motivation for teaching in terms that are self-oriented compared to pre-service teachers from Oman. ► Pre-service teachers from Oman were more likely to endorse socio-cultural influences on their motivations for teaching than pre-service teachers from Canada. ► The results provide partial support for the cross-cultural generalizability of the FIT-Choice teacher motivation model. ► The study highlights the importance of attending to cultural factors in building an understanding of motivations for teaching