Cambridge University Press Global Perspectives on Teacher Motivation (Current Perspectives in Social and Behavioral Sciences)

Many studies of teacher motivation have been conducted in different contexts over time. However, until fairly recently there has not been a reliable measure available to allow comparisons across samples and settings. This has resulted in an abundance of findings which cannot be directly compared or synthesised. The FIT-Choice instrument offers the opportunity to examine motivations across settings. The various studies in this book suggest that people who choose teaching as a career are motivated by a complex interaction of factors embedded within communities and cultural expectations, but seem generally to embrace a desire to undertake meaningful work that makes for a better society. Unlike some careers, where rewards are in the form of salary and status, by and large these factors are not strong drivers for people who want to become teachers. They want to work with children and adolescents, and believe they have the ability to teach. Book Description Teacher motivation is important for sustaining teachers. The FIT-Choice instrument offers the opportunity to examine motivations across different settings. About the Author Helen M. G. Watt is Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Sydney. She is co-editor of seven books and special issues. Her work has implications for redressing the gender imbalance in mathematics related careers, and supporting the career development of beginning teachers. She is founder and coordinator of the Network Gender and STEM (www.genderandSTEM.com), is an Associate Editor for AERA Open, and serves on several editorial boards.Paul W. Richardson is Associate Dean (Research) in the Faculty of Education, Monash University, Victoria, where he previously served as Associate Dean (Education). He has attracted substantial competitive funding from the Australian Research Council to conduct large-scale longitudinal studies with beginning teachers, published in leading journals, and received international recognition.Kari Smith is a co-editor of six books, and she is member of the international editorial board for Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, Teaching and Teacher Education, Studies in Educational Evaluation, Assessment Matters, and The International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education. She is a scientific supervisor for the European Doctorate in Education (EDiTE), and the Head of the Norwegian National Research School in Teacher Education (NAFOL).