Why go into teaching? Understanding Filipino preservice teachers' reasons for entering teacher education

This study investigates Filipino preservice teachers' reasons for deciding to enter teacher education and then relates these reasons to demographic characteristics. A factor analysis of the responses from Philippine teacher education institutions indicated eight motives for pursuing the teaching profession, which in predominant order are idealistic, migratory, developmental, employment security and stability, supremacy, liberating, altruistic, and perpetual. Motives mostly affected by students' demographic characteristics pertain to the idealistic and the altruistic. The migratory factors appeared to prevail independently because they did not indicate any relationship or dependence on any other student variables. Findings of the study are expected to indicate needed improvements in policies, particularly in student recruitment, selection, and retention, as well as in pedagogical practices in tertiary education.