Abstract:

This study investigates the future expectations and the impact levels of altruistic, intrinsic and extrinsic factors on teaching career choices of 477 freshman preservice teachers in six different elementary level teacher education programs (Science, Elementary Mathematics, Preschool, Primary, Social Sciences and Turkish). The findings of the study indicated that the future expectations of the participants were generally positive and the order of the impact levels of career choice reasons were found to be altruistic, intrinsic and extrinsic factors respectively. The main effects of participants’ gender, teaching program, ideal career type and socio-economic status variables on the dependent variables were tested with the factorial designs and it is concluded that all independent variables, but socio-economic status variable, had significant main effects on dependent variables. The findings of the study showed that compared to boys, participants with ideal careers other than teaching and participants in mostly quantitative content teaching programs, girls, participants with ideal careers of teaching and participants in qualitative content teaching programs have more positive future expectations and altruistic and intrinsic motives have stronger impact in their teaching career.