Undergraduate and diploma students' motives for training as mathematics and science teachers

Abstract

This study sought to find the motives that influence undergraduate students enrolled at Bindura University of Science Education and diploma students at Hillside Teachers' College to train as secondary school science and mathematics teachers. Two development factors of teaching as a stepping stone to another job and provision of high opportunity for further studies ranked the highest with mean of 4.2 and 4.05 respectively on the 29 item likert scale ranging from 1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree. Intrinsic motives attracted students to train as teachers. Using the T-test there was no significant difference by gender between the motives of undergraduate and diploma students for training as teachers. ANOVA established that variables such as achievement at Advanced Level and employment before coming to training had significant influence (p<.05> on diploma and undergraduate students' motives for training as teachers. In order to continue attracting and retaining students to train as teachers the study recommends incentives to be given to aspiring teachers during and after training.

Zimbabwe Journal of Educational Research Vol. 16(3) November 2004: pp. 228-240