Motivations behind the teaching profession

Teachers are mostly motivated by extrinsic factors, mainly that teaching fits well with their family commitments. A high percentage, predominantly female, said they have become teachers because it was a profession they always wanted to follow. Only a small percentage said they were attracted by the salary.

These findings were the result of a local study conducted among 237 secondary school teachers, which looked into the motivation, job satisfaction, commitment and the general health of teachers.

The research, part of an international study entitled Teacher 2000 Project, was conducted by Christopher Bezzina, lecturer at the Faculty of Education and visiting professor at the University of Bologna, and Viviana Portelli, a teacher at Sir Luigi Prezioso Girls' Secondary School. It was published recently in the Journal of Maltese Research.

The findings also indicated that a high percentage of teachers were found to be generally satisfied with their job, especially when they saw their students succeed. Their working hours and working with higher academic ability students also brought satisfaction.

Dr Bezzina said that a teacher's job is an important one for every society, because the extent to which a society is educated depends on teachers. In fact, competent and effective teachers are indispensable for the implementation of change in schools, mainly when they are able to provide all children with the best possible educational experience. "Although teaching can be a fulfilling profession, there are factors which influence the life of teachers and mark the harmony of their profession, as teachers often have to face quite a number of constraints," Dr Bezzina said.

"As the years go by, teachers are facing more and more pressure from various levels and sectors of society. From a profession that bred a dependency culture and where teaching was practised in isolation, we are moving into a context where teachers are being called to take on a more critical role in their school. Their practices are open to public debate and collective responsibility. Apart from wanting to participate and influence decisions that affect their daily life, teachers have to do so within a context that expects them to take not only the responsibility to review practice but also be held accountable for it."

He said that, unfortunately, the esteem with which society holds Maltese teachers appears to have deteriorated over the years. In fact, people often associate the teaching profession with a relatively good pay and good conditions of work and it seems that teachers are in urgent need of support, recognition, rejuvination and understanding.

"The results of this study may not be surprising but definitely present cause for concern. The rapid changes in education over the last decade have undoubtedly impacted on teachers. However, for educational change to be successful, the role and welfare of teachers are critical determinants," he said.

"While Malta, unlike other countries, has not witnessed a steady decline in one of the most precious resources that any nation can possess, we are seeing that there is a steady shift behind the reasons for taking on a career in teaching. The reasons for this may be many and no one reason will be behind the choice(s) made. However, what is certain is that such reasons do affect how teachers view their profession and how developments in the profession will in turn influence their practice.

"It is clear, at least for those working within the field of education, that teaching is no longer what it used to be, a well-respected even though not a well-paid job. The vocational aspect or attraction has been eroding over the years. He said that this conclusion was a serious issue with grave implications.

"This study is timely in this respect. Given the major changes that the education authorities want to implement to fulfill the objectives set by the National Minimum Curriculum (1999) and the Strategic Plan (2001) and the various initiatives undertaken since then we need to understand what context we are working in. Our history of education has shown us that we need to clearly work with and through teachers to accomplish change and development where it matters, at the school site in general and in classrooms in particular, if we want reforms to be successful," Dr Bezzina concluded.

The publication of this report was made possible thanks to funding by the Malta Union of Teachers and the Foundation for Educational Services. For a copy of the full report, readers can get in touch with the main author, Christopher Bezzina on e-mail christopher.bezzina@um.edu.mt