5.8 Motivation for studying to become a teacher

The responses to an open-ended question on what motivated them to become a teacher, reveal that almost 40% of the students wanted to become a teacher for altruistic reasons. These include reasons such as wanting to help build the community, wanting to help improve the matric results of their community, and wanting to give the learners of tomorrow a better education than they had experienced themselves. The following quotes illustrate these types of responses:

“The high failure rate forced me to become a teacher in order to improve the educational status of our brothers and sisters” (male, 24 years)

“Because of the poor education I got, I decided to become a teacher so that I can encourage and teach children what I did not get” (female, 30 years)

“I want to help the children in the community, so that they become a minister and teacher of tomorrow” (female, 30 years)

“I would like to help our brothers and sisters who are struggling to cope in the classroom” (male, 31 years)

“I decided to become a teacher because in the place where I come from, I have encountered situations where the teachers couldn’t care less about the learners’ education. They only care about going to class when the month end is approaching” (male, 20 years)

An almost equal number (38%) mentioned intrinsic reasons, such as loving teaching and/or working with children, as motivating their decision to become a teacher As can be seen from the quotes below, a number of students mentioned that they had always dreamt of becoming a teacher and that as children they already play-acted teaching situations in which they were always the teacher. Others stressed that they loved teaching and/or felt that they had the qualities to become a teacher.

“I think it is something I grew up with. I love teaching. Mostly when I was a young boy I like playing the role of being a teacher and I think I am making a right choice following my dream” (male, 26 years)

“ As I was growing up, there was nothing on my mind rather than to go for teaching profession” (male, 26 years)

“I love teaching very much and it is the first choice of all my careers” (female, 23 years)

“It is because it is my dream to become one” (male 25 years)

“I decided to become a teacher because I happen to like teaching when I was young. I remember when I was young, we used to do teaching play with my friends and I was always the teacher. I knew it then that my career is teaching” (female, 23 years)

A number of responses combined both intrinsic and extrinsic reasons as is illustrated by the following quotes:

“I like to work with children, want to help them, love them, respect them” (female, 31 years)

“I love teaching and working with children. I feel that I can help build our community to a better standard of life, knowing it all starts with our children” (male, 27 years)

The strong desire to help their communities and country by becoming a teacher was also reflected in some of the answers given in the in-depth interviews with students towards the end of the course. In response to a question on whether they felt motivated to go and work as a teacher in South Africa today, fifteen of the 18 students interviewed replied in the affirmative. They saw themselves as being able to contribute to the growth of learners, as well as the growth of the country they spoke about wanting “to come with a solution to what is happening in South Africa today”, “to change the lives of other people, to contribute to the development of the learners socially and intellectually”. Others indicated a concern for the future of South Africa and a wish to “build the children for my country”. They were aware that there were learners with many problems and that the education sector “needs people like me”.

In the responses to the questionnaire, approximately 14% of the students cited that they were studying HDE because this was the only option open to them due to their poor matric results and that this was not their first choice of career. Others had applied either at other institutions or at other faculties at UWC and had not been accepted due to their poor marks. This is obviously very worrying, firstly because it means that a number of students who are academically very weak will be entering the profession and in addition, some of them did not want to be teachers in the first place.

“Because I did not get my matric exemption and so I had to do HDE” (female, 21 years)

“Because I was not accepted at the Technikon to do fashion design, so I ended up enrolling for teaching because my exam marks were not that good” (female, 21 years)

“I decided to become a teacher because I don’t have any other choice. I passed my matric with a conditional exemption and I am still under age to qualify for an age exemption. I did HDE because I did not want to stay at home” (female, 20 years)

“I did not choose this career, but as I came here without exemption I was told that I qualify for this course” (male, 26 years)

“I didn’t decide to become a teacher but I could only get space in education at university. I had an ‘s’ in standard 10 so I had to do education - not that I don’t want or don’t like it, but when I came here I did not intend to do it.” (female, 24 years)

However, encouraging is that a number of this group of students said that despite the fact that this had been the only option open to them, they now really liked the profession and felt committed to helping their communities as teachers.

“It was never my decision. I wanted to be something else but I find teaching an interesting career for this generation because of the new curriculum which was introduced a few years ago, so I feel confident about teaching now!” (female, 23 years)

“I didn’t have a choice, but on the other hand I like the job” (female, 23 years)

“Its because I didn’t qualify for social work, but when I did HDE (non-grad) it makes me love teaching because I will not only teach but deal with social problems of my students” (female, 24 years)

A few students said that they had decided to study HDE as a step in furthering their studies and others chose this course of study because they hope that they can find a job.

“I see it as a way through - it will allow me to continue with different qualifications otherwise I’m not interested at all” (female, 22 years)

Table 15: Reasons for deciding to become a teacher

Reason for becoming a teacher	N	%
no other choice due to poor matric results	25	14.0
altruistic reasons (e.g. build community; help children; make a difference)	70	39.3
intrinsic reasons (e.g. love teaching, like working with children, have always wanted to become a teacher)	68	38.2
important/respected job	5	2.8
easy to find work	5	2.8
pathway to other jobs/qualifications	3	1.7
parents/friends advised	3	1.7

(students sometimes responded in more than one category)

The above reasons for becoming a teacher were substantiated in the interviews where the overwhelming majority of the student teachers interviewed expressed a positive motivation for their choice of the HDE course. Twelve of the eighteen spoke of being interested in teaching, wanting to be a teacher and of enjoying working with children. Four expressed a desire to make a difference to people’s lives and seeing teaching as a way of doing this. Three interviewees indicated that they had chosen the HDE because they had little other choice due to university entrance requirements. All, however, said that they had come to like the idea of becoming a teacher. “I had no exemption (university entrance) so it was my only option. Later I enjoyed it. My dream is now to become a teacher. I like teaching.”

In summary, most of the students appear to have chosen to become a teacher for positive reasons, namely either to improve teaching in their communities and/or for intrinsic reasons, such as a love of teaching. Most of the responses showed that the students are enthusiastic, passionate and committed to the profession of teaching. However, there was a small group that appear to have landed in the HDE course because this was the only option open to them due to their poor matric results or because they could not get into other courses.