Career motivations of student teachers in the republic of Ireland continuity and change during educational reform and 'boom to bust' economic times

This chapter provides an insight into the backgrounds and career motivations of entrants to initial teacher education (ITE) programmes for second-level teachers in the Republic of Ireland. Within the context of very significant economic, social and education policy changes affecting the general and teaching populations in Ireland over the past decade, and drawing on Heinz' 2006 data (N = 343; 2011) and 2013 data from our Diversity in Initial Teacher Education (DITE) national study, we examine changes in the socio-demographic and motivational profiles of ITE entrants over time. We also consider if (and if so, how) ITE entrants' socio-economic backgrounds are associated with their motivations. Our empirical study (N = 427 ITE entrants to six postgraduate, second-level ITE programmes in 2013) used the FIT-Choice framework and a number of additional context-specific items to explore student teachers' career motivations. In our comparison with the 2006 data (Heinz 2011), we found changes in the two cohorts' socio-demographic backgrounds as well as in their overall ratings for a number of motivational factors, including their desire to engage in teaching as a socially-valuable profession, their assessment of the expertise required in teaching, and the social status enjoyed by teachers.