Motivations to choose teaching as a career : a perspective of English language student teachers at Kuwait University

Abstract EN

This study examines the different motivations (intrinsic, extrinsic, and altruistic) of Kuwaiti student- teachers of English to choose teaching as a career.

It also investigates the effects of factors related to student-teachers like gender and years of study on their career choice.

Seventy-five male and female English language student-teachers responded to a questionnaire as a data collection tool.

Research findings indicated that student-teachers of English were influenced by their intrinsic and altruistic motivations.

How-ever, extrinsic motivations reported to be of low influence on student-teachers’ choice of teaching as a career.

Furthermore, there were significant differences among the participants according to gender.

It was found that female student-teachers showed more intrinsic motivations to the profession.

On the contrary, male student-teachers showed more altruistic motivations to teaching.

As for the extrinsic motivations, it was found that there were no significant differences that conbe attributed to gender.

In addition, there were no significant differences according to years of study based on the different types of motivations.