The Impact of Student Teaching Experience on Determination to Remain in Teaching as a Future Career: A Study among Student Teachers in Thailand

: Nonmanut Pongsakdi

Publisher: University of Turku

: 2010

Student teaching, or practice teaching, is a crucial part of teacher education. It is believed that the quality of the first teaching experience has an impact on the probability of teachers remaining in a teaching career. This study aims to investigate the impact of the student teaching experience on student teachers' determination to remain in a teaching career and to explore how student teachers felt about teaching after completing their practice teaching, as well as to study other incentives for choosing to join or abandon the teaching profession.
A total of 189 student teachers from the Faculty of Education at Chulalongkorn University participated in the study. The participants were asked to complete questionnaires related to their initial motivation for studying education, their attitudes towards the teaching profession before and after completing their student teaching, their student teaching preparation, their teaching performance during student teaching, , and their reasons for choosing to join or abandon the teaching profession. The results showed that, in agreement with previous research, those who had a positive student teaching experience, also felt more positive about becoming teachers in the future. The findings indicated that the student teaching experience has an impact on student teachers' decisions to remain in the teaching career. Success in teaching during practice teaching is found as the main factor that increases a student teachers' motivation to become a teacher.
Student teaching, or practice teaching, is a crucial part of teacher education. It is believed that the quality of the first teaching experience has an impact on the probability of teachers remaining in a teaching career. This study aims to investigate the impact of the student teaching experience on student teachers' determination to remain in a teaching career and to explore how student teachers felt about teaching after completing their practice teaching, as well as to study other incentives for choosing to join or abandon the teaching profession.
A total of 189 student teachers from the Faculty of Education at Chulalongkorn University participated in the study. The participants were asked to complete questionnaires related to their initial motivation for studying education, their attitudes towards the teaching profession before and after completing their student teaching, their student teaching preparation, their teaching performance during student teaching, , and their reasons for choosing to join or abandon the teaching profession. The results showed that, in agreement with previous research, those who had a positive student teaching experience, also felt more positive about becoming teachers in the future. The findings indicated that the student teaching experience has an impact on student teachers' decisions to remain in the teaching career. Success in teaching during practice teaching is found as the main factor that increases a student teachers' motivation to become a teacher.