Evaluation and Research in Education
Editor: Professor Keith Morrison, Inter-University Institute of Macau
Associate Editor: Professor Stephen Gorard, University of York
Statistical Adviser: Professor Colin Baker, University of Wales Bangor
Reviews Editor: Dr. Emma Smith, University of York
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Volume: 16 Number: 4 Page: 185–201
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Initial Motivations of Serving Teachers of Secondary Mathematics
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Paul Andrews and Gillian Hatch
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This study examines the justifications given by serving teachers of secondary mathematics for their decisions to become teachers. Forty-five teachers, from two regions of England, were interviewed about
their professional life histories with one element of the semi-structured schedule including an invitation to colleagues to discuss their motives or justifications for becoming teachers. The analysis revealed
five categories of response: people became teachers as a consequence of their experiences of mathematics as learners, a desire to work with people, a sense of inevitability, a serendipitous life-event or
a desire or need to change career. These categories are discussed in relation to current thinking on teachers' professional motivation and accord with the generality of available research that relatively
few people became teachers for either altruistic or extrinsic reasons, with most citing reasons intrinsic to either mathematics itself or teaching as a profession. Significantly, a substantial number of
the justifications offered fell outside the accepted tripartite framework. Some implications for teacher recruitment are considered.
Keywords: MATHEMATICS TEACHERS, PROFESSIONAL MOTIVATION, TEACHER BELIEFS
© Multilingual Matters 2002
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