Outlines reasons given by new teachers in different countries for joining the teaching profession. Discusses a differential motivational model between metropolitan versus developing countries. Presents findings from a study of Jamaican teacher trainees, which verify that extrinsic, intrinsic, and altruistic considerations were three distinct…

Why trainee teachers join the teaching profession in Jamaica was studied. Previous research has suggested that their reasons may be extrinsic (related to characteristics of the job), intrinsic (related to the individual's wishes), or altruistic (related to the social contribution). Some reasons that could be classified into these 3 categories were…

This paper reports on a survey of approximately one-third of Jamaican teachers in training. The study factor analyzed the motivations these trainees gave for choosing the teaching profession. Results are compared with those of the last major survey 10 years earlier. To determine some possible reasons, 130 students were interviewed by staff members…

This paper introduces a new instrument for assessing teacher motivation and uses it to compare the motivations of male and female teacher trainees in Jamaica. The results are then contrasted with the gender specific motivations that researchers have found for teachers in other parts of the world. The instrument is a three factor model based on a…