Pre-service teachers’ teaching motivation and perceptions of teacher morality in China

ABSTRACT

The study examines two types of pre-service teachers’ teaching motivation and perceptions of teacher morality in China through the following three research questions: (1) What are pre-service teachers’ teaching motivations and perceptions of teacher morality? (2) What is the relationship between pre-service teachers’ perceptions of teaching motivation and teacher morality? (3) What are the differences between the two groups of pre-service teachers, and what factors influence their perceptions? Data are drawn from questionnaires on teacher morality in China and the FIT-Choice Scale, completed by 300 pre-service teachers, and semi-structured interviews with 25 pre-service teachers. The analyses of the findings reveal that pre-service teachers showed a high degree of teaching motivation and generally agreed with the Chinese state’s teacher morality requirements. This study suggests a “moral-motivation-reciprocity” framework for understanding pre-service teachers’ teaching motivation and perceptions of teacher morality in China.

KEYWORDS:

• Teaching motivation
• teacher morality
• pre-service teacher
• China

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Notes

1. China has more than 150 normal colleges/universities in 2016.

2. The 39 most prestigious universities in China.

3. Schools were evaluated and those that reached standards were ranked by this order: provincial level, city level, district level.

4. According to China’s teacher certification application requirements, bachelor’s students could only register for teacher certification exams until the third year.

5. According to the CCP constitution, people were not eligible for CCP membership until age18. It takes time to be accepted.

6. Post-graduate student recruitment in China mainly includes two types. First, recommendation: universities can compose a list of good students who can enter post-graduate study without taking post-graduation tests in their or other universities. Second, students can be recruited based on their performance in the post-graduate entrance exams and face-to-face interviews.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Teacher Ethics in The New Era: Case Teaching Studies. The National Philosophy and Social Science Fund [21FJKB007].

Notes on contributors

Wangbei Ye

Wangbei Ye is an associate professor of the moral-political education section, School of Teacher Education, Faculty of Education, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China. Her teaching and research focus on China’s moral-political education curriculum and instruction, and moral-political education teacher education (Grades 1-12). email address: [email protected]

Yingying Ding

Yingying Ding is a moral–political education teacher, Number 2 Middle School attached to East China Normal University, Shanghai, China. email address: [email protected]

Xiaomeng Han

Xiaomeng Han is a master student of moral–political education, Meng Xiancheng College, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China. email address: [email protected]

Wangqiong Ye

Wangqiong Ye is a doctoral research fellow of the Centre for Educational Measurement, University of Oslo, Norway. email address:[email protected]