Becoming a VET teacher as a second career: investigating the determinants of career choice and their relation to perceptions about prior occupation

Abstract

Ageing and the threat of shortages among vocational education and training (VET) teachers are current issues in Europe. Yet, there is little research conducted so far that has investigated scientifically the motivation and perceptions of these teachers. We examine the factors influencing the choice of a second career as a VET teacher in Switzerland. German- and French-speaking VET teachers (N = 483) reported their motivation to become teachers, and their perceptions of teaching, using the FIT-Choice scale. In addition, perceptions of the participants' former occupation were examined in relation to the reasons for choosing teaching as a second career. The results provide an examination of validity of the FIT-Choice scale in a new context, a picture of the determinants of VET teachers' career choice, and an analysis of the relations between perceptions of prior occupations and these determinants, controlling for individual characteristics. Some adaptations of the FIT-Choice framework for investigating VET teachers' motivation are discussed.

Keywords:

• motivation to teach
• second-career teacher
• vocational education and training
• career switchers

Acknowledgements

We would like to express gratitude to the guest editors, Zoe Morris, and Stuart Karabenick for helpful comments and language corrections. We would also like to thank Mirjam Strupler and Stefan Wolter, Swiss Leading House Economics of Education, University of Zürich and Bern, for their cooperation in data collection.

Notes

1. In the largest institute of VET teacher education in Switzerland, teacher education involves four months (300 hours of training) for those teaching as an auxiliary activity and extends over two or three years (1800 hours) for those teaching as a main activity. During their training, VET teachers independently facilitate classes, which makes their training period particularly challenging in terms of time management and workload.

2. The number of years teaching before commencing a teacher education program varies from one canton to another, and sometimes from one school to another within the same canton. There is no specific rule stating when teacher education has to take place.

3. The items from an existing German translation were used to assess aptitude, intrinsic career value, personal utility value, social utility value, prior teaching and learning experiences, and social influences (Watt et al., 2012).

4. Following Schermelleh-Engel, Moosbrugger, and Müller (2003), we used the χ² test to assess model fit. In addition, when the p value associated with χ² was significant, we used the ratio of χ²/df, the Comparative Fit Index (CFI) and the Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA).

5. Configural invariance was first assessed by performing identical CFA models separately for each language: (German: χ² ₍₆₃₀₎ = 1003.30, p < .001, χ²/df = 1.59, CFI = .93, RMSEA = .04; French χ² ₍₆₃₀₎ = 996.45, p < .001, χ²/df = 1.58, CFI = .87, RMSEA = .06). Then, a fully constrained multigroup model was tested: χ² ₍₁₂₇₇₎ = 2286.63 [χ² _French = 1165.99, χ² _German = 1120.64], p < .001, χ²/df = 1.59, CFI = .88, RMSEA = .05. Comparison of this later model with the final model using the Satorra-Bentler scaled difference test (Satorra & Bentler, 2001) indicates a significant improvement in model fit: χ² ₍₁₈₎ = 231.56, p < .001.

6. Again, configural invariance was first assessed by performing identical CFA models separately for each language: (German: χ² ₍₅₇₎ = 118.87, p < .001, χ²/df = 2.09, CFI = .96, RMSEA = .06; French χ² ₍₅₇₎ = 89.45, p < .001, χ²/df = 1.57, CFI = .93, RMSEA = .06). Then, a fully constrained multigroup model was tested: χ² ₍₁₃₂₎ = 304.24 [χ² _French = 158.20, χ² _German = 146.04], p < .001, χ²/df = 2.30, CFI = .91, RMSEA = .07. Comparison of this later model with the final model using the Satorra-Bentler scaled difference test (Satorra & Bentler, 2001) indicated a significant improvement in model fit: χ² ₍₃₎ = 67.84, p < .001.

7. Hof, Strupler, and Wolter (2011), using the same sample of participants but a different set of items, found that monetary motives have a negligible effect on participants' decision to become VET teachers.

8. In a person-centred analysis of our data we nonetheless have discerned subgroups with different motivational profiles (Berger & D'Ascoli, 2012).