A narrative analysis of conversations with graduates who did not pursue teaching: Inputs to teacher education policies in the Philippines

Abstract

Conversations with 74 Filipino pre-service teachers from 10 Teacher Education Institutions in the Philippines were qualitatively analyzed to explore their experiences in college, their motivations as well as life events, which hindered them from pursuing the teaching as a career.The rich narrative data gathered in the study showed that financial and economic reasons, which include perceptions of insufficient salary levels, are driving the graduates away from teaching. Likewise, a mismatch between personal characteristics, including health issues related to the demands of the teaching profession, was crystallized. Although a number of the respondents admitted that they do not see themselves as teachers even if they were trained as such, yet, they expressed seeing themselves as part of the allied professions in teaching. The graduates reported that they applied for jobs related to teaching such as those involved in child-care, guidance counselors, librarians, teacher assistants, and other teaching-related professions. A myriad of possible reforms and initiatives were considered in the study to address these concerns. In the pre-service phase, reforms starting with the recruitment and selection of students, provision of scholarships for deserving students, institutionalization of career-oriented programs to sustain motivation to pursue teaching, and curricular reviews of the aspects of the practice teaching course, as well as the basic teacher competencies, are recommended. In the in-service phase, reforms in the hiring process, provision of in-service enticements for beginning teachers, and most of all, review of the starting salary of teachers are deemed necessary and timely.

A Tracer Study among Teacher Education Graduates from S.Y. 2012-2016

“…It implied that there was a high percentage of the respondents who practiced their professions. However, Abulon & Rungduin (2015) added several reasons why some teacher education graduates did not pursue their profession. The following reasons for not pursuing teaching included negative teaching experiences, aversive experiences, better appraisal in other professions, physical and environmental concerns, comparison of credentials with others, providing support for the family, health concerns, low self-esteem or negative self-evaluation, uncertainty about a teaching career, and mismatched personal characteristics with teaching.…”

Science Education Graduates of a State University from 2008-2018: A Tracer Study

“…This implies that most of the teachers are happy in the field that they have chosen. As reported by Abulon and Rungduin (2015), teacher education graduates saw that being a teacher is a profession that is treated with the highest regard and admiration.…”

Why I Want to Teach: Exploring Factors Affecting Students' Career Choice to Become Teachers

“…Across the literature reviewed, Filipinos have high regard towards teachers, teachers are perceived to be respectable and are seen as model citizens by the community (Bustos-Orosa, 2008). Reverence is culturally rooted as reflected in values of respectfulness and gratitude, which is commonly observed when secondary students and pre-service teachers (Abulon & Rungduin, 2015) are asked about their motivations in choosing teaching as a career. These qualities are likewise perceived to be important in other Asian countries (Wang, Lin, & Ching, 2015) with the kind and quality of in-service professional development as well as pre-service education enhancing the qualities and characteristics.…”

“…In the studies conducted among preservice teachers, a number of constructs were investigated to describe and analyze teacher qualities and professional competencies. Among the constructs studied were teaching beliefs (Abulon & Rungduin, 2015); competence (Canizares, 2015); and conceptions of good teaching (Bustos-Orosa, 2008) are considered significant areas in pre-service education that had been examined and analyzed in various studies (Abulon & Rungduin, 2015;and Bustos-Orosa, 2008) in the Philippines. Results revealed teacher characteristics that are believed to facilitate teacher effectiveness and graduate success with recommendations for the development of content mastery, pedagogical knowledge, and knowledge of learning process to develop effective teaching.…”