Detecting the Gender Dimension of the Choice of the Teaching Profession Prior to the Economic Crisis and IMF (International Monetary Fund) Memorandum in Greece-A Case Study

Abstract

The purpose of this research paper is the investigation of , and the sociological approach to, and interpretation of the attitudes of male and female students in the University Department of Primary Education (U.D.P.E.) at the University of Patras in Greece, before the enforcement of the IMF Memorandum, concerning the choice of the teaching profession and the corresponding scientific field of studies. In particular, we will be concerned with the following research questions: a) what are the attitudes of male and female students regarding the reasons for the choice of the particular scientific field and b) What is the influence of the gender of the male and female students of the U.D.P.E. at the University of Patras as far as the choice of studies in the particular scientific field is concerned. The most significant findings of the work reveal that in the particular University Department female students are overrepresented in percentage terms, a fact which demonstrates the 'feminizing' of the Department in question. It also became apparent that the educational and professional choice of the female students in the particular University department is guided by their gender, which directs their practice. Finally, the prospect of immediate and certain professional employment which studies in the field of teaching in Greece promised, before the appearance of the economic crisis and the enforcement of the austerity measures, emerged as the most significant factor in the choice of the teaching profession by both sexes.

An Investigation of Academic Motivation and Career Decidedness among University Students

“…It was also found that female students have higher academic motivation than their male peers. These findings corroborate earlier findings of Asimaki and Vergidis (2013), Carvalho (2016), Duckworth et al (2015), Khaola and Mahao (2019), Richardson and Watt (2007), , Voyer and Voyer (2014). According to Carvalho (2016), gender differences and motivation to learn in participating in academic activities may stem from dissimilar patterns of academic and social expectations for males and females, despite the cultural norms in which men are more masculine and assertive than women.…”

“…According to Carvalho (2016), gender differences and motivation to learn in participating in academic activities may stem from dissimilar patterns of academic and social expectations for males and females, despite the cultural norms in which men are more masculine and assertive than women. In this respect, many studies stated that women are more motivated for academic activities and exhibit more positive affective characteristics than men (Asimaki & Vergidis, 2013).…”

An Investigation of Pre-service Visual Arts Teachers’ Perceptions of Computer Self-Efficacy and Attitudes Towards Web-based Instruction

“…According to Tasner, Žveglic and Mencin (2017), gender should be handled with its cultural and social context as well as its physiological features. Thus, it is stated in most of the research that females perceive themselves as more prone to teaching profession than males, while males exhibit a high level of competence in technology (Asimaki & Vergidis, 2013). However, according to Schunk and Zimmerman (2006), the development of cognitive, affective and psychomotor competencies of individuals affects self-efficacy during the development of field-specific competencies.…”

Gender in the Teaching Profession: University Students’ Views of Teaching as a Career

“…In the literature on gender and education, the theme of the teaching profession as a highly gendered profession has a significant place. One of the topical subjects in current debates remains the question of why the decision to enter teaching as a career remains so gendered, just as it does in certain others professions (Asimaki & Vergidis, 2013;Bourdieu, 2001;Drudy, 2008;Richardson & Watt, 2006;Riddell & Tett, 2006). International data for EU countries show that in most European countries women continue to (numerically) dominate primary teaching.…”