The Central Government-Funded Teacher Education Policy in China: Impacts on Career-Choice Motivation of Pre-service Teachers

The Central Government-Funded Teacher Education (CGFTE) policy in China influences pre-service teachers' motivations for choosing the teaching profession. Expectancy-value theory and the undermining effect of extrinsic reward theory are used to examine the impact of the policy. Six distinct categories of motivations are identified: teacher influence, job advantages (extrinsic), social value (altruistic), personal interest (intrinsic), others' suggestions, and fallback career. The findings indicate that the CGFTE policy attracts high-school graduates with higher intrinsic motivation to enroll in teacher-training programs, but it does not significantly increase their intrinsic career-choice motivation. The policy's restrictive and encouraging aspects offset each other, but the intrinsic motivation of policy-funded pre-service teachers did not improve as much as that of their self-supported counterparts. The study discusses the implications of these findings for enhancing the CGFTE policy, teacher training, and career education in China.

Format: Hardback
Length: 112 pages
Publication date: 20 October 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This comprehensive study employs expectancy-value theory and the undermining effect of extrinsic reward theory to investigate the impact of the Central Government-Funded Teacher Education (CGFTE) policy on Chinese pre-service teachers' motivations for pursuing a teaching career. Through a rigorous quantitative data analysis, six distinct categories of motivations emerged: teacher influence, job advantages (extrinsic), social value (altruistic), personal interest (intrinsic), others' suggestions, and fallback career. These categories were further illustrated through ten compelling narrative stories. The findings indicate that the CGFTE policy attracts high-school graduates with higher intrinsic motivation to enroll in teacher-training programs. However, it appears to have limited effectiveness in increasing their intrinsic career-choice motivation. It is argued that the CGFTE policy, which emphasizes extrinsic benefits while restricting professional development opportunities, does not have a significant negative impact on pre-service teachers' motivation to choose teaching. This conclusion is supported by the offsetting effects of the policy's restrictive and encouraging aspects, as explained by expectancy-value theory and the qualitative data. Nevertheless, the intrinsic motivation of policy-funded pre-service teachers did not improve as much as that of their self-supported counterparts, suggesting potential undermining effects of the policy.

In conclusion, this study provides valuable insights into the motivations of Chinese pre-service teachers and the effectiveness of the CGFTE policy in shaping their career choices. It underscores the importance of considering both intrinsic and extrinsic factors in enhancing teacher training and career education in China. The book will be an essential resource for students, scholars, and policymakers interested in understanding the dynamics of teacher education and the development of the teaching profession in China.

Dimension: 216 x 138 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032639673