The preparation of Mathematics Teachers in Australia - ACDS

Table 8.1 Teachers’ motivation for joining the teaching profession
Proportion of teachers listing this response 1 to the
question:
What originally attracted you into the profession of teaching?
% of
responses
(n=7683)
% of
respondents
(n=2859)
Rewarding nature of the profession* 23.2 62.3
Intrinsic
personal
benefits
Conditions of
employment
Love of mathematics* 18.4 49.4
Opportunities for social interaction with
students and staff*
Transferability of skills (both into the
career, and to other careers)
Work conditions*
(eg. holidays)
13.3 35.8
1.7 0.9
16.6 44.5
Job security* 15.9 42.8
Salary* 5.9 15.8
Scholarship support / obligations 5.6 2.1
No more desirable alternatives at the time 1.3 0.4
Other
‘Wanted to make a difference’ and other
altruistic comments
2.6 1.0
Had good role models 1.6 0.6
Good for working parents 2.1 0.8
* Option presented as a ‘check-box’ on questionnaire. The unmarked categories are derived from the
written comments of teachers.
Table 8.2 Teachers’ motivation for joining the teaching profession, grouped by sector and gender
Proportion of teachers listing this response 1 to the question:
What originally attracted you into the profession of teaching?
(%)
Rewarding
nature
(n=1781)
Opportunities
for social
interaction
(n=1025)
Love of
Mathematics
(n=1413)
Job security
(n=1224)
Salary
(n=451)
Working
conditions
(n=1272)
Other
(n=491)
All teachers
(n=2859)
62.3 35.8 49.4 42.8 15.8 44.5 17.2
Catholic
(n=487)
Government
(n=1682)
Independent
(n=692)
67.1 36.8 47.6 31.6 8.8 42.9 17.5
57.6 34.0 47.1 50.2 19.0 44.8 17.4
70.2 39.6 56.1 32.5 12.9 44.7 16.3
female % of
total for each
response
49.7 52.6 54.0 45.4 44.3 46.7 51.1
1
Each of these was listed as on option on the questionnaire
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