The attractors of teaching biology: A perspective from a Turkish context

Abstract

Because the teaching occupation plays a crucial role in a country's development, policymakers and teacher recruitment units all around the world strive to understand how to attract individuals to this profession. However, research regarding the attractors of teaching has been conducted almost entirely in developed countries and has not focused on particular subject areas to be taught. In addition, only limited lists of attractors have been used. Accordingly, the main purpose of this study was to examine what attractors influence people who choose teaching biology as a career, and what about the Turkish culture has caused people to make this career choice. The sample consisted of 37 freshman biology student teachers (31 female, 6 male). The questionnaire included open-ended questions that were used to determine the student teachers' ideas about their career decisions. According to the results of this qualitative study, enjoy working with children or adolescents, enjoy biology and light workload were attractors that were mostly reported by student biology teachers. In addition, competitive job market, national examination system, family customs, and religious beliefs in Turkey were determinants of some attractors.