The Factors Influencing the Process of Deciding Whether to Become a Computer Science Teacher
Abstract
Choosing a future profession is an important step in life, and the decision to become a teacher is widely discussed in the literature. However, pre-service computer science teachers hold a unique position, as they are highly employable in the information technology job market, and this may have an impact on the decision to choose teaching as a career. The present research aims to clarify the decision-making process of becoming a computer science teacher and the factors that influence it. The qualitative research inspired by the constructivist grounded theory involved semi-structured interviews with 18 first-year pre-service computer science teachers. Through a questionnaire developed for this sample, the findings from the qualitative research were quantitatively verified on 69 respondents. The key choice is whether to become a teacher. Pre-service teachers are motivated by external factors (length of holidays, job stability, flexibility and salary) and the desire to work with children. In contrast, they are demotivated by the negatives of being a teacher, particularly by concerns about pupils (especially their behaviour) and parents. After deciding to study teaching, pre-service teachers need to make a decision about their specialisation. This is influenced by the high school they attended, their relationship to computer science, their former teachers, strategic reasons (believing this specialisation to be an easy way of getting the degree or a job after graduation), gender stereotypes (especially among women), and their expectations about teacher education in computer science.
Downloads
References
Bergmark, U., Lundström, S., Manderstedt, L., & Palo, A. (2018). Why become a teacher? Student teachers’ perceptions of the teaching profession and motives for career choice. European Journal of Teacher Education, 41(3), 266–281. https://doi.org/10.1080/02619768.2018.1448784
Birks, M., & Mills, J. (2011). Grounded theory: A practical guide. Sage Publications.
Bruinsma, M., & Jansen, E. P. W. A. (2010). Is the motivation to become a teacher related to preservice teachers’ intentions to remain in the profession? European Journal of Teacher Education, 33(2), 185–200. https://doi.org/10.1080/02619760903512927
Bukor, E. (2011). Exploring teacher identity: Teachers’ transformative experiences of re-constructing and re-connecting personal and professional selves [Doctoral dissertation, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto]. TSpace. https://utoronto.scholaris.ca/server/api/core/bitstreams/3df42f15-0e94-4fc5-a13e-b3bb0ad3bed4/content
Bukor, E. (2015). Exploring teacher identity from a holistic perspective: Reconstructing and reconnecting personal and professional selves. Teachers and Teaching, 21(3), 305–327. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2014.953818
Butler, A. S. (2021). The impact of external contextual factors on teaching candidates. Center for Educational Policy Studies Journal, 11(3), 55–74. https://doi.org/10.26529/cepsj.1072
Charmaz, K. (2014). Constructing grounded theory (2nd ed.). Sage Publications.
Corbin, J., & Strauss, A. (2008). Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory (3rd ed.). Sage.
Czech School Inspectorate. (2024). Kvalita vzdělávání v České republice ve školním roce 2023/2024: Výroční zpráva České školní inspekce [Quality of education in the Czech Republic in the 2023/2024 school year: Annual report of the Czech School Inspectorate]. https://www.csicr.cz/cz/Dokumenty/Vyrocni-zpravy/Kvalita-vzdelavani-ve-skolnim-roce-2023-2024-%E2%80%93-vyr
Daud, A. (2021). Becoming an English teacher: An autobiographical narrative inquiry. AL- ISHLAH: Jurnal Pendidikan, 13(1), 90–98. https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v13i1.405
Everson, J., & Ko, A. J. (2022). “I would be afraid to be a bad CS teacher”: Factors influencing participation in pre-service secondary CS teacher education. In J. Vahrenhold, K. Fisler, M. Hauswirth, & D. Franklin (Eds.), Proceedings of the 2022 ACM Conference on International Computing Education Research – Volume 1 (pp. 237–246). ACM. https://doi.org/10.1145/3501385.3543966
Fokkens-Bruinsma, M., & Canrinus, E. T. (2012a). Adaptive and maladaptive motives for becoming a teacher. Journal of Education for Teaching, 38(1), 3–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2012.643652
Fokkens-Bruinsma, M., & Canrinus, E. T. (2012b). The Factors Influencing Teaching (FIT)- Choice scale in a Dutch teacher education program. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 40(3), 249–269. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359866X.2012.700043
Fokkens-Bruinsma, M., & Canrinus, E. T. (2014). Motivation for becoming a teacher and engagement with the profession: Evidence from different contexts. International Journal of Educational Research, 65, 65–74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2013.09.012
Hanušová, S., Píšová, M., Kohoutek, T., Minaříková, E., Janík, M., Janík, T., Mareš, J., Uličná, K., & Ježek, S. (2017). Chtějí zůstat nebo odejít?: Začínající učitelé v českých základních školách [Do they want to stay or leave? Novice teachers at Czech primary and lower secondary schools]. Masaryk University. https://doi.org/10.5817/CZ.MUNI.M210-8922-2017
Hennessy, J., & Lynch, R. (2016). “I chose to become a teacher because.” Exploring the factors influencing teaching choice amongst pre-service teachers in Ireland. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 45(2), 106–125. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359866X.2016.1183188
Hubwieser, P., Hubwieser, E., & Graswald, D. (2016). How to attract the girls: Gender-specific performance and motivation in the Bebras Challenge. In A. Brodnik, & F. Tort (Eds.), Informatics in schools: Improvement of informatics knowledge and perception. ISSEP 2016 (pp. 40–52). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-46747-4_4
Juškevičienė, A., Jevsikova, T., Stupurienė, G., & Vinikienė, L. (2024). STEM teachers’ motivation and engagement in teacher professional development and career advancement: A case study of Lithuania. Education Sciences, 14(7), 780. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14070780
Keck Frei, A., Berweger, S., & Bieri Buschor, C. (2017). Men considering (and choosing) teaching as a career: What accounts for their decision to become a teacher? European Journal of Teacher Education, 40(4), 535–549. https://doi.org/10.1080/02619768.2017.1315397
Kılınç, A., Watt, H. M. G., & Richardson, P. W. (2012). Factors influencing teaching choice in Turkey. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 40(3), 199–226. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359866X.2012.700048
Knell, P. F., & Castro, A. J. (2014). Why people choose to teach in urban schools: The case for a pushpull factor analysis. The Educational Forum, 78(2), 150–163. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131725.2013.878775
Mills, J., Bonner, A., & Francis, K. (2006). The development of constructivist grounded theory. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 5(1), 25–35. https://doi.org/10.1177/160940690600500103
Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic. (2025). Základní výstupy z mimořádného šetření: ke stavu zajištění výuky učiteli v MŠ, ZŠ, SŠ a VOŠ [Key findings from the extraordinary survey: On the status of teaching provision by teachers in kindergartens, primary schools, secondary schools, and higher colleges]. https://edu.gov.cz/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Mimoradne-setreni_ucitele_2025.pdf
Moses, I., Berry, A., Saab, N., & Admiraal, W. (2017). Who wants to become a teacher? Typology of student-teachers’ commitment to teaching. Journal of Education for Teaching, 43(4), 444–457. https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2017.1296562
Nur Fitria, T. (2023). Factors influencing education department students in choosing a teacher’s career. Epigram, 20(1), 43–56. https://jurnal.pnj.ac.id/index.php/epigram/article/view/5570
Pappa, S., & Moate, J. (2021). Teacher educators’ professional identity in English-medium instruction at a Finnish university. Center for Educational Policy Studies Journal, 11(3), 9–33. https://doi.org/10.26529/cepsj.1053
Píšová, M., & Hanušová, S. (2016). Začínající učitelé a drop-out [Novice teachers and drop-out]. Pedagogika, 66(4), 386–407. https://doi.org/10.14712/23362189.2016.353
Plunkett, M., & Dyson, M. (2011). Becoming a teacher and staying one: Examining the complex ecologies associated with educating and retaining new teachers in rural Australia? Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 36(1), 32–47. https://doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2011v36n1.3
Průcha, T. (2023). Příprava učitelů informatiky v mezinárodním kontextu: Srovnávací studie [Computer science teacher education in an international context: A comparative study] [Doctoral dissertation, University of West Bohemia in Pilsen]. Theses.cz.
Průcha, T., Filipi, Z., & Rohlíková, L. (2019). Problémy v přípravě učitelů informatiky: Případová studie [Problems in computer science teacher preparation: A case study]. In D. Horváthová, A. Michalíková, J. Škrinárová, & P. Voštinár (Eds.), Proceedings of conference DidInfo 2019 (pp. 115–118). Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica, Technical University of Liberec. https://www.fpv.umb.sk/app/cmsSiteBoxAttachment.php?ID=4558&cmsDataID=0
Richardson, P. W., & Watt, H. M. G. (2005). ‘I’ve decided to become a teacher’: Influences on career change. Teaching and Teacher Education, 21(5), 475–489. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2005.03.007
Saqipi, B., & Vogrinc, J. (2021). The contexts and processes of shaping teacher identity. Center for Educational Policy Studies Journal, 11(3), 5–7. https://doi.org/10.26529/cepsj.1274
See, B. H., Munthe, E., Ross, S. A., Hitt, L., & El Soufi, N. (2022). Who becomes a teacher and why? Review of Education, 10(3), Article e3377. https://doi.org/10.1002/rev3.3377
Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. M. (1990). Basics of qualitative research: Grounded theory procedures and techniques. Sage Publications.
Šimandl, V., & Dobiáš, V. (2021). Analýza dat při tvorbě zakotvené teorie pomocí software atlas.ti [Using atlas.ti software for data analysis through the construction of grounded theory]. Paidagogos, 2021(1), 131–156. https://paidagogos.net/issues/2021/1/article.php?id=8
Švaříček, R., & Šeďová, K. (2007). Kvalitativní výzkum v pedagogických vědách [Qualitative research in education sciences]. Portál.
Teng, F. (2017). Emotional development and construction of teacher identity: Narrative interactions about the pre-service teachers’ practicum experiences. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 42(11), 117–134. https://doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2017v42n11.8
Tomšik, R. (2019). Choosing teaching as a profession: Validation of an SMVUP-4-S assessment tool. Problems of Education in the 21st Century, 77(4), 545–559. https://doi.org/10.33225/pec/19.77.545
Torres-Cladera, G., Simó-Gil, N., Domingo-Peñafiel, L., & Amat-Castells, V. (2021). Building professional identity during pre-service teacher education. Center for Educational Policy Studies Journal, 11(3), 35–54. https://doi.org/10.26529/cepsj.1070
Wang, W., & Wang, Z. (2022). Why choose a career in teaching? Exploring motivational factors that influence the decision to teach. British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 51(1), 46–57. https://doi.org/10.1080/03069885.2022.2040003
Watt, H. M. G., & Richardson, P. W. (2008). Motivations, perceptions, and aspirations concerning teaching as a career for different types of beginning teachers. Learning and Instruction, 18(5), 408–428. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2008.06.002
Watt, H. M. G., Richardson, P. W., Klusmann, U., Kunter, M., Beyer, B., Trautwein, U., & Baumert, J. (2012). Motivations for choosing teaching as a career: An international comparison using the FITChoice scale. Teaching and Teacher Education, 28(6), 791–805. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2012.03.003
Yadav, A., Connolly, C., Berges, M., Chytas, C., Franklin, C., Hijón-Neira, R., Leftwich, A., Marguliex, L., Macann, V., & Warner, J. R. (2022). Models for computer science teacher preparation: Developing teacher knowledge. In B. A. Becker, K. Quille, M.-J. Laakso, E. Barendsen, & S. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 27th ACM Conference on on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education Vol. 2 (pp. 568–569). ACM. https://doi.org/10.1145/3502717.3532166
Yeni, S., Aivaloglou, E., & Hermans, F. (2020). To be or not to be a teacher? Exploring CS students’ perceptions of a teaching career. In N. Falkner, & O. Seppala (Eds.), Koli Calling ‘20: Proceedings of the 20th Koli Calling International Conference on Computing Education Research (pp. 1–11). https://doi.org/10.1145/3428029.3428036
Yong, B. C. S. (1995). Teacher trainees’ motives for entering into a teaching career in Brunei Darussalam. Teaching and Teacher Education, 11(3), 275–280. https://doi.org/10.1016/0742-051X(94)00023-Y
Zhang, Y., Gros, T., & Mao, E. (2021). Gender disparity in students’ choices of information technology majors. Business Systems Research Journal, 12(1), 80–95. https://doi.org/10.2478/bsrj-2021-0006
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors are confirming that they are the authors of the submitted article, which will be published online in the Center for Educational Policy Studies Journal (for short: CEPS Journal) by University of Ljubljana Press (University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Education, Kardeljeva ploščad 16, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia). The Author’s/Authors’ name(s) will be evident in the article in the journal. All decisions regarding layout and distribution of the work are in the hands of the publisher.
- The Authors guarantee that the work is their own original creation and does not infringe any statutory or common-law copyright or any proprietary right of any third party. In case of claims by third parties, authors commit themselves to defend the interests of the publisher, and shall cover any potential costs.
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
