Construction of vocational interests of students who participate in a program to continue pedagogy studies

Abstract

The construction of vocational interests of young people who participate in a preparation program to continue studies of pedagogy at the Universidad Católica del Maule, Chile are discussed and analyzed. The research uses a mixed sequential exploratory design. From a sequential explanatory mixed perspective, a battery of vocational tests was applied to the students entering the Talent Attraction Program in Pedagogy (APP) during the year 2017, and semi-structured interviews were applied to the students who presented greater variations in the test results. Among the factors that strengthen the vocational interest are the training challenges of the program, with special appreciation of the training experiences that connect them with significant social referents such as teachers with outstanding professional careers. It is concluded that the participation of students in preparation programs to access pedagogies, contributes to strengthen the decision to opt for teaching.