Pre-service teachers’ teaching motivation and perceptions of teacher morality in China

Abstract

The study examines two types of pre-service teachers’ teaching motivation and perceptions of teacher morality in China through the following three research questions: (1) What are pre-service teachers’ teaching motivations and perceptions of teacher morality? (2) What is the relationship between pre-service teachers’ perceptions of teaching motivation and teacher morality? (3) What are the differences between the two groups of pre-service teachers, and what factors influence their perceptions? Data are drawn from questionnaires on teacher morality in China and the FIT-Choice Scale, completed by 300 pre-service teachers, and semi-structured interviews with 25 pre-service teachers. The analyses of the findings reveal that pre-service teachers showed a high degree of teaching motivation and generally agreed with the Chinese state’s teacher morality requirements. This study suggests a “moral-motivation-reciprocity” framework for understanding pre-service teachers’ teaching motivation and perceptions of teacher morality in China.