Aspirations of becoming a mathematics or a science teacher: A CB-SEM analysis of preservice teachers' self-ascribed identities

Addressing the global shortage of qualified math and science teachers is a serious challenge, especially for developing countries that are losing skilled educators to jobs overseas. The paper examines the factors influencing career aspirations among preservice teachers in mathematics and science, an...

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Main Authors: Christeodoflor Ramos, Mary Grace Villaflor, Masza Lyn Milano, Danica Kaye Hallarte, Gesselle Batucan, Roselyn Gonzales, Gamaliel Gonzales
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-01-01
Series:Social Sciences and Humanities Open
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590291125006266
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author Christeodoflor Ramos
Mary Grace Villaflor
Masza Lyn Milano
Danica Kaye Hallarte
Gesselle Batucan
Roselyn Gonzales
Gamaliel Gonzales
author_facet Christeodoflor Ramos
Mary Grace Villaflor
Masza Lyn Milano
Danica Kaye Hallarte
Gesselle Batucan
Roselyn Gonzales
Gamaliel Gonzales
author_sort Christeodoflor Ramos
collection DOAJ
description Addressing the global shortage of qualified math and science teachers is a serious challenge, especially for developing countries that are losing skilled educators to jobs overseas. The paper examines the factors influencing career aspirations among preservice teachers in mathematics and science, an area that has received limited focused investigation. Using covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM), the proposed model examines how motivation, social influence, professional identity, and decisional self-efficacy contribute to career decidedness, subsequently informing career aspirations. Data were collected from 615 mathematics and science preservice teachers enrolled in teacher education institutions across the Visayas regions of the Philippines. The CB-SEM results revealed three key findings: (a) motivation significantly predicts teaching career aspirations, (b) career decidedness has a strong direct positive effect on the intention to pursue teaching, and (c) preservice science teachers demonstrate stronger links between motivation, decisional self-efficacy, and career decidedness compared to their mathematics counterparts. These findings have implications for teacher education policy and programs aimed at strengthening aspirations, recruitment, and retention in mathematics and science teaching professions.
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publishDate 2025-01-01
publisher Elsevier
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series Social Sciences and Humanities Open
spelling doaj-art-f2042e2aa16946cb83db3952a1caf48c2025-08-20T04:01:00ZengElsevierSocial Sciences and Humanities Open2590-29112025-01-011210189810.1016/j.ssaho.2025.101898Aspirations of becoming a mathematics or a science teacher: A CB-SEM analysis of preservice teachers' self-ascribed identitiesChristeodoflor Ramos0Mary Grace Villaflor1Masza Lyn Milano2Danica Kaye Hallarte3Gesselle Batucan4Roselyn Gonzales5Gamaliel Gonzales6College of Education at Danao Campus, Cebu Technological University, Danao City, Cebu, 6004, PhilippinesCollege of Arts and Sciences, Cebu Normal University, Cebu City, 6000, PhilippinesEducational Research and Resource Center, Cebu Technological University, Danao City, Cebu, 6004, PhilippinesEducational Research and Resource Center, Cebu Technological University, Danao City, Cebu, 6004, PhilippinesEducational Research and Resource Center, Cebu Technological University, Danao City, Cebu, 6004, Philippines; Danao City Division, Department of Education, Danao City, Cebu, 6004, PhilippinesCollege of Education at Danao Campus, Cebu Technological University, Danao City, Cebu, 6004, Philippines; Educational Research and Resource Center, Cebu Technological University, Danao City, Cebu, 6004, PhilippinesCollege of Education at Danao Campus, Cebu Technological University, Danao City, Cebu, 6004, Philippines; Educational Research and Resource Center, Cebu Technological University, Danao City, Cebu, 6004, Philippines; Corresponding author. College of Education at Danao Campus, Cebu Technological University, Danao City, Cebu, 6004, Philippines.Addressing the global shortage of qualified math and science teachers is a serious challenge, especially for developing countries that are losing skilled educators to jobs overseas. The paper examines the factors influencing career aspirations among preservice teachers in mathematics and science, an area that has received limited focused investigation. Using covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM), the proposed model examines how motivation, social influence, professional identity, and decisional self-efficacy contribute to career decidedness, subsequently informing career aspirations. Data were collected from 615 mathematics and science preservice teachers enrolled in teacher education institutions across the Visayas regions of the Philippines. The CB-SEM results revealed three key findings: (a) motivation significantly predicts teaching career aspirations, (b) career decidedness has a strong direct positive effect on the intention to pursue teaching, and (c) preservice science teachers demonstrate stronger links between motivation, decisional self-efficacy, and career decidedness compared to their mathematics counterparts. These findings have implications for teacher education policy and programs aimed at strengthening aspirations, recruitment, and retention in mathematics and science teaching professions.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590291125006266Career decidednessMotivationPreservice teachersTeacher career choiceTeacher professional identity
spellingShingle Christeodoflor Ramos
Mary Grace Villaflor
Masza Lyn Milano
Danica Kaye Hallarte
Gesselle Batucan
Roselyn Gonzales
Gamaliel Gonzales
Aspirations of becoming a mathematics or a science teacher: A CB-SEM analysis of preservice teachers' self-ascribed identities
Social Sciences and Humanities Open
Career decidedness
Motivation
Preservice teachers
Teacher career choice
Teacher professional identity
title Aspirations of becoming a mathematics or a science teacher: A CB-SEM analysis of preservice teachers' self-ascribed identities
title_full Aspirations of becoming a mathematics or a science teacher: A CB-SEM analysis of preservice teachers' self-ascribed identities
title_fullStr Aspirations of becoming a mathematics or a science teacher: A CB-SEM analysis of preservice teachers' self-ascribed identities
title_full_unstemmed Aspirations of becoming a mathematics or a science teacher: A CB-SEM analysis of preservice teachers' self-ascribed identities
title_short Aspirations of becoming a mathematics or a science teacher: A CB-SEM analysis of preservice teachers' self-ascribed identities
title_sort aspirations of becoming a mathematics or a science teacher a cb sem analysis of preservice teachers self ascribed identities
topic Career decidedness
Motivation
Preservice teachers
Teacher career choice
Teacher professional identity
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590291125006266
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