Personal Characteristics Associated with Certain Motives for Choosing Teaching as a Vocation
In both the professional and lay literature much concern is being currently expressed relative to the characteristics of teaching personnel in the public schools. Although space limitations preclude a detailed analysis of this literature, the junior author (Scott, 1960) has recently shown that it displays an increasing improvement in theoretical orientation and in soundness of research design. Lang (1958) developed a Scale of Motives for Teaching, consisting of 25 standardized statements, which has proved to be a useful research tool. The present study deals with the hypothesis that the relative "importance" attributed by 482 prospective women teachers to each of the 25 Lang Motives in the choice of teaching as a vocation is not significantly related to each of 12 personal characteristics. PROCEDURES Chi-square tescs of independence were computed for each of 25 "motives" comprising the Lang Scale of Motives fox Teaching and 12 personal characteristics of prospective teachers: class standing, age, marid status, number of siblings, father's occupation, residence during high school, years planning to teach, reason for college attendance, academic average, education of father, edxcation of mother, birth order. For found to be significant, supplementary scaristical analyses were made by comparing "observed" verrus "expected," i.e., "chance expectancy," frequencies in the various cell entries of the respective contingency tables. The directions for the L n g Scale required the prospective teacher to select from among the 25 statements three items each which were "most influential" and "least influential" in her choice of teaching as a vocation. Similarly, five items each were rated as having "slight influence" and "much influence" in her vocational choice. The remaining nine items were considered as having only "moderate" influence in the choice of teaching as a vocation. The data concerning rhe 12 personal characteristics were obtained from official records of the University of Georgia and from a specially prepared form filled in at rhe time the Lang Scale was administered. The sub-categories of data classification for each of the 12 personal characteristics are stated or implied in the presentation of findings.