Choosing the teaching profession in Kazakhstan: vocational patterns

Abstract

The aim of this article is to present the results of the analysis of the factors influencing the choice of the teaching profession in Kazakhstan. The indicated analysis has theoretical and practical significance, since an understanding of the aspects that show correlations in choosing the profession of a teacher contributes to successful career guidance in this direction. As an empirical basis, the article presents some results of the international research project Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS), initiated by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The recent survey was implemented in 2018 with more than forty countries around the world, in total, this project was conducted for the third time. Kazakhstan also takes part in this study. The project aims to study various aspects in relation to teachers and school principals, such as: qualifications, prerequisites for choosing a profession, current work, professional development, interaction among the team, mobility, issues of teaching and job satisfaction. The analysis showed that when choosing a teaching profession for the dominant part of the candidates’ higher moral goals and non-material values are very important, such as the opportunity to contribute to society, as well as a good opportunity to influence the development of children and youth. At the same time, the results of the correlation analysis show that, to a certain extent, a reliable income is important for young people when choosing the profession of a teacher, and also the younger the teacher, the more important the prospect of a sustainable career is for them when choosing the profession of a teacher.

Key words: career choice, teacher, international project, TALIS, motivation, career guidance.