Conference Agenda

Teacher's professional development is conceptualized as a lifelong learning process that fosters the development of professional expertise and professionalism (Evans, 2019). This process involves the continuous deepening of knowledge and skills required to establish and sustain effective teaching practices. Research highlights the benefits of professional development processes for both students and teachers (Kennedy,2016; Mansfield & Gu, 2019).

Extensive attention has been devoted to teachers’ professional development in the scholarly literature, particularly with regard to in-service teachers. Within this body of work, Vonk (1995) frames professionalism in teaching as a continuous, long-term process evolving across the teaching career. Despite this emphasis on career-long development, the role of initial teacher education within the broader framework of lifelong professional learning has received comparatively limited attention (Coppe et al., 2024). The present study seeks to address this gap by proposing a model of continuous professional learning structured around initial teacher education, while examining how orientations toward professionalism and lifelong learning in the field of teaching are shaped during the initial stage of teacher preparation. Specifically, the model focuses on student teachers’ motivations to engage in advanced academic studies as an expression of their professional orientations. Adopting an integrative perspective, the model links cognitive dimensions of professional development with motivational dimensions, as reflected in teachers’ commitment to the profession.

Teacher education programs: The literature identifies diverse models of teacher education that differ in their pedagogical orientations and educational goals. Some programs emphasize preparing teachers to promote students’ achievement and meet academic standards, reflecting accountability driven approaches such as No Child Left Behind (Bates & Townsend, 2007). Others view student teachers as learners who develop teaching knowledge and skills through inquiry and reflection, enabling adaptation to changing educational contexts (Sahlberg, 2011). Despite these differences, comparative analyses indicate that most teacher education programs share three core components, aligned with Shulman’s framework of the knowledge base for teaching (1987): content knowledge, pedagogical content-knowledge, and clinical experience in educational settings. In recent years, however, there has been growing recognition of the need to expand this framework by systematically integrating the development of twenty-first-century skills. These competencies, encompassing cognitive, personal, and social domains, are viewed not only as pedagogical aims but also as strategic resources for strengthening teachers’ resilience and supporting their adaptation to contemporary educational systems (Nissim & Danial‑Saad, 2023).

Alongside the cognitive dimensions emphasized in teacher education programs, increasing attention is given to motivational components aimed at fostering teachers’ professional identity. One key concept in this regard is professional commitment, defined as a psychological state reflecting individuals’ attitudes toward their chosen career. Professional commitment in teaching reflects alignment between teachers’ beliefs and professional values, expressed through emotional attachment to the profession, motivation for ongoing development, and dedication to long-term engagement in teaching. (Meyer & Allen, 1991). Empirical studies indicate that committed teachers express confidence in their career choice combined with intentions to remain in the profession (Kelchtermans, 2017).

The study aims to examine the extent to which initial teacher education processes, together with commitment to the profession, contribute to student teachers’ motivations for professionalism, with particular emphasis on engagement in advanced academic studies at the master’s degree level.

Research Questions

1. To what extent do student teachers demonstrate commitment to the teaching profession and express motivations for professionalism through engagement in master’s degree studies?
2. To what extent do teacher education content and commitment to the teaching profession predict student teachers’ motivations to pursue continued studies at the master’s degree level?
3. Does student teachers’ commitment to the teaching profession serve as a mediating factor between teacher education content and motivations for professionalism through master’s degree studies?

There is a persistent and well-documented shortage of teachers worldwide (Dupriez et al., 2016; European Commission, 2023; Heinz, 2015; Lindqvist & Gidlund, 2025; Symeonidis et al., 2025), with UNESCO and the International Task Force on Teachers for Education 2030 (2024) estimating a global deficit of 44 million teachers by 2030. This shortage is driven by structural factors such as low salaries (Singleton & Roberts, 2023; Wiggan et al., 2021), declining professional status, and increasing workload demands (Heffernan et al., 2022). These challenges not only affect teachers already in the workforce, but also the capacity of educational systems to attract new candidates into the profession. In Chile, this situation is reflected in declining enrolments in initial teacher education programs (Ministerio de Educación, 2024) and growing concerns regarding early career attrition (Orrego-Tapia, 2023).

Within this broader context, primary education remains a highly feminized field. Internationally, women represent approximately 81% of primary teachers (OECD, 2023), a pattern that is also evident in initial teacher education. Despite sustained policy interest in increasing male participation in teaching, particularly in primary education, initiatives aimed at attracting men have shown limited success (McGrath et al., 2020; Skelton, 2009). This suggests that barriers to gender diversity operate early in the professional trajectory, before individuals formally enter the teaching workforce.

While previous research has largely focused on male teachers already in the profession, this study shifts attention to earlier stages of the trajectory, examining entry into initial teacher education. This focus is particularly relevant given that decisions to enrol, persist, or withdraw from teacher education programs are shaped by gendered expectations, social norms, and structural conditions that precede professional practice.

Beyond workforce considerations, increasing male representation in primary education has broader social and educational implications. Given that schools are central spaces for children’s socialization (Heinz et al., 2021), greater gender diversity among teachers can challenge entrenched gender norms that associate teaching and care exclusively with women, which can contribute to more equitable representations of masculinity and caregiving (Fernández et al., 2020; Madrid, 2011; McGrath & Sinclair, 2013; Mistry & Sood, 2016).

Existing research has identified multiple factors discouraging men from entering primary teacher education. Gender stereotypes play a key role, as teaching young children is commonly associated with emotionality, patience, and nurturing, traits socially constructed as feminine (Kang et al., 2020; Meader & Larwin, 2022). Men who choose primary teaching often face questioning of their motivations and suitability, as well as suspicion within feminized educational spaces (Cruickshank, 2019; Parr & Gosse, 2011; Sargent, 2004). Structural conditions, including relatively low salaries and limited opportunities for career advancement, further constrain male participation, particularly in contexts where men continue to experience pressure to fulfil the role of primary economic provider (Arribas et al., 2022; Figueroa & Hernández, 2019; Mizala et al., 2022).

Conversely, facilitators of male participation in primary teacher education include intrinsic motivations linked to vocation and interest in teaching, altruistic motivations related to contributing to children’s development and social wellbeing, and the influence of prior educational experiences and significant role models (Arribas et al., 2022; Heinz, 2015; Montecinos & Nielsen, 1997; Mungarro & Zayas, 2009).

The study is theoretically informed by research on gendered career trajectories, motivational approaches to teacher education, and sociocultural perspectives on professional socialization. Its aim is to explore and understand the facilitators and barriers shaping the trajectories of male pre-service primary teachers as they enter and progress through initial teacher education. The guiding research question is: What facilitators and barriers shape male students’ decisions to enter and persist in primary teacher education, and how are these trajectories influenced by gendered expectations and institutional contexts?

Global scholarship on teacher motives reveals a complex, context-dependent landscape where the decision to teach is rarely varying but rather a negotiation between intrinsic, altruistic, and extrinsic factors (Garra-Alloush et al., 2021). Grounded in frameworks such as the Expectancy-Value Theory and FIT-Choice, the literature highlights a divergence in motives largely shaped by socio-economic exigencies (Kano 2025). In some developing contexts, pragmatic factors like job security and economic survival dominate, often framing teaching as a "fallback" career rather than a first choice(Chandram et al., 2025). However, this pragmatic dominance is not universal across the Global South and there are contexts where teacher candidates are often primarily driven by strong altruistic values, social utility, and a desire to serve the community, challenging the narrative that economic necessity is the sole driver in these regions (Chandram et al., 2025). In contrast, research from Western contexts suggests that while intrinsic passion and perceived teaching ability are central triggers, they exist in tension with systemic demotivators such as high accountability and public scrutiny (Davies and Hughes, 2018). Furthermore, demographic variables significantly nuance these motives; gender differences influence the intrinsic-extrinsic balance, while career changers often enter the profession seeking "meaning" and bringing transferable soft skills, distinguishing their motivational profiles from traditional pre-service teachers. While the "big three" motives (intrinsic, altruistic, extrinsic) are omnipresent, their prioritisation is fluid and dictated by the specific cultural and economic environment of the teacher(See et al., 2022).

For teacher educators, researchers, and policy makers it is important to understand student motives, specifically the reasons why they are attracted to the teaching profession. The central aim of this study is hence to map the differences in student teachers’ rationale for enrolling into teaching. While intrinsic and altruistic factors remain the primary drivers for entering the profession, extrinsic stability plays a specific role, often acting as a retention anchor rather than a primary "pull" factor.

This study is designed to answer the following core research questions:

1. Why are individuals motivated to become teachers?
2. Are these motivations influenced by the contexts these individuals inhabit?
3. Which characteristics would these individuals think will lead to effective teaching? (Or how do they see themselves in 4 years’ time?)

To fully comprehend the complex landscape of teacher motivation, a robust theoretical framework must account for the intersection of human agency (the belief in one’s power to act)(Bandura 1995) and human relation (the moral imperative to act for another)(Noddings 2012). By synthesising Albert Bandura’s construct of Self-Efficacy with Nel Noddings’ Ethics of Care, we propose a Relational-Agentic Framework which posits that the motivation to teach is born from a dialectical relationship between the capability to affect change (efficacy) and the moral orientation toward nurturing that change in others (care). Bandura’s concept of human agency can lead us to understand that for the prospective teacher, motivation is also a robust belief in their instructional efficacy. Under this framework, the "motive" to teach is operationally defined as an act of forethought: the individual envisions a future self who is capable of mastering the pedagogical environment. On the other hand, Nel Noddings provides the theoretical language to explain why that capability is directed toward students. The motivation to become a teacher is not merely a professional preference but a moral orientation. It is the drive to engage in what Noddings terms the "maintenance of the caring relation," where the teacher seeks to be the one who receives the student’s reality and acts to nurture their growth.

With the acceleration of internationalization, higher education systems have increasingly become hybrid spaces where global, national, and local sociocultural, economic, and policy dimensions intersect (Lingard, 2021; Mok & Marginson, 2021). A central challenge of internationalization concerns how local systems engage with global paradigms while remaining responsive to national development priorities. In China, internationalization has shifted from adaptation and integration toward collaboration and strategic exchange, reflecting its growing role as a national development strategy (Yang, 2014; Yang, 2018; Yang & Yang, 2025).

Within this context, Hong Kong occupies a distinctive position as a Regional Education Hub bridging Mainland China and the global academic community. It functions as a strategic intermediary in talent cultivation and human capital development, particularly in higher education and professional training (Cheng et al., 2015, 2016). At the same time, higher education in China bears the responsibility of cultivating teachers for basic education (MOE, 2023).

Against this backdrop, the Master of Education Degree Program in Teaching in Key Subject Areas, also known as the National Excellent Teacher Training Initiative (NETTI, Guoyoujihua), was established as a national policy initiative to strengthen teacher education capacity. The program aims to provide prospective teachers with solid grounding in educational theory, research, and practice across diverse regional contexts. The NETTI was extended to universities in Hong Kong (MOE, 2024), creating a distinctive policy-context interface in which a national plan for cultivating localized, high-quality teachers is enacted within Hong Kong’s unique academic and internationalized environment.

Also, cross-border NETTI students provide a lens for examining how national strategies of internationalization are interpreted and experienced at the individual level. Their decisions to study in Hong Kong reflect the interaction between national policy frameworks, institutional arrangements, and personal aspirations. Moreover, studying in Hong Kong situates these students at the intersection of cultural, academic, and professional identities shaped by global-national-local dynamics (Lingard, 2021). This cross-border educational experience also represents a pivotal phase influencing their future career expectations and professional trajectories. Therefore, this study examines NETTI students in Hong Kong, focusing on their motivation, identity formation, and career expectations within a cross-border policy context.

This study addresses the following research questions: What factors motivate NETTI students to pursue their Master’s degree in Hong Kong? How do NETTI students perceive and negotiate their identities during their studies in Hong Kong? What expectations and plans do NETTI students hold for their future professional lives?

This study develops an integrated theoretical framework combining the “push-pull” model with life course theory to analyze NETTI students’ cross-border educational experiences. The “push-pull” model (Altbach, 2004) is employed to examine factors influencing students’ motivation and career planning. Prior research has applied this model primarily at the macro level, focusing on social, political, and economic structures (Altbach, 2003; Dai et al., 2023). However, the model has been critiqued for its limited capacity to capture micro-level processes and individual agency (Choi & Tang, 2016), as well as for framing mobility as a unidirectional response to deficiencies in the home country (Findlay et al., 2012). In the context of China’s use of internationalization as a national development strategy, student mobility increasingly reflects mutual engagement shaped by national policies and institutional agendas rather than simple push-pull dynamics.

To address these limitations, life course theory is adopted to provide a process-oriented perspective on how individuals construct meaning. Life course theory emphasizes the interplay between personal agency and structural contexts, focusing on trajectories, transitions, and turning points across time (Elder et al., 2003). From this perspective, studying in Hong Kong constitutes a significant transition that may function as a turning point influencing students’ identity development and career trajectories.