Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) and Student Motivation

Source: European Journal of Teacher Education, Volume 32, Issue 2,
p. 111 - 134 (May 2009).

This paper analyses the results from a study conducted among 283 full-time Postgraduate Certificate in Education course (PGCE) students in Norwegian universities in the autumn of 2006. The students responded to a questionnaire examining their motivation to take the PGCE course and their motivation to become teachers. The findings show a relatively high motivation among the students, but they also reveal much uncertainty about their future job as teachers. 25% of the students do not know if they are going to enter the teaching profession. They take a PGCE course primarily because they want more options in the job market. The general view among the students is that they need the PGCE course to be confident in the teaching role and they think it will be a demanding course. The main motivation to become teachers is that the students want to continue working with their academic subject, which they in turn want to teach to others.