Abstract
The purpose of this study was to explore the motivations of teachers in a Midwestern state that has a mix of rural and non-rural geographic regions. Namely, this study set out to identify differences between educators working in rural areas and those working in non-rural (urban or suburban) regions by examining their motivations, perceptions, and reasons for teaching through administration of the Factors Influencing Teaching Choice (FIT-Choice) survey to a group of 616 Midwestern educators. Multiple group confirmatory factor analysis confirms that the collected data do fit the model as outlined by Watt and Richardson, and significant differences were found between 6 of 18 measured subfactors, including: fallback career, job transferability, time for family, salary, satisfaction teaching, and social contribution. As policy interacts with place, these findings suggest that a one-size-fits-all policy model may warrant reconsideration. Rural and non-rural teachers are not identical groups, and perhaps the differences run deeper than teachers simply needing more exposure to a rural setting.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Leech, D. J.,
Leech, N. L.,
McClintock, E.,
&
Haug, C. A.
(2023).
Rural Teachers’ and Non-Rural Teachers’ Motivations to Teach: Differences and Similarities.
The Rural Educator, 44(4), 15-28.
https://doi.org/10.55533/2643-9662.1364
