‘Because I Love Children’: Understanding Motivations to Become Preschool Teachers in Ghana.

Abstract

This study explored preschool teachers’ motivations for deciding to teach in early childhood education centres.  Teachers were asked their reasons for choosing to become preschool teachers and their likes and dislikes on the job. Participants of the study were 175 preschool teachers who attended a capacity building workshop in Accra, Ghana. Data were collected by means of a structured questionnaire with open ended questions. A content analysis was done to identify and group similar responses under themes.  The results revealed that teachers’ decisions were influenced by an interaction of intrinsic, extrinsic and socio-cultural motivational factors influencing their career choice. The results are discussed in relation to preschool teacher education and recruitment.