Vocational traits of senior high school students aspiring to enter initial teacher training

Abstract

The aim of the present article is to describe the vocational traits (area of specialization, motivation, interests and qualifications) of senior high school students from the State High School subsystem in Yucatan, Mexico, who aspire to obtain a bachelor's degree in the field of education. For such purpose, a quantitative study of a descriptive and transectional nature was carried out on a sample of 252 senior high school students in graduate phase, who stated that pursuing a plan of studies focused on initial teacher training is among their first three options at the bachelor's degree level. The results show that less than half of the students studied a high school specialty area in accordance with teacher training. On one hand, a tendency to select this profession based on external reasons, such as family influence and economic situation, was evidenced. On the other hand, the analysis showed that only a third of the students had a high level of vocational interests related to a bachelor's degree in education, while the vocational skills required for this professional profile showed a low and intermediate level among the participants. On the whole, the present study leads to important conclusions about the vocational traits of senior high school students who aspire to initial teacher training. Said conclusions show potential risk factors for their future permanence and vocational satisfaction in a bachelor's degree program of this type, since the results evidence that the applicants meet the minimum requirements for the area in which they wish to be trained. This becomes more relevant in light of the current challenges for those who are getting prepared for the teaching profession, in the face of social changes and needs emerging in school contexts, which add new and abundant demands to this profile. The results show that less than half of the students studied a high school specialty area in accordance with teacher training also found a tendency to select this career based on external reasons, such as family influence and economic situation; on the other hand, the analysis showed that only a third of the students had at a high level the vocational interests related to a bachelor`s degree in education, while the vocational skills required for this professional profile were manifested at a low and intermediate level among the participants. In general, the study leads to important conclusions about the vocational traits of high school students who aspire to initial teacher training because they show potential risk factors for their future permanence and vocational satisfaction in a bachelor`s degree program of this type, since the results show that the applicants have the minimum requirements for the area in which they wish to be trained, which becomes more relevant in the light of the current challenges for those who are preparing for the teaching profession, in  the face of social changes and needs emerging in school contexts, which add new and abundant demands to this profile.