ERIC Number: EJ910867
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2010-Nov
Pages: 8
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0005-3503
EISSN: N/A
Language Teacher: To Be or Not to Be
Mason, Shannon
Babel, v45 n1 p14-21 Nov 2010
The success of languages education in Australia depends on a dedicated force of proficient and qualified teachers. The reality, however, is that we are losing our teachers at an alarming rate. While teacher attrition across Australia has been widely researched, little investigation has been conducted specifically into the post-graduation employment patterns of qualified languages educators. In this paper, interviews with a range of educators provide insights into what influences graduate teachers' decisions to start, leave, or not even begin a career in languages education. The cohorts presented include those teachers who are currently engaged in teaching languages, those who are currently teaching other subject areas, and those who have never taken up employment as language teachers. While most other studies of this type focus on why teachers remain in the system, or leave altogether, this article provides a unique perspective from teachers who have left languages education for other teaching areas. (Contains 1 figure and 1 table.)
Descriptors: Teacher Persistence, Employment Patterns, Foreign Countries, Faculty Mobility, Language Teachers, Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, Interviews, Career Choice, Teacher Attitudes, Case Studies
Australian Federation of Modern Language Teachers Associations. Faculty of Education and Social Work, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia. Tel: +61-29351-2022; e-mail: president@afmlta.asn.au; e-mail: editor@afmlta.asn.au; Web site: http://www.afmlta.asn.au
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A