Preservice Teachers’ Motivations for the Accounting Teaching Profession: Fit-Choice Findings from a Selected Public Universities in Ghana

Teacher motivation influences teachers’ actions in the classroom and student achievement. Grounded in the FIT-Choice model, the study investigated the perception of preservice teachers about accounting teaching profession. Again, the study examined the motivational factors that attract preservice teachers to the accounting teaching profession. Descriptive cross-sectional survey design was used for the study. The population comprised all final year Bachelor of Education accounting students of University of Cape Coast and University of Education, Winneba (i.e 2018/19 academic year). Proportionate stratified sampling technique was utilised to engage 226 preservice teachers (students) in a survey. FIT-Choice scale developed by Watt and Richardson (2007) was adapted and used. Data to answer research question 1 and 2 were analysed using mean and standard deviation. Findings revealed that preservice teachers have a positive perception about the accounting teaching profession. Again, findings showed that preservice teachers were attracted to the accounting teaching profession predominantly by social utility value and personal utility values. The study recommends that academic advisors, counsellors and faculty must continue to strengthen career guidance and counselling among students (i.e., preservice teachers) to sustain the positive view that preservice teachers have about the accounting teaching profession. Keywords: Accounting, Teaching, Motivational factors, Career Choice, Interest DOI: 10.7176/JEP/12-6-06 Publication date: February 28th 202