Motivaciones y percepciones que inciden en la elección de la carrera pedagógica en estudiantes chilenos

INTRODUCTION. Using three different student profiles (with short-term aspirations, vocational aspirations, and second-degree students), we investigated the motivational and perceptual factors that influence the process of choosing teaching careers among Chilean university students. METHOD. The study was conducted through a qualitative analysis, including 23 semi-structured interviews and a focus group. The data were analyzed from the theoretical perspective of career choice and motivations for becoming a teacher. RESULTS. The results show certain similarities at each stage of the career choice process, but also important differences in perceptions of the teaching profession and the motivational variables that lead students to choose a teaching career, in the case of students with vocational aspirations and second-degree students, or to opt for another career, in the case of students with short-term aspirations. CONCLUSION. The influence of educational institutions on the choice of whether or not to pursue a teaching career is highlighted, as is the impact that the opinions of family members, teachers, and peers have on this decision and on students' perceptions. A predominance of altruistic and intrinsic motivations is observed among students, over extrinsic motivations.