The mechanisms of (self-)selection to the teacher profession. Evidence and policy solutions

The main cognitive goal of the project is to identify major determinants behind the selection to the teacher profession. The notion of selection refers here to both the process of individual choice (why individuals decide to become teachers), and the outcome of regulations, formal requirements, selection done by educational institutions, and school principals.

The accompanying, more policy oriented goal is to propose policy measures promoting positive selection to the teacher profession.

The meaning of the „negative (or positive) selection” varies widely according to the context and research perspective. As this project is an interdisciplinary undertaking, located at the intersection of public management, institutional economics, and educational studies, it is important to clearly define its key concept. We define negative selection as a negative correlation between the qualities commonly ascribed to a good teacher (ability, academic performance, etc.) and the probability of actually becoming a teacher. From the public policy point of view such selection must be regarded as a failure.

The research hypotheses, based on existing, fragmented evidence (see further sections of the proposal), are the following:

• There exists a long established negative selection to the teacher profession in Poland.
• Despite increasing recognition of the problem, negative selection is sustained in the recent cohorts of students.
• The determinants of students’ decisions whether to become teachers can be divided into several categories, such as: individual and family characteristics, educational path including educational achievements, labour market opportunities, and regulatory policy – all playing important role in the selection to the teacher profession.
• The nature of selection process varies between teachers of different subjects, teachers at different educational stages, and it also depends on the place of residence.
• The existing policy measures are insufficient to attract talented students to the teacher profession