Beca Vocación de Maestro: Reasons for Choosing a Teaching Career in Peru
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26439/persona2025.n2.8489Keywords:
self-determination theory, motivation, teacher education, Vocación de Maestro scholarship, higher educationAbstract
The teaching profession in Peru has been characterized by low prestige and limited institutional support. In 2015, to attract talented individuals with vocation and academic excellence, the Ministry of Education created the Vocación de Maestro scholarship. This study is framed within this context with the objective of identifying the motivations for studying education among a group of Vocación de Maestro scholarship recipients at a private university in Metropolitan Lima. Using a qualitative design, nine students studying early childhood and primary education at the same institution were interviewed. Based on organismic integration theory, it was identified that the students had diverse intrinsic and extrinsic motivations for choosing the career, but in all cases, with some degree of autonomy. Furthermore, it was found that, although the motivational context can either support or hinder this choice, the scholarship was a decisive contextual factor in providing the students with a genuine opportunity to pursue this career, which they might not have otherwise chosen. The findings highlight the importance of such initiatives, which not only broaden access but also help attract and retain talent in a context of low professional prestige.
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