Value of the Teaching Career and Factors in Its Path in Peru

TL;DR

This study analyzes factors influencing how Peruvian teachers value their profession, revealing associations with gender, career status, outlook on the future, and teaching level, emphasizing the importance of motivation and professional development.

Contribution

It identifies key factors associated with the perceived value of teaching in Peru, providing insights for policy improvements in teacher motivation and career advancement.

Findings

45.8% of teachers are optimistic about the future

Value of teaching linked to gender, career status, outlook, and teaching level

Most teachers hold conformist or optimistic views

Abstract

The teaching career shares common global characteristics, such as internal promotion, performance evaluation, recruitment of top candidates, continuous training, specialization, and peer learning. This study aims to describe the factors associated with the value placed on the teaching career in Peru. A total of 28217 public school teachers were analyzed using data from the 2020 National Teacher Survey. A variable measuring the "value of the teaching career" was constructed using eight indicators and categorized as low, medium, or high. Another variable, vision of the future, was classified as pessimistic, conformist, or optimistic. This observational, cross-sectional, and analytical study included variables related to in-service training, working conditions, professional recognition, and sociodemographic characteristics. Among the teachers surveyed, 45.8 % expressed an optimistic outlook on the future of the profession, 48 % held a conformist view, and only 6.2 % reported a pessimistic perspective. A generalized linear model revealed that the value placed on the teaching career was significantly associated with male gender (p = 0.002), a professional career (p < 0.001), an optimistic outlook (p = 0.033), and working at the primary level (p < 0.001). It was concluded that Peruvian teachers predominantly hold conformist or optimistic views of their profession. This highlights the need to reinforce merit-based advancement, competency-based training, intrinsic motivation, and ongoing professional development