Taiwanese Preschool Teacher Education Students’ Attributions for Studying, Occupational Knowledge, and Initial Teaching Commitment

Abstract

This study examines Taiwanese preschool teacher education (PTE) students’ attributions for studying in PTE, occupational knowledge, and initial teaching commitment, as well as the effects of the former two variables on the latter one. The study used mixed-methods which included questionnaire surveys and in-depth interviews. The Taiwanese PTE students (N=1463) responded to questionnaires, and eight of them were selected as the interviewees. The findings indicate that PTE students tended to predominantly attribute their PTE studying to personal factors in the internal attributional style, had substantial but incomplete occupational knowledge, and demonstrated moderately strong initial teaching commitment. The PTE students’ attributions for studying in PTE and occupational knowledge had significant influence on their initial teaching commitment, and PTE studying attributions to personal factors was the most powerful predictor. The PTE students with more studying attributions to personal factors and more professional knowledge about occupational competency and occupational qualifications tended to display stronger initial teaching commitment.