Psychological well-being and intrinsic motivation in initial teacher education: the influence of employment status, enrolment motives, and early teaching vocation

Abstract

Psychological well-being and intrinsic motivation play an important role in academic engagement, professional identity development, and commitment to the teaching profession. However, limited evidence is available on how employment status, reasons for enrolment, and early vocational orientation are jointly associated with these constructs among students in initial teacher education. This study examined psychological well-being and intrinsic motivation among postgraduate students enrolled in Master's Degree programmes in Secondary Teacher Education. A total of 239 postgraduate students enrolled at the University of Castilla-La Mancha and Villanueva University (Spain) participated in the study. Participants completed Ryff's Psychological Well-Being Scale and the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI). Independent-samples t-tests were conducted to examine differences in psychological well-being and intrinsic motivation according to employment status, reasons for enrolment, and early teaching vocation. No statistically significant differences in psychological well-being were observed according to employment status or reason for enrolment. Students who were not actively seeking employment reported significantly higher scores on Interest/Enjoyment and Perceived Choice, as well as a higher overall IMI score, than those actively seeking employment, whereas no significant differences were found for Value/Usefulness. Reason for enrolment was also associated with specific aspects of intrinsic motivation: participants who enrolled for reasons other than employment-related motives reported significantly higher Perceived Choice and overall IMI scores, while no significant differences emerged for Interest/Enjoyment or Value/Usefulness. The most consistent differences were associated with early teaching vocation. Students who had identified teaching as a professional goal from the beginning of their university studies reported significantly higher scores across all IMI dimensions ( p < .001) and a significantly higher score for Purpose in Life ( p < .001). These findings highlight early vocational orientation as a particularly relevant factor in understanding motivational engagement and professional purpose during initial teacher education. They also underscore the importance of considering both vocational and contextual factors when designing teacher education experiences that support professional identity development and sustained engagement with the teaching profession.