Gendered career motivations of female preservice mathematics and science teachers: a qualitative study

Although extensive research has examined women’s participation in mathematics- and science-related fields and motivations for entering the teaching profession, considerably less is known about how women choose mathematics and science teaching, which lies at the intersection of these two domains. Examining this intersection provides an opportunity to understand how personal interests, educational experiences, structural opportunities, and gendered occupational beliefs interact in women’s career decision-making. Drawing on expectancy-value theory (EVT) as a sensitizing framework, this study explored how female preservice mathematics and science teachers in Türkiye described the experiences, motivations, and social influences that contributed to their decisions to pursue teaching careers.

A qualitative exploratory design was employed. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 female preservice teachers enrolled in mathematics and science education programs at a public university in Türkiye. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis.

Two overarching themes were identified. First, participants described enduring interest in mathematics and science, supported by positive learning experiences and influential teachers, as a key resource for sustained engagement with these fields. Second, teaching was portrayed both as a meaningful continuation of these interests and, for some participants, as an adaptation to structural constraints associated with the university entrance examination and gendered occupational expectations.

Families and previous teachers emerged as distinct socializers, influencing career choices in distinct but complementary ways. The findings suggest that women’s decisions to pursue mathematics and science teaching are best understood as an ongoing negotiation among personal interests, educational experiences, structural opportunities, and sociocultural expectations. By examining teaching as both a mathematics- and science-related pathway and a gendered profession, the study provides contextual and empirical insight into how expectancy, value, and cost considerations are experienced within a centralized admissions system and a gendered occupational context and highlights the importance of educational, career guidance, and policy initiatives addressing motivational and structural influences.

We are thankful to the preservice teachers who volunteered to participate in this study. Without their participation, this research would not have been possible. We also appreciate the insightful feedback provided by the editor and the anonymous reviewers.

The authors received no specific funding for this work. Department of Educational Sciences, İstanbul University Cerrahpaşa, İstanbul, Türkiye Department of Educational Sciences, Boğaziçi University, İstanbul, Türkiye The authors declare no competing interests. Ethical approval for the study was obtained from the Ethics Committee of Istanbul University–Cerrahpaşa (Approval No. 2022/384, 8 November 2022).