CARIBBEAN 1ST-YEAR TEACHERS REASONS FOR CHOOSING TEACHING AS A CAREER

Little research has been done in the Caribbean area and particularly in Jamaica with respect to the reasons which teachers give for choosing teaching as a profession. This paper is based on an investigation of first-year teachers' perceptions of the impact of the teacher education programmes in Jamaica and the Organization of Eastern Caribbean Countries. The findings indicate that the reasons given are mainly altruistic in nature and are similar to those given by teachers in North American schools.