Attitudes Towards Teaching Profession Among Prospective Kindergarten Teachers in Jordan: Association with Communication Skills, Self-Esteem, and Interest in Teaching

Abstract

Prospective teachers’ attitudes towards teaching are grounded in their experiences of successes and failures as students. Thus, addressing their attitudes towards teaching before starting their profession is strategic. To this aim, this study explored Jordanian prospective kindergarten teachers’ attitudes towards the teaching profession. Furthermore, the study investigated the relative influence of participants’ self-esteem, communication skills, and interest in the teaching process on these attitudes. A total of 234 university students who were pursuing their bachelor degree in kindergarten education participated in the study. These were selected from the six universities offering bachelor programs in childhood education in Jordan. Three scales were administered through the internet to collect data from students. The results showed that the behavioral component of communication skills was significantly associated with attitudes. Neither cognitive nor emotional communication skills were significant predictors. Undergraduate curricula should aim to cultivate positive attitudes while addressing and improving negative ones. Fostering prospective teachers’ communication skills seemed to be a promising pathway to help promote positive attitudes and interest in teaching. Kindergarten education curriculum should help students improve, learn and use communication skills effectively.