Motivations to enter the teaching profession during the COVID-19 pandemic: Insights from emergency license holders in Massachusetts

Abstract

With school systems facing teacher shortages, one solution has been easing entry into the profession through emergency licensure. This qualitative study examines the motivations of emergency license holders in Massachusetts to join the teaching profession during the COVID-19 pandemic, drawing on open-ended survey responses, interviews and focus groups with over 800 emergency liceense holders. Overall, emergency license holders considered teaching for a range of motivations, with intrinsic and altruistic motivations most common regardless of participants’ backgrounds. Findings suggest that loosening requirements may yield candidates with adaptive dispositions towards the profession, and hold implications for teacher recruitment initiatives through nontraditional pathways.