ISSN 2039-2117 (online) ISSN 2039-9340 (print) Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences MCSER Publishing, Rome-Italy Vol 7 No 6 November 2016 153 Main Motivations of Students of Childhood Education and Primary Education to Become Teachers David Caballero Mariscal University of Granada; Email: davidcaballero@ugr.es Francisco Javier Huertas Delgado University of Granada; Email: fjhuertas@ugr.es Doi:10.5901/mjss.2016.v7n6p153 Abstract Motivations are crucial to becoming a good teacher. This study examines the motivations of students of Childhood Education and Primary Education and their association with participants’ gender, program and age. 262 students at the CMI (University of Granada) studying educational degrees completed a paper-based questionnaire about their vocational and teaching motivations. Almost all the students (93.1%) in the Childhood and Primary Education programs are happy with their choice to become teachers, but 32.4% of these students did not choose education as their first option. Vocational motivations and the selection of educational degrees as the first option are different by gender, program and age. Male students studying Primary Education who were over 25 years old showed the highest vocational motivation. More male students under 25 years old studying Childhood Education reported that teaching was their first option in comparison to their counterparts. It is important to deepen students’ motivations to choose educational degrees. University programs have to ensure that their students develop management skills to deal with difficulties in the classroom. Moreover, it is also important to incorporate a training period in the successive years of the teacher training program as a key to working with vocational and teacher motivations in university. In any case, it would be crucial to develop a better social image of teacher in the society, because this factor can create a better world. Keywords: Motivation, vocation, Childhood Education, Primary Education, teacher. Introduction 1. It is a well-known fact that motivation is always a crucial key to becoming a good teacher. In general terms, there is often a connection between motivation and self-realization, and this can be applied to any field of life. Nevertheless, in the task of teaching, motivation and vocation are especially important. This is why it is a priority to analyze future teachers’ reasons for choosing this university program, as well as their aspirations, and to examine the potential differences between those who would like to teach in Early Childhood Education compared to Elementary Education. It is important to keep in mind that “being motivated means purposeful” (Wlodkowski, 2011, p. 23). Motivation makes it possible to achieve our goals in life. Motivated, go-getter teachers will be better able to transmit values, hopes and interest in learning to children, particularly in the new social and educational context characterized by diversity. This is one of the keys to raising students’ interest in teaching. Moreover, interest is an effective motivator for learning. We cannot ignore the fact that “teachers’ personal and professional histories and pre-service training, alongside issues of school culture and leadership, emerge as stronger mediating influences” (Flores & Date, 2006, p. 219). This is why their vocation and reasons for studying education exert an important influence on their students to a greater or lesser extent, and by extension, on their families, on the educational system and on society as a whole, as well. Teachers have a long term and lasting impact. We all have experienced the influence of a good teacher, and also the unforgettable influence that a bad educational professional can have, often due to his or her predisposition (or not) to teach. There is a set of abilities required to become a good teacher and to develop properly in the profession (Mentkowski & Loacker, 1998): - Strategies - Motivation - Disposition - Positive attitudes - Values