Investigating the Factors Affecting Career Motivation of School Counselors

Abstract

The present research has been conducted in an attempt to identify and investigate factors effective on career motivation of school counselors in the city of Tabriz (Iran) in 2010-2011 academic year. The statistical population of this research is all school counselors in the city of Tabriz, which consist of 312 people. Using Morgan and Jersey table and by the way of relative categorical randomized sampling, 175 people separated (98 male, 77 female) and were selected as a sample volume. The present research is practical in purpose and it is a descriptive and survey study in terms of data gathering. Research tools, Neo and Basher standard motivational questionnaire, and researcher questionnaire are made. A single-sample t-test was used to investigate the influential factors on career motivation and the following results obtained: Appropriateness of physical situations in the job environment, good quality of equipment's employed in it, and safety of job are considered as influential physical factors on career motivation. Fitness of received payment with performance of workers, incentive leaves, monetary incentives and rewards by officials, non-monetary punishments and rewards by them and also facilities like insurance and pension were characterized as welfare as well as financial factors effective on career motivation. Job nature, job plan, organizational structure, performance evaluations and organizational relations and communications all are considered as psychological factors effective on career motivation. Capability, value, and attitude, social requirements and need for progress and development were identified as individual factors effective on career motivation. To measure the presence or absence of difference in career motivation between male and female groups, an independent t-test was used and there was no significant difference between male and female groups in terms of career motivation. In order to explain the degree of career motivation, predicators of age, job background, educational level, gender, and marital status were employed and multiple-regression test was conducted. The results showed that age and job background variables were [good] predicators for changes in career motivation; thereby the former predicts the career motivation inversely, and the later directly.