Why in-service teachers left their employment and pursued master's studies at a Finnish university

Abstract

This study investigates why in-service teachers left their jobs and went to a Finnish University to study on an International Master’s Programme in Education. The purpose of this research is to enrich the studies in the field of teachers’ professional development and the field of international students’ study. Besides that, it aims to better understand the complicated reasons that teachers leave their jobs and choose a full-time degree to study. The researcher used an online survey to collect data, in which the participants who are in the researched master degree programme. Following the survey, thematic analysis was used during the initial data processing. The notion of “push and pull” was then used for a more detailed analysis. In the “push and pull” analysis, the researcher used a matrix to show and reveal the complexities of the researched phenomenon. The results show that there are many personal reasons for the researched phenomenon as well as complicated factors that influence in-service teachers to leave their jobs and go to Finland for a Master Degree of Education Programme. In-service teachers are not only in pursuit of professional development but also joining to this programme as results of “pushing” from their professional related and personal-related factors.