LATAM Revista Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades, Asunción, Paraguay.
ISSN en línea: 2789-3855, junio, 2023, Volumen IV, Número 2 p 1897.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.56712/latam.v4i2.724
Factors that Influence Major Choice of Pedagogy of
National and Foreign Languages Students at Santa Elena
University, Ecuador
Factores que influyen en los estudiantes en la elección de la carrera de
Pedagogía de los Idiomas Nacionales y Extranjeros en la Universidad
Estatal Península de Santa Elena
Ketty Vergara
kvergara@upse.edu.ec
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6340-2806
Universidad Estatal Península de Santa Elena
La Libertad – Ecuador
Italo Carabajo
icarabajo@upse.edu.ec
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9592-1659
Universidad Estatal Península de Santa Elena
La Libertad – Ecuador
Rudy Jonathan Párraga Solórzano
rparraga@upse.edu.ec
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3155-4826
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3155-4826
La Libertad – Ecuador
Artículo recibido: 01 de junio 2023. Aceptado para publicación: 09 de junio de 2023.
Conflictos de Interés: Ninguno que declarar.
Abstract
This study aims to determine the variables that affect the Pedagogy of National and Foreign
Language Majors at Santa Elena University in Ecuador and what inspires young students to begin
and complete this major. Quantitative research is used in this study. A survey in Google Forms
was used to gather data, and multiple-choice questions included 100 students selected
randomly from the UPSE Pre-university courses. They are members of both locations at the
Villamil Playas branch and the UPSE headquarters. This study shows that most students are
intrinsically driven to become English teachers because they enjoy the language. However, some
of them were under family pressure. A sizable portion is determined to earn the major despite
all odds. The students must complete a rigorous academic program, achieve CEF proficiency in
English at level B2, and work on an educational project based on conducting research at various
local institutions as part of their development as major students. Additionally, they get to work
on a study case pulled from the classroom where they practice for their pre-professional jobs.
To conclude this work, it is necessary to emphasize that while there are many alternatives based
on careers like technology and environment, being an English teacher is among the students'
choices in Santa Elena Province.
Keywords: major, intrinsic motivation, young students
LATAM Revista Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades, Asunción, Paraguay.
ISSN en línea: 2789-3855, junio, 2023, Volumen IV, Número 2 p 1898.
Resumen
El objetivo de este estudio es determinar las variables que inciden en la Pedagogía de las
Carreras de Lenguas Nacionales y Extranjeras en la Universidad de Santa Elena en Ecuador y
qué inspira a los jóvenes estudiantes a iniciar y culminar esta carrera. En este estudio se utiliza
la investigación cuantitativa. Para la recolección de datos se utilizó una encuesta en formularios
de Google y preguntas de opción múltiple que incluyeron a 100 estudiantes seleccionados al
azar de los cursos de Preuniversitario de la UPSE. Son integrantes de las ubicaciones de la
extensión Villamil Playas y de la sede de la UPSE. Este estudio muestra que la mayoría de los
estudiantes están intrínsecamente motivados a convertirse en profesores de inglés porque
disfrutan del idioma, Por otra parte, algunos de ellos estaban bajo presión familiar. Sin embargo,
una parte considerable está decidida a ganar la carrera a pesar de todas las probabilidades. Los
estudiantes deben completar un programa académico riguroso, lograr un dominio del inglés CEF
en el nivel B2 y, como parte de su desarrollo como estudiantes, trabajar en un proyecto educativo
basado en la realización de investigaciones en varias instituciones locales. Además, tienen la
oportunidad de trabajar en un caso de estudio que se extrajo del salón de clases donde practican
para sus trabajos preprofesionales. Para concluir este trabajo, es necesario recalcar que, si bien
existen muchas alternativas basadas en carreras como tecnología y medio ambiente, ser
profesor de inglés se encuentra entre las opciones de los estudiantes de la Península de Santa
Elena.
Palabras clave: carrera, motivación intrínseca, jóvenes estudiantes
Todo el contenido de LATAM Revista Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades,
publicados en este sitio está disponibles bajo Licencia Creative Commons .
Como citar: Vergara, K., Carabajo, I., & Párraga Solórzan, R. J. (2023). Factors that Influence Major
Choice of Pedagogy of National and Foreign Languages Students at Santa Elena University,
Ecuador. LATAM Revista Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades 4(2), 1897–1905.
https://doi.org/10.56712/latam.v4i2.724
LATAM Revista Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades, Asunción, Paraguay.
ISSN en línea: 2789-3855, junio, 2023, Volumen IV, Número 2 p 1899.
FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE MAJOR CHOICE OF PEDAGOGY OF NATIONAL AND FOREIGN
LANGUAGES STUDENTS AT SANTA ELENA UNIVERSITY, ECUADOR
Since the fact that people need to be a professional in any field, students after secondary around
the world have the choice of being part of a higher level of education at the university, it creates
a deep sociology problem based on the nature of finding the future career appropriate, as the
society demand as students' preferences. Many factors drive secondaries to choose the best
career to have a job to survive in the near future, family influences their relatives who are or have
been teachers, friends who are teaching currency, or even their interests or skills in the language,
furthermore, the fact that learners are from a Spanish native language instead of English creates
a barrier in their minds. It is essential to understand why students decide to study to become
English teachers to lead them in the right direction and inspire them to pursue higher levels of
study even in the face of challenging circumstances. This article focuses on whether the
motivation to do it is intrinsic or extrinsic, based on knowing where the wish to choose the major
comes from.
Intrinsic motivation is a behavior that is energized by the pleasure derived from engaging in the
activity, Extrinsic motivation occurs when we are motivated to perform a behavior or engage in
an activity to earn a reward or avoid punishment. (Gulatee & Combes, 2022).
In this way, the present study focused on identifying the factors and determinants that influence
the professional career choice of a sample of pre-university students who are ready to start their
studious to get a major as English teachers. This group of students has great expectations to
reach their goal as soon as possible, to help their families and earn a salary that helps them to
improve their economic situation and reach a job for the rest of their lives.
METHODOLOGY
The study's methodology was a descriptive survey. One hundred sixty-five students who
completed the Pre-university course at Universidad Estatal Peninsula de Santa Elena made up the
target population. 100 students were chosen randomly from UPSE's main office and a branch in
Villamil Playas for the sample size. Systematic sampling based on the class registers was used
to select the actual participants for the study. Data to obtain a rate were collected using
structured questionnaires consisting of questions on a 5-point Likert scale. The method was
quantitative data presented using multiple-choice questions. It was sent via Google form. A digital
tool like Google Forms is a web-based program used to create forms for data collection purposes
(Sadiyani, 2022 ).
The survey was created using three multiple-choice items. The most important question is the
one. It had twelve possible answers based on elements affecting a student's decision to pursue
a particular career. These were: family, friends, curriculum, career costs, interests, social
standing, teachers, salary, employment stability, skills, and the fact that the student could not
choose a career. The second one was based on the level of satisfaction students feel after
completing the pre-university course. The third question focused on determining the level of
commitment students got to reach their major, considering that they are intrinsically motivated.
The number of participants in the survey was 100, from a total of 165 students. They were chosen
at random to get a more precise result.
LATAM Revista Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades, Asunción, Paraguay.
ISSN en línea: 2789-3855, junio, 2023, Volumen IV, Número 2 p 1900.
FINDINGS
Main Factor of motivation to choose the majors
The results of the survey's application were highly intriguing. Only the first three answers with the
highest level are mentioned in the results, showing that 52 percent of the total number of students
chose to study Pedagogy National Foreign Languages because they were intrinsically motivated
and liked and enjoyed the language. Another group has made this profession choice because of
how inexpensive it is. The following mayors stated that 8% of their constituents had an extrinsic
drive, such as their families;
Many parents wish that their children should be successful in their careers.
They hope to see them go into an occupation that will bring joy and growth.the other choices
were not mentioned because they did not achieve the required 1%. Because of this, the results
are based on the three most often mentioned responses. (Onoshakpokaiye, 2022)
Level of satisfaction after students have chosen the career
(Ismail et al., 2022) Motivation and competence have a considerable detrimental impact on job
satisfaction and performance.
When asking students about their satisfaction level after choosing a career, the participants
mentioned that 50% were satisfied with their decision, and 45% were delighted. Just 5%
expressed that they were low satisfied. It is understood that students are highly pleased with their
choice.
Level of commitment to finish the career
(Tri et al., 2022) Career commitment can be defined as employees’ engagement with their job and
profession. However, employees committed to their organization are not necessarily committed
to their careers. In other words, individuals with career commitment tend to focus more on their
career than their organization.
Checked question 3, it was possible to identify the level of commitment to finishing the career to
get the major is 80 percent. The second most answered option was 16 percent, and finally, the
rest of the answers were inferior, which means students are determinants to get their bachelor’s
degree in this major.
LATAM Revista Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades, Asunción, Paraguay.
ISSN en línea: 2789-3855, junio, 2023, Volumen IV, Número 2 p 1901.
Table 1
Survey results
I am a ………
Man Woman Other
78 21 1
I study in
UPSE La Libertad UPSE Playas
33 67
What motivated you to choose the PINE career as a profession?
Relati
ves
Frie
nds
Couns
elor
Own
inter
est
Co
st
Curricul
um
Soci
al
prest
ige
Previo
us
teach
er at
schoo
l-high
schoo
l
Sal
ary
Employ
ment
stability
Skills
in the
langu
age
I
did
not
hav
e
any
oth
er
opti
on
9 2 0 38 1 7 1 13 0 5 20 4
How satisfied are you with PINE as your choice to study at the University?
Very satisfied Satisfied Little satisfied Dissatisfied
52 43 0 5
On a percentage scale. How committed are you to completing your degree, despite the
challenges that arise during your studies?
100% 75% 50% 25% 10%
65 22 8 4 1
DISCUSSION
In the literature, we can find different definitions of intrinsic motivation, to analyze and better
understand the reasons why young people choose Pedagogy of National and Foreign Languages
as a career, intrinsic motivation is defined as “the doing of an activity for its inherent satisfaction
rather than for some separable consequence. When intrinsically motivated, a person is moved to
act for the fun or challenge entailed rather than because of external products, pressures, or
rewards”. (Oudeyer & Kaplan, 2009) it is stated, “the desire to engage in an activity because one
enjoys, or is interested in, the activity” (April, 2018) since the fact that students like the language
and also they want to teach it, it is the main factor to choose the career.
Duckworth (2007) individuals high in need for achievement pursue goals that are neither too easy
nor too hard, individuals high in grit deliberately set for themselves extremely long-term objectives
and do not swerve from them— even in the absence of positive feedback. (pág.1087)
People who love doing something are intrinsically pushed to develop any activity based on their
commitment, the personal willingness to have a better life, performance a high level of
satisfaction generated since their well-done job, and the aspiration to be promoted in order to
reach a better salary which helps them accomplish with their purposes.
Parental influence in the choice of a career, extrinsic motivation
Since the fact that a group of students was influenced by family members “Parents play a
significant role in this case as they pressure career choice of their children in many ways such as
LATAM Revista Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades, Asunción, Paraguay.
ISSN en línea: 2789-3855, junio, 2023, Volumen IV, Número 2 p 1902.
direct inheritance and the condition of apprenticeship or role model” (Humayon et al., 2018). “A
child’s occupational aspiration is most likely to be influenced by the parents’ profession,” said
(Kazi & Akhlaq, 2017).
The nature of the relationships and interactions established between parents and children
constitute the foundation of the vocational exploring process. The quality of parent-child
relationships, open communication, the support offered, and trust, can influence exploring
activities, vocational aspirations, plans, and the perception of barriers that may occur in choosing
a career. (Palos, 2010) based on these research works it can be said that parents can influence
their children’s career choices.
(Nwoka et al., 2022) cited Mopson and Hayed and cited in Uba (2013) stated that parents and
family play a vital role in occupational choice of youth and since the child has grown up among
these people, he is likely to imbibe some of their values and ideas which will be reflected on his
choice of career
Career low cost
Based on the low cost of the career, (Lent et al., 2000) stated that it can be a positive factor that
influences students to make a decision, however, if it is taking into consideration that Santa Elena
is one of the poorest Province in Ecuador, it is comprehensible that this option can be an
important reason why young people choose the major of Pedagogy of National and Foreign
Languages as their profession. Even though they do not like the English language, and even they
do not like teaching at all.
Employment stability
Since the fact that students were asked about employment stability, knowing that it is a positive
aspect of teaching career in Ecuador, the participants were not encouraged by this factor,
moreover it could be one determinant aspect of choosing the career.
Kim and Kim (2020) as cited in (Majekodunmi et al., 2022)posit that job security implies a process
whereby an organization’s human resource manager (management) crafts and implements
employees’ psychological safety policies, in such a way that employees get a sense of belonging
and feel satisfied working in an organization.
Counselors influence to choose of a career
(Sutiman et al., 2022) argue the influence of the social environment and counseling guidance are
also crucial factors that affect students' stability in making career decisions after graduation,
however, in this specific case, it did not happen, taking into consideration the result of the
question provided whose answer was absolutely zero. Beyond the result of this question it is
crucial think about the work vocational oriented are doing in the high schools from Santa Elena
Province.
Influence of previous teachers to choose a career
(Irene et al., 2022) teaching motivations can change during initial teacher education and they can
be influenced by in-school opportunities to learn. The students’ answers reflex that some of them
were influenced by English teachers at early edges, (P, 2022) The decision to choose a particular
career path may also be influenced by the experiences and viewpoints of others, known as
normative beliefs.
LATAM Revista Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades, Asunción, Paraguay.
ISSN en línea: 2789-3855, junio, 2023, Volumen IV, Número 2 p 1903.
As the matter that students show a (Yağan, 2022) states that the job motivation of the teacher
refers to the motives and impulses that cause people to choose to become, remain, and leave the
profession. In addition to the teacher’s working conditions, the perception of duty that enables
them to act according to a normative program also determines work motivation. (Yağan, 2022)
CONCLUSION
To sum up, based on students' desire to learn a new language, this article analyzes the elements
that affect their decision to major in Pedagogy of National and Foreign Languages at UPSE. Since
the students are not imitating their relatives' actions or even taking their financial status into
account, the effect of the familiar is not a topic of discussion in this decision. Their familiar
connections served as their motivation. Finally, it is intriguing that UPSE students genuinely enjoy
their choices. However, they struggle with the English language and loathe teaching. The finest
aspect of this research project is discovering how dedicated they are to finishing.
This article determines the factors that influence students at UPSE to choose Pedagogy of
National and Foreign Languages as their profession is based on their interest in learning a new
language. Even though they do not handle the English language and even they do not like teaching
at all. Owing to the familiar influence is not a point of discussion in this choice because the
students need to follow their relatives' steps, not even considering if they have a good or bad
economic situation; what motivated them is out of their familiar links.
The best finding of this research is that UPSE students are highly committed to finishing their
careers and becoming the best English teachers ever. It is interesting to see that UPSE students
enjoy what they pick. Based on the solid level of interest among potential English
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ISSN en línea: 2789-3855, junio, 2023, Volumen IV, Número 2 p 1904.
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