Abstract
thai teacher teacher Onwuegbuzie, E.M. Although prospective teachers are unlikely to be familiar with this literature, they typically have recently been pupils in school and seen first-hand the sources of teacher stress, such as disruptive behaviour and lack of student motivation. Additionally, they are likely to be aware of the negative portrayal of the teaching profession and the work of teachers in the media (Watt & Richardson, 2007, 2008). This raises questions about what motives students in higher edu-cation have for seeking initial teacher education, and about their future mastery expectations as teachers. They might reasonably ask: "Is this a profession I should enter, and will I be successful if I do?"