The social status and educational role of the teacher in the digital age. Implications for students' motivation for their teaching careers

Abstract

The development of technology, culminating, in recent years, with the immersion of AI in the formal educational space, has undoubtedly generated a number of notable, positive outcomes as a result of the use of these tools in teaching. On the other hand, access to such technologies, as well as the specific, student-focused nature of many of them, has created a wave of doubts and concerns: do students still need teachers, what happens to the role and responsibilities of the teacher if information has become so easy to access and artificial intelligence seems to have capabilities that can substitute this role in its traditional exercise? Given the other factors that may affect students' decisions to pursue a teaching career - the depreciation of the social status of the teacher, the alternative of better paid professions, the prospect of the effort required by continuing education and professional development - we wondered whether all this can have enough influential power. What makes them convinced or doubtful about this professional perspective? Therefore, we carried out a fact-finding research in which students of the study program for psycho-pedagogical training were challenged to reflect on: motivation for the teaching career, perception of the social status of the teacher in the present day, the educational role in the "competitive" relationship with AI.