Abstract

The purpose of the paper is to present the reasons students at the Faculty of Education in Maribor, Slovenija, chose pedagogy for their study direction, and therefore becoming a teacher. A total 237 second‐year students of the academic year 2003/04 were included in the research. Of the five groups of reasons for choosing this program, students most often asserted self‐realization, including: teaching provides a useful public function for the whole society; as a teacher, I can be an example to children and young people; this profession will give me a chance for professional development during my whole career; and teaching will enable me to use all my abilities Important differences were found to exist between students of different disciplines.