THE DILEMMA BETWEEN TRAINING AND VOCATION. CASE STUDY OF ECUADORIAN TEACHERS OF EXCELLENCE

Abstract

The objective of the research was to know if a good teacher can be trained in classrooms or if he should be born with a teaching vocation. This work had the intention of contributing to the debate not yet answered in the selection of a teaching career. To answer this question, professional careers of teachers of excellence in Azuay and Cañar were studied. Teachers of excellence is a term used for teachers who obtained the best scores (above 900 points) in the results of “Ser Maestro” assessment process of Instituto Nacional de Evaluación Educativa (INEVAL 2016). The research design was a qualitative approach using the biographical method. An ad-hoc methodology combining the questionnaire with autobiographical questions was used. For the analysis, the interpretative paradigm was used. The results indicate that there is empathy between the subject and the professional specialty that he/she practices. There is an early attraction for the discipline that is taught and then, in practice, empathy for the profession is developed. In short, vocation and profession intersect during teaching practice in life. Differences are evident between the concepts about the profession expressed by the study subjects.