PROSPECTIVE TEACHERS' AND SCHOOL COUNSELORS' EXPECTATIONS OF MATTERING IN THE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT: PERCEIVED SUPPORT AND PROFESSIONAL MOTIVATION

Abstract

Mattering is the personal perception of individuals that they are valuable for others and that they make a difference in the lives of others. Mattering affects the sense of belonging at work, motivation, and job satisfaction. This study aims to determine prospective teachers' and prospective school counselors' expectations regarding the extent to which they will matter to students, parents, colleagues, and administrators after they start working. The study adopted a qualitative approach and was designed as a case study. The data collected from 57 prospective teachers and school counselors from different disciplines were analyzed using the content analysis method. Participants expect to matter as they have an effective teaching and counselling attitude towards their students and as they have good communication with parents. They also expect to matter to their colleagues as they are simply colleagues and work in collaboration, and they expect to matter to their administrators as they have an idealistic learning attitude and contribute to the school. Participants who expect not to matter to students and parents list the reasons as prejudices against their discipline and negative attitudes towards teachers. Similarly, there are also participants who state that they do not matter because of their colleagues'prejudices against their discipline and the indifference of their administrators. The study revealed that the general sense of mattering they feel in the school environment positively affects their professional motivation, and that in case of anti-mattering, they continue their profession by finding alternative routes.