A comparative study of student teachers in England and Egypt investigating the relationship between their perception of the status of the teaching profession and their attitudes towards education

The main aim of the research was to compare student teachers'
Perceptions of the teaching profession and their attitudes to
Education, in England and Egypt.
Other aims of the research were: (1) To investigate how
Teachers perceive the teaching profession at different levels in
Terms of status, salary, using abilities fully, usefulness to
Society, as well as public esteem. (2) To assess the value of
R.A.C. Oliver's questionnaire "Survey of Opinions about Education",
As a measure of teachers' attitudes in terms of three dimensions:
Naturalism, Radicalism and Tender-mindedness. (3) To assess the
Effectiveness of the Oliver Questionnaire as a measure of teacher
Attitudes to education in Egyptian culture. (4) To compare
Student teachers' attitudes to education in the light of certain
Demographic information, viz. Sex, age, teaching subject, and
Subject of course.
The main English sample of respondents consisted of student
Teachers in colleges of education and P.G.C.E. students at Leeds
University and a small number of M.Ed. Students and serving teachers.
The main Egyptian sample consisted of student teachers in
Colleges of education, and a small number of serving teachers and
Diploma students.
The instruments used in the study were: (1) the Oliver
Questionnaire; (2) a questionnaire on ranking occupations. Data
Were subjected to factor analysis, analysis of variance and rank
Correlation.
The main results showed that a relationship between student
Teachers' perceptions of the status of the teaching profession and their attitudes to education could not be established in England
And Egypt. Different factor structures were found for the English
And Egyptian groups. Oliver's three-factor pattern was not
Replicated in the English group results. Relationships between
Biographical data and attitudes were analysed, and some significant
Results were found. Some relationship was found between assessments
Of the status of teaching within the two countries, but
Assessments for different levels of teaching and for such variables
As value to society and personal satisfaction showed significant
Differences between the two countries. Cross-cultural comparison
Of similar occupations in the two countries showed considerable
Differences on several dimensions: status, salary, personal
Satisfaction, using abilities fully and value to society. These
Findings tend to support the "culturalist" rather than the
"structuralist" view of a society.