Status of Teachers and the Teaching Profession: A Study of Elementary School Teachers’ Perspectives

In scientific literature a large number of different conceptual definitions of status found that can be applied as a framework for the analysis of different professions although it should be noted that there is no single, universally accepted, unambiguous definition or theoretical construct. For example, Haralambos (1994) defined reputation as the amount of respect and honor associated with social status, characteristics of an individual and his or her lifestyle, while social status, as a determined position in the society that includes a certain role, is a set of standards that define the behavior expected of members of a certain status. In this paper, we will try to establish what points of view elementary school teachers hold regarding the reputation of the teaching profession in the society and how they rank the level of reputation of elementary teachers in relation to the reputation of other professions.