Readiness for Teaching Economics: A Comparison of Applicants Across Geography and Gender

This article thoroughly examines the preparedness levels among economics teacher candidates, considering the effects of geography and gender. The study aims to evaluate the readiness of people who want to teach economics, considering the effects of their gender and location. The research methodology involved collecting data from a diverse sample of aspiring teachers from different locations (Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Universitas Negeri Malang and Universitas Jember) considering both urban and rural settings. Subject knowledge, pedagogical abilities, and teaching experience were only a few of the preparedness factors examined and compared across places and genders. Based on geography and gender, the data show considerable differences in preparedness levels among candidates for economics teaching positions. Comparisons based on location highlight the differences in infrastructure, educational opportunities, and resource availability that may affect preparation levels. Gender analysis investigates how varied experiences, societal expectations, and access to professional growth opportunities may affect readiness. The ramifications of these findings emphasize the necessity for focused programs and laws to address the inequities found. The individual difficulties faced by candidates in various places and by different genders should be considered while working to improve preparation among economics teacher candidates. This study adds to the body of knowledge on teacher readiness. It provides policymakers, teacher education programs, and other stakeholders information on promoting inclusive and equitable teacher education practices.


Introduction
Economic education is essential in equipping students with the knowledge and skills necessary to deal with the complexities of the modern economic world (Muijnck & Tieleman, Vol 12, Issue 3, (2023) E-ISSN: 2226-6348 To Link this Article: http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARPED/v12-i3/19296DOI:10.6007/IJARPED/v12-i3/19296 Published Online: 25 September, 2023 2021) (Modig, 2021).From here, paying special attention to prospective educators who will later become professional teachers is required.As with economics education graduates, they do not have maximum competence and not all economics education graduates are interested in becoming an educator.These results are influenced by several factors, such as emotional, peer, environmental, curiosity, physical, and motive factors (Astuti et al. 2018).Another factor influencing interest in becoming a teacher is social background, representing higher cultural capital than economic capital (Marklund 2021).This is also reinforced by parental attitudes, job prestige, admiration for someone, ability, gender compatibility, autonomy at work, cultural stereotypes and personal experience (Maryati &;Rezania 2018).In economics teacher candidates in particular, readiness to become a teacher is influenced by several factors such as geographical location (university location) and gender factors.
Geographical location is a factor that can introduce disparities in resources, infrastructure, and educational opportunities, which can affect prospective teachers' readiness (Zulhazlinda et al., 2023).In addition, gender-related factors such as social expectations, different experiences, and access to professional training may also contribute to variations in readiness levels among economic teacher candidates (Lubis, 2022).In this context, it is crucial to understand and analyze these factors to identify potential gaps in the preparedness of prospective economics teachers and design appropriate strategies to address them.By conducting a comparative study on location and gender factors, we aim to explore variations in readiness levels among prospective economics teachers and their specific challenges.
This study aims to provide insights into the preparedness of prospective economics teachers and contribute to the existing literature on teacher education.By studying the influence of location and gender factors, we hope to uncover nuances that may affect prospective economics teachers' preparedness levels.The findings from this study can inform policy makers, teacher training institutions and education stakeholders in developing effective interventions to improve the preparedness and effectiveness of prospective economics teachers.This article will present the methodology, data analysis and findings from our comparative study.We will discuss the implications of the results and highlight the importance of addressing the identified gaps in teacher readiness.The ultimate goal is to promote equitable and inclusive teacher education practices so that all prospective economics teachers are well-prepared to face the challenges of educating the next generation in economics.

Literature Review Economics Teacher Professionalism
Encouraging and motivating student development by exposing them to researching real-world situations and solving difficulties using digital resources is one of the 21st-century talents that all teachers should possess (Perdani & Andayani, 2022).Technological knowledge is essential for students and teachers to learn effectively and efficiently.Learning in the current Education 4.0 era is more flexible because it is no longer limited to a particular area or classroom so it is crucial that learning by utilizing modern information technology is emphasized in Society 5.0 (Febrianto & Inayati, 2020).With the demands of changing eras and conditions, prospective teachers need the skills to become professional teacher.
The position of a teacher is to be a teaching staff in education so that teachers are required to have a directed teaching strategy and can be a motivator for their students (Onyishi & Sefotho, 2020;Sharma, 2017).In Indonesia, the requirements for prospective teachers can be said to be professional teacher by having four (4) pedagogical competencies, which are the ability to manage student learning oriented towards understanding the teacher's view of the basics and philosophy of education, professional competence, namely a teacher will be able to have a deep mastery of learning material, which includes ability of material, curriculum in school subjects and scientific materials that include material, as well as mastery of scientific structures and methodologies, personal competence which is what reflects a stable and established personality, noble, mature, wise, authoritative and a role model for students and social competence which is seen from the teacher's ability as a social being in interacting with others as stated in Law No. 14/2014. 14 Year 2005(Risdiany, 2021) Teacher Candidate Readiness To have good work readiness, prospective teachers need to have readiness from various aspects such as pedagogical readiness, professional readiness, technology commercialization readiness, and globalization readiness.Pedagogical skills describe an educator's unique and different skills, knowledge, and attitudes.So that in a learning atmosphere, students can absorb the whole material and expertise to develop it through judgment, critical thinking, and analytical skills.This management effort will distinguish one educator from another (Glaesser, 2019;Halimatussadiah et al., n.d.;Nellitawati, 2020).The readiness of professionalism plays a role in increasing the dignity and position of educators as learning agents, fostering science, technology, arts, and culture to improve the quality of education in the country.The purpose of granting the position of the educator is also to implement the national education system and realize the objectives of education, namely the development of the potential of students to become human beings who are faithful, devoted, noble, healthy, knowledgeable, creative, capable, independent and responsible.
New challenges arise for prospective teachers in the current era of modern learning, especially after the massive development of the digital industry caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.More complex skills regarding the use of modern technology are a must to master (Lockee, 2021).The last readiness that prospective teachers need to master is globalization.Globalization has made it possible to access educational resources that are increasingly accessible.(Makhbul & Latif, 2018).

Teacher candidate demographics
The readiness of prospective economics teachers can be distinguished by gender and university location.There are differences in characteristics between the sexes that can distinguish one another, both physically and psychologically.Although both have physical and psychological factors, both need each other and complement each other in social and nonsocial life (Wulandari & Marta, 2022).Other demographics can be seen from the university's location, which is the best public university in East Java with superior accreditation (Heryana, 2015).Different university locations have different educational needs and local education policies.A prospective teacher must understand these differences and be prepared to adjust to the new academic environment.Another implication of different university locations is that there are also differences in the educational infrastructure and facilities available.Prospective teachers need to consider the availability of educational resources and facilities in the location and adjust their teaching methods accordingly (Ananda, 2019).
It is important for prospective teachers to actively seek information about their intended location and take steps to prepare themselves accordingly.This includes expanding their knowledge of local education policies, interacting with teachers or other education professionals, and seeking relevant educational or professional development opportunities.By doing this, prospective teachers can improve their job readiness and be more effective in dealing with the challenges they may face in their new location.

Type of Research
This study is quantitative by measuring demographic variables consisting of gender and university origin from City location and Rural Location with job readiness of teacher candidates.The following detailed research framework is shown in Figure 1 below.

Fig. 1 Research Framework Population and Sample
The population in this study were students of the economic education study program in East Java, while the sample of this study were students of the third-year economic education study program from the Universitas Negeri Malang, Universitas Negeri Surabaya dan Universitas Jember.The sample selection was carried out by random sampling using the Krejcie and Morgan method resulting in the calculation of the number of samples used in this study as many as 389 students.

Data Analysis
This article uses data analysis using ANOVA test, which is a parametric inference test to compare at least more than two groups (Ghozali, 2017).Data analysis was carried out by testing normality and homogeneity which was then continued with the ANOVA test using SPSS 22.00 software.

Demographics of Respondents
To obtain data, students of the Economics Education study program from state universities in East Java produce prospective economics teachers, namely Malang State University, Surabaya State University, and Jember University.Data collection was carried out in October -November 2022 through the JotForm application as many as 389 students.The following data is related to the demographics of respondents in the following table.Source: own researcher data Based on table 1 above, the characteristics of respondents can be seen from gender, age, university origin, reasons for choosing an economic education study program and interest in becoming an economics teacher.Based on the data collected, most respondents were female (80%) with the highest age of 22 years (37%) who came from the three universities.From the data, it can also be obtained that only 32.90% of students are not interested in becoming teachers.In general, the majority of 58% of students choose the economic education study program because it is interesting to learn.

Hypothesis Test Results
Before conducting anova tests, a normality test must be carried out on the residual values of demographics (gender and university location) on the work readiness of prospective economics teachers showing a Sig.Kolmogorov-Smirnov value of 0.061.The normality and homogeneity test decisions can be seen in tables 2 and 3 below.3 and 4, it can be seen that the Sig.Kolmogorov-Smirnov of 0.061 so that > 0.05 (significant).The homogeneity criterion to test the validity of the ANOVA assumption is whether the samples tested have the same variance with the results of the homogeneity of variance test is Sig.> 0,05.The results of homogeneity of career readiness based on the category of gender and location of higher education have a value of 0.220, and it is concluded that this category has a homogeneous sample from both gender groups being compared (Male and Female) and from the three university locations being reached (UM, UNESA, and UNEJ).4 using the ANOVA Two-Way test, it can be said that the hypothesis is accepted because it is known that the significance value in both categories is less than 0.16 [gender, p = 0.057 < 0.05; university location, p = 0.047 < 0.05], this indicates that the average of each category tested is significantly different.

Discussion
The factors of gender and college origin can be used to measure the work readiness of prospective economics teachers in Indonesia because both factors can affect the readiness and preparedness of teacher candidates facing the challenges and demands of the teaching profession.First, gender factors can affect the preparation and readiness of prospective economics teachers because there are differences in learning characteristics and priorities between men and women.Some studies show that women are more detailed, consistent and task-focused, while men are more explorative, creative and open to new experiences (Huang & Mou, 2021).Therefore, a better understanding of prospective teachers' learning preferences by gender can help develop more effective training programs relevant to their needs.
Secondly, the university's origin can also affect prospective economics teachers' preparation and readiness.This relates to the curriculum and teaching methods universities apply to economics education study programs.Some universities may have a curriculum more oriented toward developing practical skills and extensive field experience, while others focus more on theoretical knowledge (Haleem et al., 2022).Therefore, understanding the differences in curriculum and teaching methods between universities can help build more relevant and effective training programs for prospective economics teachers.By considering these factors, we can better understand the preparedness of prospective economics teachers in Indonesia from a demographic perspective, which can help design more effective and efficient training and development programs.
The issue of study in this subchapter is how the demographics of prospective economics teachers (gender and college origin) can affect their work readiness to become professional teachers.The results show that there are differences in the willingness to work as an experienced teacher when viewed from gender (male and female) and college origin (Malang State University, Surabaya State University and Jember University).This aligns with the Social Learning Theory of Career Decision Making (SLTCDM) theory, which is a relevant theoretical approach that can help understand the process of selecting and developing one's career (Lent et al., 1994).Demographics in terms of gender due to differences in characteristics between men and women physically and psychologically will form different interests between individuals.Women are described as soft, loving, needing protection, while men are described as masculine, brave, strong usually have an interest in jobs with higher challenges.In this study, researchers focused on the work readiness of prospective economics teachers as seen from human development, the characteristics of men and women, and the development of men's and women's interests.By having different characteristics between men and women, the work readiness of male and female students is also different.
ANOVA tests were conducted on the willingness to work as an economics teacher between men and women.A person's readiness to work between men and women has different results.This is supported by research conducted based on the results of research conducted by Rahmi & Puspasari (Rahmi & Puspasari, 2017) in Padang City, which revealed that based on gender, female students have higher career maturity than men.In line with (Ahyani & Astuti, 2018) Women are generally at a faster stage of development than men, which affects how women think.In addition, career decision-making is higher in women than men because women are cognitively more mature in making decisions and insights into the world of work.Similarly, regarding career information about the world of work, women establish relationships with others while men prefer to appear independent.In processing information related to work readiness, female students tend to be less free to determine for themselves where to continue their education, so they have to consult with parents and people closest to them, such as parents, family, same-sex partners, counseling teachers, adults, and people they trust (Fadli et al., 2017).In addition, differences in the interests of male and female students due to physical and non-physical characteristics also cause differences in the work readiness of prospective teachers.Male students need to work in challenging conditions, while female students will be more interested in working in a safe and prestigious place, according to him (Nani, 2019).
The teaching profession is indeed seen as responsible for conveying values and norms to the next generation so that it becomes a process of value preservation that gives birth to new values (Riahmatika &;Widhiastuti, 2019).The teaching profession contained academic qualities possessed by male and female teachers.As stated in the results of the study, the academic quality of female teachers is higher when compared to male teachers (Prihastuty et al. 2020).The difference in mastery of academic quality lies in the ability of task skills possessed by men and women.Women generally excel in: a) fine motor can move fingers quickly in unity; b) Computing exams; c) Able to do many tasks at once; d) Given the position of the object in the array; e) Spelling; f) Fluent in word processing; g) Matters that require sensitivity to external stimuli; h) Remembering directions along the travel route Using verbal memory; j) Appreciation of depth of perception and speed of reading body language expressions.Instead, men will excel in the following skills: a) Proficiency in setting targets; b) Develop vocabulary; c) Greater concentration and focus; d) Math and problem-solving skills; e) Navigation of geometric space shapes; f) Verbal intelligence; g) Establishment and maintenance of habits; h) Various spatial tasks (Lubis, 2022).
Another study by Nani found differences in interest between men and women to choose a profession as a teacher due to mastery and characteristics that are possessed differently between men and women (Nani, 2019).These results align with (Diana & Mampouw, 2019) in research on the differences between male and female teachers regarding curriculum understanding, learning and knowledge related to pedagogy and content.As a result, female teachers have better comprehension skills in the 2013 curriculum than male teachers.This is further reinforced by better pedagogical knowledge and content for female teachers when compared to male teachers.From various research studies, it is confirmed that there are very significant differences in the job readiness of third-year female and male teacher candidates.
The demographic difference in student job readiness can also be seen from the university's location.The origin of the universities in question are Malang State University, Surabaya State University and Jember University which are Teacher Training Colleges that have been converted into universities.This difference is determined from the university cluster.So there are differences in the job readiness of students from universities.The total number of universities in this cluster in 2020 was 2,136 universities.The cluster results in 2020 were 5 clusters 1 to cluster 5 and 15 of them were included in Cluster 1 which had an average of 3,480, an average process of 3,476, an average output of 2,968, and an average yield of 2,720 (Kementerian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan 2020).
The results of the ANOVA test showed differences in job readiness possessed by thirdyear students from Teaching Universities that had turned into Universities (State University of Malang, State University of Surabaya and Jember University).In addition, work readiness is certainly influenced by the environment in which the profession is carried out.The work environment in each location that has different characteristics from the facilities it has will cause differences in the perspective of prospective teachers (Muspawi & Lestari 2020).The difference in results in terms of location is due to the effectiveness of learning carried out in various universities has differences in the implementation of learning activities and learning outcomes received, causing differences in the work readiness of prospective teachers.This is supported by research conducted by Kumar, and others (Kumar et al. 2021) who conducted a study on 400 students on the integration of technology in the implementation of lectures during the pandemic in various universities, found differences in student perceptions and perceptions.The effectiveness of the implementation of learning activities at the university concerned.Universities are best at hosting online lectures if they use multiple online learning platforms.Other research related to differences in origin in determining work locations is also evidenced by Wulandari and Marta's research (E. Wulandari &;Marta, 2022) The origin of residence has a significant effect on how long students graduate from SMK, look to work, and how long they are ready to start a business, and the test results found that students who live in cities can find and prepare for work faster.This is because locations in cities and villages have differences in governance and infrastructure.
From the test results, it is known that the best origin based on the results is State University of Malang.The reason is, State University of Malang (UM) is one of the campuses included in the list of cluster one (1) universities with a score of 2,747.With the status of State University of Malang (UM) as cluster one (1) in an effort to improve the quality of graduates has policies related to: 1) Facilitating the involvement of students and alumni in research and community service activities carried out by teaching lecturers; 2) Facilitating students to produce innovative work in community empowerment; 3) Facilitating students to develop their potential, interests, and academic interests in the form of participation in national and international competitions; 4) Make it easier for graduates to get access to jobs, continue their studies, and have entrepreneurial skills; 5) Make it easier for students to get an offcampus learning experience.To realize this policy, it is necessary to implement strategies that include: 1) Increasing student involvement in research and community service activities; 2) Forming University and Faculty Level Reasoning Development Teams; 3) Forming a Scout Team and fostering students' talent interest; 4) Establish a Career Center unit; 5) Organizing student competency certification; 6) Develop entrepreneurial student development programs; 7) Establish cooperation with partners to support the acquisition of student learning experiences outside the campus (Rektor 2020).

Conclusion
The results of the job readiness study owned by teacher candidates related to demographics (gender and university origin) prove that there are differences in job readiness seen from gender between male and female economics teacher candidates.In addition, the willingness of prospective teachers when viewed from the origin of the university, proves the difference in the desire of teacher candidates to become professional economics teachers.The implication in this case is the need to prepare programs to produce potential economics teachers who need to be guided by differences in student demographics.From the findings of the study, one university has higher job readiness when compared to the other two universities.So of course, there needs to be an accelerated program owned or policies given as well as the best universities.So that it will minimize the difference in job readiness that students have from universities.
The study of demographic aspects in this study which includes the gender of students of the economic education study program and university origin proves that there is a significant difference between the test field and the job readiness aspect of prospective economics teachers.The results of this study show that in developing a program to produce professional economics teacher candidates should be guided by differences in student demographics.The survey results that discusses demographic differences in third-year economic education students who become prospective teachers found that gender and university origin affect the job readiness of teacher candidates.The results of this study show that in developing a program to produce professional economics teacher candidates must be guided by student demographic differences.
collaborator from the Faculty of Education at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia for their assistance with writing this essay.