Exploring turnover intentions and engagement factors among pre-service teachers: a study in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37134/jrpptte.vol15.2.9.2025Keywords:
Germany, pre-service teachers, teacher educationAbstract
The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between German pre-service teachers' perception of their campus and field experiences with their anticipated engagement as teachers and their turnover intention. Structural equation modelling was used for data analysis in this study. A survey was conducted with pre-service teachers at two different locations, namely CAU Kiel and Europa-Universität Flensburg (EUF) in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, as part of an online survey. Pre-service teachers were asked to voluntarily complete an online questionnaire after completing at least one practicum for teachers. The analysis revealed that the perceived relevance of the interaction between theory and practice in the school-based teacher education is the key element to explain both pre-service teachers' anticipated engagement in their future profession as teachers and their turnover intention. Further research is needed to better understand how study experiences are related to quality aspects of teacher education programs.
Downloads
References
Ababneh, O. M. A. (2021). How do green HRM practices affect employees’ green behaviors? The role of employee engagement and personality attributes. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 64(7), 1204-1226. https://doi.org/10.1080/09640568.2020.1814708
Advisory Panel for Teacher Education (2020). Transforming Norwegian Teacher Education: The Final Report for the International Advisory Panel for Primary and Lower Secondary Teacher Education. Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education. https://www.nokut.no/globalassets/nokut/rapporter/ua/2020/transforming-norwegian-teacher-education-2020.pdf
Bartlett, K. R. (2001). The relationship between training and organizational commitment: A study in the health care field. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 12(4), 335–352. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrdq.1001
Boyd, N. M., & Nowell, B. (2020). Sense of community, sense of community responsibility, organizational commitment and identification, and public service motivation: a simultaneous test of affective states on employee well-being and engagement in a public service work context. Public Management Review, 22(7), 1024-1050. https://doi.org/10.1080/14719037.2020.1740301
Brandt, J. O., Barth, M., Merritt, E., & Hale, A. (2021). A matter of connection: The 4 Cs of learning in pre-service teacher education for sustainability. Journal of Cleaner Production, 279, 123749. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.123749
Brouër, B., Burda-Zoyke, A., Kilian, J., & Petersen, I. (Eds.). (2018). Vernetzung in der Lehrerinnen-und Lehrerbildung: Ansätze, Methoden und erste Befunde aus dem LeaP-Projekt an der Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel. Waxmann.
Burn, K., Mutton, T., & Thompson, I. (Eds.). (2022). Practical Theorising in Teacher Education: Holding Theory and Practice Together. Taylor & Francis.
Carver-Thomas, D., & Darling-Hammond, L. (2019). The trouble with teacher turnover: How teacher attrition affects students and schools. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 27(36).
Chesnut, S. R., & Cullen, T. A. (2014). Effects of self-efficacy, emotional intelligence, and perceptions of future work environment on student teacher commitment. The Teacher Educator, 49(2), 116–132. https://doi.org/10.1080/08878730.2014.887168
Cohen, E., Hoz, R., & Kaplan, H. (2014). The practicum in student teacher education: A review of empirical studies. Teaching Education, 24(4), 345–380. https://doi.org/10.1080/10476210.2012.711815
Copland, F. (2010). Causes of tension in post-observation feedback in student teacher training: An alternative view. Teaching and Teacher Education, 26(3), 466–472. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2009.06.001
Craig, C. J., Hill-Jackson, V., & Kwok, A. (2023). Teacher shortages: What are we short of?. Journal of Teacher Education, 74(3), 209-213.
Darling-Hammond, L. (2006). Constructing 21st-century teacher education. Journal of Teacher Education, 57(3), 300–314. https://doi.org/10.1177/00224871052859
Day, C. (2013). Teacher quality in the twenty first century: New lives, old truths. In X. Zhu & K. Zeichner (Eds.), Preparing teachers for the 21st century. Dordrecht: Springer (pp. 21–38).
Dos Santos, L. M. (2021). Self-efficacy and career decision of pre-service secondary school teachers: A phenomenological analysis. International Journal of Instruction, 14(1), 521-536.
Dove, M. K. (2004). Teacher attrition: A critical American and international education issue. Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin, 71(1), 8-30.
Ferguson, P. (2011). Student perceptions of quality feedback in teacher education. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 36(1), 51–62. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602930903197883
Flores, M. A. (2019). Unpacking teacher quality: Key issues for early career teachers. In A. Sullivan, B. Johnson & M. Simons (Eds), Attracting and keeping the best teachers: Issues and opportunities, (pp. 15-38). Singapore: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-8621-3
Flushman, T., Guise, M., & Hegg, S. (2019). Improving Supervisor Written Feedback: Exploring the" What" and" Why" of Feedback Provided to Pre-Service Teachers. Issues in Teacher Education, 28(2), 46-66.
Goldhaber, D. (2012). Teachers matter, but effective teacher quality policies are elusive. In H. F. Ladd & M. E. Goertz (eds.) Handbook of research in education finance and policy (pp. 168-187). Routledge.
Gustems-Carnicer, J., Calderón, C., & Calderón-Garrido, D. (2019). Stress, coping strategies and academic achievement in teacher education students. European Journal of Teacher Education, 42(3), 375-390. https://doi.org/10.1080/02619768.2019.1576629
Heinz, T., Brouër, B., Janzen, M., & Kilian, J. (2020). Formen der (Re-) Präsentation fachlichen Wissens: Ansätze und Methoden für die Lehrerinnen-und Lehrerbildung in den Fachdidaktiken und den Bildungswissenschaften. Waxmann Verlag.
Heggen, K., & Terum, L. I. (2013). Coherence in professional education: Does it foster dedication and identification? Teaching in Higher Education, 18(6), 656–669. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2013.774352
Hojeij, Z., Atallah, F., Baroudi, S., & Tamim, R. (2021). Challenges for practice teaching in UAE schools: Supervisors' and pre-service teachers' perceptions. Issues in Educational Research, 31(2), 513-536.
Holcomb-McCoy, C. (2023). Creating teacher education programs to solve the teacher shortage. Childhood Education, 99(2), 72-78.
Holzberger, D., Maurer, C., Kunina-Habenicht, O., & Kunter, M. (2021). Ready to teach? A profile analysis of cognitive and motivational-affective teacher characteristics at the end of pre-service teacher education and the long-term effects on occupational well-being. Teaching and Teacher Education, 100, 103285. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2021.103285
Hong, J. Y. (2010). Pre-service and beginning teachers’ professional identity and its relation to dropping out of the profession. Teaching and teacher Education, 26(8), 1530-1543. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2010.06.003
Kelly, N., Cespedes, M., Clarà, M., & Danaher, P. A. (2019). Early career teachers' intentions to leave the profession: The complex relationships among preservice education, early career support, and job satisfaction. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 44(3), 93-113.
Khan, M. R., Ziauddin, J. F., & Ramay, M. I. (2010). The impacts of organizational commitment on employee job performance. European Journal of Social Sciences, 15(3), 292–298.
Kim, D., Long, Y., Zhao, Y., Zhou, S., & Alexander, J. (2021). Teacher professional identity development through digital stories. Computers & Education, 162, 104040. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2020.104040
Klassen, R. M., & Chiu, M. M. (2011). The occupational commitment and intention to quit of practicing and student teachers: Influence of self-efficacy, job stress, and teaching context. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 36(2), 114–129. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2011.01.002
KMK – Ständige Konferenz der Kultusminister der Länder in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland. (2004). Standards für die Lehrerbildung: Bildungswissenschaften [Standards for teacher education: Educational sciences]. Retrieved from http://www.kmk.org/fileadmin/veroeffentlichungen_beschluesse/2004/2004_12_16-Standards-Lehrerbildung.pdf
KMK – Ständige Konferenz der Kultusminister der Länder in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland. (2008). Ländergemeinsame inhaltliche Anforderungen für die Fachwissenschaften und Fachdidaktiken in der Lehrerbildung [Joint-state content requirements for subject-specific studies and didactics in teacher education]. Retrieved from http://www.kmk.org/fileadmin/veroeffentlichungen_beschluesse/2008/2008_10_16-Fachprofile-Lehrerbildung.pdf
Lee, J. C. K., Zhang, Z., & Yin, H. (2011). A multilevel analysis of the impact of a professional learning community, faculty trust in colleagues and collective efficacy on teacher commitment to students. Teaching and Teacher Education, 27(5), 820–830. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2011.01.006
Lohmar, B. & Eckhardt, T. (2013). The Education System in the Federal Republic of Germany 2012/2013: A description of the responsibilities, structures and developments in education policy for the exchange of information in Europe. Retrieved from https://www.kmk.org/fileadmin/Dateien/pdf/Eurydice/Bildungswesen-engl-pdfs/dossier_en_ebook.pdf
Madigan, D. J., & Kim, L. E. (2021). Towards an understanding of teacher attrition: A meta-analysis of burnout, job satisfaction, and teachers’ intentions to quit. Teaching and teacher education, 105, 103425. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2021.103425
Mérida-López, S., Extremera, N., & Chambel, M. J. (2021). Linking self-and other-focused emotion regulation abilities and occupational commitment among pre-service teachers: Testing the mediating role of study engagement. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(10), 5434. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18105434
Miao, S., Rhee, J., & Jun, I. (2020). How much does extrinsic motivation or intrinsic motivation affect job engagement or turnover intention? A comparison study in China. Sustainability, 12(9), 3630. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12093630
Mok, S. Y., & Staub, F. C. (2021). Does coaching, mentoring, and supervision matter for pre-service teachers’ planning skills and clarity of instruction? A meta-analysis of (quasi-) experimental studies. Teaching and Teacher Education, 107, 103484. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2021.103484
Ng, W., Nicholas, H., & Williams, A. (2010). School experience influences on student teachers' evolving beliefs about effective teaching. Teaching and Teacher Education, 26(2), 278–289. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2009.03.010
O’Connor, K. E. (2008). “You choose to care”: Teachers, emotions and professional identity. Teaching and Teacher Education, 24(1), 117–126. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2006.11.008
Özüdogru, M. (2021). The Formation of Teacher Identity through Video Reflections during Teaching Practicum. ie: inquiry in education, 13(2), 16.
Renwick, K. (2023). Developing teacher identity through purposeful dialogue. Teaching and Teacher Education, 128, 104135. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2023.104135
Robinson, V., Hohepa, M., & Lloyd, C. (2009). School leadership and student outcomes. Identifying What Works and Why. Best Evidence Synthesis Iteration [BES]. New Zealand: Ministry of Education, New Zealand.
Silverman, S. K. (2010). What is diversity? An inquiry into student teacher beliefs. American Educational Research Journal, 47(2), 292–329. https://doi.org/10.3102/00028312103650
Siri, A., Supartha, I. W. G., Sukaatmadja, I. P. G., & Rahyuda, A. G. (2020). Does teacher competence and commitment improve teacher’s professionalism. Cogent Business & Management, 7(1), 1781993. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2020.1781993
Skinner, B., Leavey, G., & Rothi, D. (2021). Managerialism and teacher professional identity: Impact on well-being among teachers in the UK. Educational review, 73(1), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2018.1556205
Smith, K., & Lev‐Ari, L. (2005). The place of the practicum in pre‐service teacher education: The voice of the students. Asia‐Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 33(3), 289–302. https://doi.org/10.1080/13598660500286333
Sorensen, L. C., & Ladd, H. F. (2020). The hidden costs of teacher turnover. Aera Open, 6(1), 2332858420905812. https://doi.org/10.1177/2332858420905812
Teo, T., Fan, X., & Du, J. (2015). Technology acceptance among pre-service teachers: Does gender matter?. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 31(3), 235-251. https://doi.org/10.14742/ajet.1672
Kotthoff, H. G., & Terhart, E. (2013). Teacher education in Germany: Traditional structure, strengths and weaknesses, current reforms. Scuola democratica, 4(3), 0-0. https://doi.org/10.12828/75802
Tindowen, D. J., Bangi, J., & Parallag Jr, C. (2019). Pre-service teachers’ evaluation on their student internship program. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 18(10), 279-291.
Turğut, M., & Yılmaz, S. (2012). Relationships among student primary mathematics teachers’ gender, academic success and spatial ability. International Journal of Instruction, 5(2), 5-20.
Vertemara, V., & Flushman, T. (2017). Emphasis of university supervisor feedback to teacher candidates. Journal of Student Research, 6(2), 45-55. https://doi.org/10.47611/jsr.v6i2.392
Voss, T., & Kunter, M. (2020). “Reality shock” of beginning teachers? Changes in teacher candidates’ emotional exhaustion and constructivist-oriented beliefs. Journal of Teacher Education, 71(3), 292-306. https://doi.org/10.1177/00224871198397
Wang, J., & Odell, S. J. (2002). Mentored learning to teach according to standards-based reform: A critical review. Review of Educational Research, 72(3), 481–546.
https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543072003481
Watlington, E., Shockley, R., Guglielmino, P., & Felsher, R. (2010). The high cost of leaving: An analysis of the cost of teacher turnover. Journal of Education Finance, 36(1), 22–37. https://www.jstor.org/stable/40704404
Yuan, R., & Lee, I. (2015). The cognitive, social and emotional processes of teacher identity construction in a pre-service teacher education programme. Research Papers in Education, 30(4), 469-491. https://doi.org/10.1080/02671522.2014.932830
Yuan, R., & Lee, I. (2016). ‘I need to be strong and competent’: A narrative inquiry of a student-teacher’s emotions and identities in teaching practicum. Teachers and Teaching, 22(7), 819-841. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2016.1185819
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Eyvind Elstad, Are Turmo, Knut-Andreas Abben Christophersen, Astrid Schmidt, Corinna Geppert
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
