Determinants of Teacher Candidates’ Satisfaction With Academic Studies: A Longitudinal Approach

• In Event: Preservice Teachers as Both Learners and Teachers

Abstract

Although there is consensus about the importance of students’ satisfaction with their academic studies as one facet of academic success, little is known about the determinants of this significant outcome variable. Past research rarely investigated the influence of multiple predictor variables simultaneously. Here, we examined the impact of the five factors of personality, intelligence, academic achievement, and various motivational variables in a sample of university students pursuing a teaching degree, using a longitudinal design (t1: n=623; t2: n=254). Neuroticism and motivations for choosing teacher education, both measured at study entry, contributed significantly to subsequent satisfaction with the study’s content and their satisfaction with their ability to cope with academic stress. Moreover, neuroticism predicted satisfaction with the studying conditions.

Authors

• F.-Sophie Wach, Saarland University

• Julia Karbach, Saarland University

• Hans-Werner Bedersdorfer, Saarland University

• Roland Bruenken, Saarland University

• Frank M. Spinath, Saarland University