Factors Associated With Chinese Teaching Candidates' Planned Persistence in Teaching

• In Event: 64.052 - International Perspectives on Teacher Recruitment, Induction, Mentoring, and Retention for and From Diverse Contexts

Abstract

Research indicates that teachers’ planned persistence in teaching is associated with their retention, which is linked to improved teacher effectiveness. Few studies have been conducted outside the U.S. of factors that predict teaching candidates’ planned persistence in teaching. Our study addresses this gap by drawing on survey data from 945 teaching candidates in China. We investigated how candidates’ individual characteristics and perceptions of teacher preparation program coherence were associated with their planned persistence in teaching. Our analyses revealed that Chinese teaching candidates had significantly higher levels of planned persistence in teaching if they were more academically oriented, if they perceived higher levels of program coherence, and if they enrolled in China’s Free Teacher Education Program for certain reasons.

Authors

• Hong Qian, National Council of State Boards of Nursing

• Peter A. Youngs, University of Virginia

• Shiqing Liu, East China Normal University