Conference Agenda

Across the world, countries are dealing with persisting teacher shortages and the state of the teaching profession is in steady decline (Kraft & Lyon, 2024). These shortages have played a major role in increasing demands and responsibilities of teachers and expectations towards them, forcing teachers out of the profession before retirement (Sutcher et al., 2019). The related teacher turnover hinders students’ achievement (Atteberry et al., 2017). Reasons why teachers leave their schools have been on scholars’ radar over the last decades, resulting in a clear picture of the factors contributing to teacher attrition (e.g., Pressley et al., 2026). Understanding about teacher well-being, negative effects of work load, and the importance of support is derived from these studies and has informed practice and policy. However, it is important to separate teacher attrition from teacher retention as different conclusions can be drawn regarding either, since retention is not only beneficial for shortages but also to improve educational quality (Sincock et al., 2026).

Considering this, research that considers why teachers are committed to and intent to remain teaching will provide understanding that facilitate the promotion of an inspiring work environment. Commitment is the strength of the bond with a given workplace target (Wang et al., 2021). In previous research, teachers who report higher commitment have lower turnover intentions (Moodie, 2025) and their students have higher academic achievement (Li et al., 2022). Committed teachers are driven by values to care for students and enthusiasm for the subject they teach (Fransson & Frelin, 2016). They are deeply motivated to provide quality education to their students and are motivated by interacting with them (Fransson & Frelin, 2016).

Over the years, theorists have proposed various conceptualisations to commitment (e.g., Klein et al., 2012; Meyer & Allen, 1991; Wang et al., 2021). The common denominator in these conceptualisations is the intention to continue the bond with a given target. Traditionally, this target would be the employing organisation, but in more recent research commitment is viewed as directed at any part of the organisation instead. Meyer and Allen (1991) proposed a multidimensional model with three distinct mindsets that reflected on an affective bond with the organisation, a sense of obligation to the organisation (normative), and a lack of alternatives but to stay in the organisation. Critics stated that the normative and continuance mindset are rather an influence on one’s intentions to stay in the organisation than commitment itself (Solinger et al., 2008). This laid the foundations for Klein et al.'s (2012) target-neutral approach to commitment as a psychological bond based on dedication and responsibility (Klein et al., 2012).

This symposium builds on the premise that understanding why teachers do not leave, provides input for continuous retention. Commitment is put forth an explanation for this, which provided the opportunity to look at the phenomenon of retention from various angles. Recently, commitment research is evolving from a primarily quantitative field to a field that acknowledges the relevance of more interpretive and person-centered methodological approaches. Building upon these developments, this symposium provides insights on how teachers are bonded to their work and how this relates to their intentions to provide quality education and remain in teaching. Here, we present first results from three large-scale and longitudinal studies, performed in different countries, in which we aim to understand teacher commitment throughout their career.

Teachers who intend to leave to profession state that this is related to a lack of support for their contributions to their schools (Pressley et al., 2026). To provide that support, understanding is needed about how teachers commit to their work and how that related to innovative work behaviour and turnover intentions. Commitment is a sense of responsibility and dedication for a part of one’s work (i.e., a target; (Klein et al., 2012). However, organisations consists of people with various values and goals, so commitment can be directed at various parts of teachers’ work (i.e., targets; (Reichers, 1985). As such, teachers have commitment in varying degrees for different parts and patterns are recognizable between teachers regarding this (i.e., (commitment) profiles; Meyer et al., 2025). Thus, instead of making general claims over a population, this person-centred approach facilitates looking how teacher have distinct commitments to their work. Consequently, a more explicit understanding at the relationship between teachers’ commitment and its outcomes is formed. As such. this study investigates the following research questions: which commitment profiles can be identified among teachers in primary, secondary, and vocational education and what is the relationship between these commitment profiles and innovative work behaviour and turnover intentions? For this study, 616 teachers filled in a questionnaire regarding the extent of their commitment towards 14 targets and their innovative work behaviour, continuous professional development, and turnover intentions. A latent profile analysis was conducted in R (package: tidyLPA) to identify the profiles, and subsequently, three one-way ANOVAs with pair-wise comparisons were conducted to find the difference between the profiles regarding the abovementioned outcomes. The results provide five commitment profiles: a (1) high, (2) moderate, and (3) low committed profile, a (4) locally orientated profile, and a (5) individualistic profile. Teachers in the individualistic and low committed profiles had the most turnover intentions, while teachers in the individualistic and high committed profiles reported the most innovative work behaviour. In short, the commitment profiles are distinct for each other regarding the extent to which one is committed to work in general and in teacher’s relationship with the school context. Further, teachers with a sole focus on teaching rather than also on their colleagues and school are more likely to leave to organisation.

Klein, H. J., Molloy, J. C., & Brinsfield, C. T. (2012). Reconceptualizing workplace commitment to redress a stretched construct: Revisiting assumptions and removing confounds. Academy of Management Review, 37(1), 130–151. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2010.0018 Meyer, J. P., Morin, A. J. S., & McInerney, D. M. (2025). Multi-target commitment profiles and their links to motivational orientation, turnover intentions, and personal adjustment: An investigation with Hong Kong teachers. Current Psychology, 44(4), 2594–2611. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-024-07235-3 Pressley, T., Marshall, D. T., Walter, H. L., Ganey, K., Rader, M. A., Creed, E., & Andre, I. (2026). Why teachers leave: Insights from teachers leaving or preparing to leave the profession. Teaching and Teacher Education, 169, 105285. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2025.105285 Reichers, A. E. (1985). A review and reconceptualization of organizational commitment. The Academy of Management Review, 10(3), 465–476. https://doi.org/10.2307/258128

Teacher attrition is a severe, global problem (e.g. Admiraal, 2025; Vu & Nguyen, 2025), but so far little research has been conducted from the perspective of pre-service teachers (PSTs) regarding their doubts or commitment to the teaching profession (e.g., Wang et al., 2021). Roberts (2012) stated over a decade ago that initial teacher training attrition and persistence are under-researched and under-theorized. This study focuses on Finnish and Austrian PSTs’ differing commitments to a teaching career. We present them through three cases from both countries, which are further analyzed using Kelchtermans’s (2017) framework of teacher attrition and retention as an educational issue, encompassing four distinct dimensions, which are: 1) agency; 2) meaningful interactions; 3) ethical, moral, or political dimensions; and 4) interpretive negotiations. The empirical data consist of transcribed qualitative thematic interviews with 13 Austrian and 12 Finnish PSTs carried out yearly during their studies. The longitudinal research material consists of annual interviews with 25 pre-service teachers, in which three types of orientations (Pop & Turner, 2009) toward teaching were identified: 1) fully committed, 2) conflicting commitment, and 3) career change. The results are presented in a two-dimensional way: firstly, we present one example case from each country according to the commitment category. Secondly, within each of the cases we show how the Kelchtermans’s (2017) dimensions appear in these PSTs’ stories, and how the commitment does (not) change longitudinally. We can summarize the main findings of this study into two points. First, PSTs’ commitments differ during the years of their TE studies: the commitment can strengthen because of the studies, fluctuate, or even diminish. The longitudinal data allowed us to see how the degree of commitment changed during the years. Second, Kelchtermans’s (2017) dimensions related to attrition are factors in the fluctuating commitment. The dimensions illustrate how personal and professional relationships, identity negotiations, values and policies, and working conditions may affect PSTs’ intentions to enter teaching. As Clandinin et al. (2015) argue, attrition process might begin long before it happens. Thus, it is important to detect the reasons for PSTs’ doubts and provide support early as possible. We found out that applying Kelchtermans’s (2017) theory to empirical data fits and is useful in international and comparative studies. The methodology of this study thus provides a model for future research in different TE contexts.

Admiraal, W. (2025). Attrition risk profiles of novice teachers based on their job demands, individual and school resources, and well-being. Teaching and Teacher Education, 162, Article 105070. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2025.105070. Clandinin, D. J., Long, J., Schaefer, L., Downey, C. A., Steeves, P., Pinnegar, E., … Wnuk, S. (2015). Early career teacher attrition: intentions of teachers beginning. Teaching Education, 26(1), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/10476210.2014.996746. Kelchtermans, G. (2017). ‘Should I stay or should I go?’: unpacking teacher attrition/retention as an educational issue. Teachers and Teaching, 23(8), 961-977, https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2017.1379793. Pop, M. M., & Turner, J. E. (2009). To be or not to be … a teacher? Exploring levels of commitment related to perceptions of teaching among students enrolled in a teacher education program. Teachers and Teaching: theory and practice, 15(6), 683–700. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540600903357017. Roberts, D. (2012). Modelling withdrawal and persistence for initial teacher training: revising Tinto's Longitudinal Model of Departure. British Educational Research Journal, 38(6), 953–975. https://doi.org/10.1080/01411926.2011.603035. Vu, H.Y. & Nguyen, X.H. (2025). Journey to becoming an English teacher. Teaching and Teacher Education, 165, Article 105166. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2025.105166. Wang, G., Strong, M., Zhang, S., & Liu, K. (2021). Preservice teacher professional commitment: a conceptual model and literature review. Teaching and Teacher Education, 104, Article 103373. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2021.103373.

Consistent with the global focus on teacher shortages as a policy concern (See et al, 2023), it has been a prominent concern in the Irish education system since at least 2012 when the Sahlberg report, which recognised “the high calibre of entrants to ITE in Ireland” (Sahlberg et al., 2012, p. 19), highlighted potential future difficulties around recruitment and retention. Today, over a decade later, these issues continue to be emphasised as urgent by teacher unions, principal organisations and managerial bodies (Conway et al, 2024; Harford & Fleming, 2025). The many challenges associated with teacher supply come at a time when teaching remains a widely respected profession in Ireland (Teaching Council, 2015) with teachers reporting a strong level of commitment (Smyth et al., 2016, p. 154). However, we know little about teacher commitment beyond these early years. The empirical data for this paper on teacher commitment is drawn the Teachers Professional Journeys (TPJ): The First Decade (2024-2030) a national accelerated longitudinal mixed-methods study focused on understanding the dynamics of teacher learning and development from the final year of initial teacher education (ITE) through the first nine years of teachers’ work within classrooms and schools in the context of the wider education system at primary, post-primary and further education (FE) sectors in Ireland. The overarching aim of the TPJ study is to understand beginning teachers’ professional journeys via a national population sample of the 2019, 2022 and 2026 teacher cohorts. Given the dominance of research in teacher education on the first two to three years, TPJ provides a unique opportunity to provide insight into teacher commitment beyond the first three years of teaching (Hourigan et al, 2025). For the purpose of this paper, we draw on two TPJ data sources from TPJ: (i) the extent to which and how teacher commitment has been addressed in longitudinal studies of teachers drawing from a scoping review of longitudinal studies of teachers (2000-2023) and (ii) the first wave of survey data from year four and year seven teachers in primary, post-primary and further education and training. Findings from the scoping review include the relatively low numbers of included longitudinal studies that address teacher commitment, the somewhat differing framing, measurement and designs to address teacher commitment. Survey administration is taking place in Spring 2026 and findings from the wave one survey will be presented at the proposed symposium.

Conway, P. F., Leavy, A., Smyth, E., Calderón, A., Fitzgerald, J., Hourigan, M., & Ní Chróinín, D., Fitzpatrick, M., Zubareva, A. (2024). Teachers’ Professional Journeys during the first decade longitudinal study: Reviews of literature: Report No.1 , Limerick: University of Limerick. DOI: https://doi.org/10.34961/researchrepository-ul.28399763 Harford, J., & Fleming, B. (2025). Teacher supply in Ireland: anatomy of a crisis. Irish Educational Studies, 44(1), 41-54. Hourigan, M., Ní Chróinín, D., Fitzgerald, J., Conway, P. F., Leavy, A., Smyth, E. & Fitzpatrick, M. (2025) The first decade of teachers’ professional lives: a scoping review of research in the Republic of Ireland, Irish Educational Studies https://doi.org/10.1080/03323315.2025.2571034 Sahlberg, P., Munn, P. Furlong, J. (2012) Report of the International Review Panel on the Structure of Initial Teacher Education Provision in Ireland: Dublin: Higher Education Authority. https://hea.ie/assets/uploads/2017/05/Review-of-Structure-of-Teacher-Education.pdf See, B. H., Gorard, S., Morris, R., & Ventista, O. (2023). Rethinking the complex determinants of teacher shortages. In The Palgrave Handbook of Teacher Education Research, 75-102. Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland. Smyth, E., Conway, P. F., Leavy, A., Darmody, M., Banks, J., & Watson, D. (2016). Review of the Droichead teacher induction pilot programme (Report). Dublin: ESRI. Teaching Council. 2015. Striking the Balance: Teacher Supply in Ireland. Maynooth: Teaching Council.