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Stayers: In the Long Run. A Comparative Study of Retention in Two Swedish Teacher Generations

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The Palgrave Handbook of Teacher Education Research

Abstract

With support of data from longitudinal studies of two generations of teacher cohorts, this chapter seeks to contribute to the discussion on teacher shortages, teacher attrition, and the (re) recruitment of teachers. The following questions are highlighted: How much of their working life do individuals devote to their work as a teacher, within the school system and in the educational system as a whole? How do they view their future prospects as a teacher? To what extent are statements about future career development translated into actual action? Do the generations differ in any of the aspects described above, and if so in what ways?

The results of the studies show, firstly, that the horizons of expectations for action of different teacher generations do not differ significantly. The majority of teachers in both cohorts consider their future teaching careers in a positive light. Secondly, expressed intentions of leaving the profession do not seem to be realized to the extent that they are pronounced. Despite predictions of future attrition, most teachers remain in the profession. Over time, we also see that those who leave the profession remain in the school world. In other words, the effectiveness of teacher education can be seen as relatively good.

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Acknowledgments

This study “Vägskäl II” has been made possible by grants from the Vetenskapsrådet (Swedish Science Council) (Reg. 2015-01390).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Education and Teachers’ Practice, Linnaeus University, Kalmar, Sweden

    Per Lindquist & Ulla-Karin Nordänger

Authors
  1. Per Lindquist
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  2. Ulla-Karin Nordänger
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Correspondence to Per Lindquist .

Section Editor information

  1. Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK

    Moira Hulme

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Lindquist, P., Nordänger, UK. (2022). Stayers: In the Long Run. A Comparative Study of Retention in Two Swedish Teacher Generations. In: The Palgrave Handbook of Teacher Education Research . Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-59533-3_5-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-59533-3_5-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-59533-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-59533-3

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