Preservice childcare teachers’ career motivations, college adjustment, and teaching efficacy

• Sanglim Kim

  Incheon National University

• Sungeun Yang

  Inha University

We investigated the effect of college adjustment and motivation for choosing a teaching career as factors that influence preservice childcare teachers’ teaching efficacy. Participants were 200 preservice childcare teachers enrolled at colleges in South Korea. The results demonstrated that college adjustment had a significant mediating effect in the relationship between the active career motivation of preservice childcare teachers and their teaching efficacy. Specifically, active career motivation was positively correlated with teaching efficacy via the process of college life adjustment. It can be inferred that the choice of college major based on an active personal preference, compared to passive motivation, leads to better college life adjustment, which, in turn, correlates with higher efficacy in one’s career path. This suggests the need to support students’ academic and socioemotional adjustment at college as well as enhancing their course satisfaction.

1. Sanglim Kim, Incheon National University
   Department of Early Childhood Education
2. Sungeun Yang, Inha University
   Department of Child Studies

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