Self-efficacy, work-related emotions and desire to quit in teaching occupation: A test of reciprocal relations

The aim of this study was to test reciprocal relations between teachers' self-efficacy and work-related emotions and its predictive value of desire to leave the profession. The study was conducted on the sample of 1525 Croatian teachers by implementing two-wave full panel design with a time lag of six months. Teachers filled out self-report measures that assessed their desire to quit, self-efficacy, and six discrete emotions experienced in relation to teaching and students (i.e. joy, pride, love, anger, hopelessness and fatigue/exhaustion). Cross-lagged analysis revealed the reciprocal relations between emotions and self-efficacy. Teachers who had experienced higher levels of positive emotions assessed at first time point, also reported higher levels of self-efficacy six month later, and vice versa. The opposite trend was found for the relation between negative emotions and self-efficacy. However, emotions predicted desire to quit only if assessed at the same time point (i.e. second wave) – teachers who experienced negative emotions to a greater extent had stronger desire to leave the teaching profession. The opposite was found for positive emotions. Two limitations of the study should be taken into account: 1) convenient sample, and 2) all used measures were based on self-reports. The importance of emotions in the work of teachers will be discussed both from theoretical and practical points of view. The potential value of this study reflects in the fact that this is one of the rare studies that examined the role of emotions in predicting self-efficacy and desire to quit within teacher occupation.