Ifeanyi M. Idike

Career-related teacher support and decision to choose teaching as a career: a three-wave study of Nigerian and Zambian university students

By Ugochukwu Chinonso Okolie

This study examined the effects of career-related teacher support on Nigerian (N = 201) and Zambian (N = 192) university students' decisions to choose teaching as a career. In study 1 (Nigerian universities) and study 2 (Zambian universities), data were collected from students who took the 12 weeks of teaching practice exercise at three timepoints with 2 months measurement intervals. Results of the cross-lagged panel analyses demonstrated that in the two studies, enhancement of self-exploration served as the most predictor of students' decision to choose teaching as a career, and teaching self-efficacy and work volition positively mediated the relationship.