Exploring the Types of Professional Adaptation and Influential Factors of Novice Elementary School Teachers

Objectives The purpose of this study is to analyze the professional adaptation types of novice elementary school teachers and to explore the factors influencing these types. Methods To this end, a latent profile analysis was conducted using data from the Seoul Educational Longitudinal Study collected by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education. Results The analysis identified four types among novice elementary school teachers: Satisfaction Type (51%), Successful Type (22%), Dissatisfied Type (10%), and Maladaptive Type (17%). Key findings revealed that significant predictors for being in the Satisfaction Type group included the level of teacher role recognition and self-understanding, with higher levels of these factors greatly increasing the likelihood of being classified as Satisfaction Type rather than Maladaptive Type. Factors significantly influencing the likelihood of being in the Successful Type included experience as a temporary teacher, participation in teaching and learning training, teacher role recognition, self-understanding, school principal leadership, and mastery goal structure. These factors, when higher, increased the probability of belonging to the Successful Type rather than the Maladaptive Type. Lastly, for the Dissatisfied Type, significant predictors were teacher role recognition, self-understanding, and school principal leadership, with higher levels of teacher role recognition specifically increasing the likelihood of being in the Dissatisfied Type over the Maladaptive Type. Conclusions This study provides foundational data for supporting the effective adaptation of novice elementary school teachers and offers important insights for improving teacher training programs and educational policies.