Navigating urban classrooms: The role of diversity-related stress and intentions to leave in preservice teachers’ self-efficacy

This three-wave study examined relationships between preservice teachers' diversity-related stress, teaching self-efficacy (TSE), and intentions to leave the profession. Participants ( N = 386) from four Dutch teacher training programs completed surveys on diversity-related stress, intentions to leave, and TSE over 18 months. Random intercept cross-lagged panel models showed that higher diversity-related stress predicted lower TSE and increased intentions to leave. Within-person analyses revealed a complex reciprocal relationship: Highly self-efficacious teachers reported more stress and vice versa. Finally, intentions to leave led to lower TSE at Timepoint 3 only. Findings align with social-cognitive theory, highlighting the interplay between stress, TSE, and career intentions. • Longitudinal links between stress, TSE, and attrition were explored. • We found negative links among diversity-related stress, TSE, and attrition. • Results suggest that stress hat stress offers valuable learning opportunities.